ONLINE PSYCHOLOGY ⋅ AUSTRALIA-WIDE
A place
of refuge
For hard seasons
Compassionate, trauma-informed psychological support — evidence-based, faith-sensitive, and available wherever you are.
Registered Psychologist
Medicare Rebates Available
Available Throughout Australia
No Referral Required
WELCOME
Therapy that makes space for the whole of you
— your story, your values, your questions.
Refuge Psychology offers thoughtful, ethical psychological care. Whether you're navigating anxiety, grief, relationship difficulty, or the slow work of recovering from spiritual harm — you'll be met with warmth, evidence-based support, and space to move at your own pace.
I offer respectful, trauma-informed, and ethical support that helps you navigate life’s challenges
As a registered psychologist, I offer respectful, trauma-informed, and ethical support to people in a range of circumstances, including those seeking a faith-sensitive approach. who hold faith as an important part of life — including individuals, ministry leaders, and those navigating changes or challenges connected to faith, relationships, or wellbeing.
Support Areas:
I work with adults experiencing:
Stress, anxiety, and depression
Burnout, including ministry, work, or caregiving fatigue
Relationship and communication difficulties (including couples therapy)
Domestic and family violence
Complex emotional experiences linked to faith, identity, or belonging
Distress associated with rigid or fear-based religious beliefs (including scrupulosity / Religious OCD)
Confusing, painful, or harmful experiences in faith or ministry settings, including experiences of spiritual abuse, religious harm and clergy sexual abuse.
Adults who experience long-standing or entrenched patterns that interfere with emotional wellbeing, relationships, work, or identity—especially where these patterns feel difficult to shift through insight alone. In this case, I offer schema therapy, which can be helpful for people who feel stuck in recurring cycles of self-criticism, emotional disconnection, emotional reactivity, people-pleasing, shame, fear, or relationship distress.
You do not need to have a defined “problem,” and you do not need to know how to explain your experience before you come.
I welcome people of all faiths and backgrounds, including those with experience of high-control religious environments or feelings of disenfranchisement, and those who prefer not to discuss or explore faith or spirituality as part of therapy.
You are welcome to begin from wherever you are.
Hi, I’m Kylie Walls, a registered psychologist and the founder of Refuge Psychology.
My practice is shaped by professional training, research, and experience working across education, community, and private practice settings. I work with adults experiencing a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, relationship and communication difficulties, and challenges related to identity, belonging, and life transitions.
Alongside this broader work, I have developed a particular interest in supporting people affected by relational harm, coercive control, and domestic and family violence, as well as those navigating complex experiences within organisational or faith-based contexts. I have published research examining control, attachment, and emotional regulation, and have previously worked as a Domestic and Family Violence Advisor within a faith-based organisation, supporting safer and more informed responses to harm.
These experiences have shaped an approach that is evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and ethically focused — attentive to both individual experience and the wider relational and systemic contexts that influence wellbeing.
About KylieAreas of Interest
I offer support to adults who may be:
Managing general mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, grief, or life transitions — whether or not these are connected to faith or ministry.
Navigating confusing, painful, or high-pressure experiences in church or ministry environments, including those recovering from spiritual abuse, coercion, or high-control faith settings, including cults.
Pastors, ministry leaders, and caregivers experiencing stress, burnout, role strain, or relational challenges within ministry or leadership roles.
Experiencing domestic and family violence, coercive control, or destructive relationship patterns — whether in intimate partnerships, family, community, or faith-based contexts.
Experiencing scrupulosity / Religious OCD or distress related to rigid or fear-based beliefs.
Facing workplace challenges, including bullying, power imbalances, role strain, or organisational conflict, and the emotional toll these experiences can create.
Couples seeking support around communication, connection, conflict patterns, recovery after relational harm, infidelity, or navigating values and expectations within relationships.
Inclusive and Client-Led Care
While I have a particular interest in supporting people from faith backgrounds, I welcome clients from all backgrounds. My focus is on providing compassionate, trauma-informed, and ethical psychological care that honours each person’s values, experiences, and goals for wellbeing.
This is a collaborative space, shaped by your needs and values.
View the Lastest on the Refuge Psychology Blog
Fees, Rebates & Referral Information
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Individual Consultation - $225/session
Couples Therapy - $260/session
A $30 surcharge applies to out-of-hours appointments (after 5:00 weekdays, and all weekend appointments)
With a Mental Health Treatment Plan, a rebate of $98.95 is available for up to 10 appointments per calendar year for individual appointments. This cannot be used for couples therapy appointments.
Private Health Fund rebates may be available at the discretion of your fund.
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A referral is not required. You are able to book appointments without a GP referral. However, you may be eligible for Medicare rebates with a GP Referral with a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Medicare Rebates: $98.95 with a Mental Health Treatment Plan (for 10 appointments per calendar year).
Rebates for private health funds are available without a referral. Seek advice from your individual health fund before booking to confirm this.
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If you cancel your appointment after 8:00 AM the day before you appointment you will incure a late fee of $80.
Any no-shows or very late cancellations 6 hours or less before an appointment will be charged the full session fee.
Medicare, private health funds, and most third-party payers do not rebate cancellation fees.
Publications & Media
With All Due Respect
In this episode, psychologist Kylie Walls joins Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen for a conversation about coercive control, faith, and the misuse of power in Christian communities.
Drawing from her clinical work, Kylie explores how spiritual language and leadership structures can sometimes be used to jusitfy or conceal patterns or control.
the controlling churchPublished Research on Coercive Control
Co-authored by psychologist Kylie Walls and colleagues, this peer-reviewed study examines how insecure attachment, emotion dysregulation, and shame contribute to controlling behaviours in intimate partnerships.
This is a helpful resource for researchers, clinicians, and those working to understand relational coercion.
Journal of family violence
Visit the Refuge Psychology Blog
Welcome to the blog for Refuge Psychology—a space for thoughtful reflection, education, and support around spiritual trauma, religious abuse, and the complexities of faith and mental health. Here you'll find insights from psychology, clinical experience, and research to help make sense of what happens when spiritual spaces become unsafe—and how healing is possible.
Blog
