Counselling Services
Please register through our contact page or call the office to arrange an appointment. Face to face and online/phone support available.
Our counselling service is led by Bridget, our Practice Lead and registered counsellor, alongside a team of dedicated counselling interns. Together, they bring a mix of experience, fresh perspective, and a genuine passion for supporting others. We can’t wait for you to meet them. Counselling sessions with our interns are free.
Bridget Lead Counsellor/Practice Lead
MNZAC
Meet Bridget Farmiloe, our lead counsellor with a Master's in Counselling Studies from Massey University and a full membership with NZAC. Since joining us in 2018, Bridget has been dedicated to helping women navigate tough times, offering support with issues like healthy relationships, loss, change, anxiety, and parenting. She adapts her approach to fit your needs, drawing from various therapy methods to ensure you feel heard and supported. Six free sessions are available with Bridget for women with dependent children 18 years and under. WINZ subsidised counselling is also available for eligible women. Funding for younger women can be accessed through Gumboot Friday.
Sarah
Sarah is currently completing her Master of Counselling at Massey University after earning her Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling in 2025. She originally trained as a Physiotherapist in South Africa and has spent the past 17 years in Aotearoa New Zealand working in leadership and training roles across the health and rehabilitation sector. These experiences have strengthened her belief in the importance of compassionate, person‑centred care.
Sarah has a particular interest in working with women across different stages of life, with a focus on creating a safe, respectful, and empowering therapeutic relationship. She brings warmth, curiosity, and a steady presence to her work.
Beyond her professional life, Sarah enjoys the busy rhythms of family life with her husband, two primary school–aged children, a cat and two guinea pigs.
Tess
Tess is a student Psychotherapist at AUT, who is excited to join the team at the Women's Centre.
She is passionate about helping others explore whatever's moving in their life, with an open and honouring lens, to support them in feeling heard, held, and able to flourish.
She loves to be in nature and will be holding a women's walking group on Fridays, alongside her 1:1 sessions.
She is also a qualified Embodied Imagination Practitioner, supporting others in finding meaning and gleaning personal insight from their dreams, altered state visions, and memories. She works 1:1 in this field, as well as facilitating group workshops.
Aside from this, Tess also has experience working with young people, people with different abilities, 1:1 and in groups.
Brooke
Brooke is a third-year counselling student studying at MIT, currently completing her placement with us at The Women’s Centre Rodney. Alongside her studies, she is a mum to three teenage boys, and much of her life experience has shaped the way she shows up in the counselling space – with empathy, authenticity, and a deep respect for each woman's story. She is passionate about working with women and creating a space where they genuinely feel seen, heard, and valued. She aims to walk alongside women as they navigate life’s challenges, offering support that is grounded in kindness, curiosity, and care.
Outside of counselling, Brooke enjoys spending time with her boys camping, campervanning, surfing, and making the most of adventures together. She also loves sunrises and sunsets, sailing, reading, cooking, arts and crafts, and prioritising health, fitness, and personal growth. These parts of her life keep her grounded and connected, and they inform the holistic way she approaches her work.
