Background: Rachael is an AASW registered Social Worker offering online counselling, as well as walk and talk sessions in Sydney. Her work is informed by intersectional feminism, systemic theory and a strong commitment to non-pathologising practice. She has experience working with people impacted by structural violence and oppression, family and domestic violence, the criminal justice system, and complex family and relationship dynamics.
Specialty: Rachael specialises in supporting people navigating depression, anxiety and stress; LGBTQIA+ identity; food, body and self-image; neurodivergence; grief and loss; parenting; cultural identity; past addiction; and major life shifts and transitions. She also has specific experience supporting sex workers; survivors of sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse; people who have experienced abusive intimate relationships or complex family dynamics; and those impacted by marginalisation, structural violence, family policing or the carceral system.
Approach: Rachael is interested in the ways people push back against hard things in life, from a difficult relationship to something bigger, like discrimination or poverty, and in how those personal and social layers connect. Her practice is queer-affirming and sex worker-affirming, and makes space for a wide range of relationships and ways of living, and she welcomes questions and feedback about how counselling sessions are going for you.
Perspective: Rachael doesn’t see the problem you’re facing as a reflection of who you are or some kind of “defect”. She questions traditional ideas about how therapy should work, and pays attention to the social assumptions that can make life harder for some people more than others.
She notices how people survive and resist difficult experiences, including violence, discrimination and marginalisation, and is drawn to fairer ways of responding to harm and conflict than punishment, a lens that shapes how she thinks about relationships and community as well as individual struggle. For Rachael, counselling is a creative act: a lifelong habit of asking the right questions rather than presuming to have all the answers.
More About Rachael
Rachael Roberts is an AASW registered social worker offering online counselling across Australia, and walk and talk sessions in Sydney’s Inner City, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs. She works with depression, anxiety and stress, grief and loss, body image, past addiction, and life transitions.
She has particular experience with LGBTQIA+ and trans and gender-diverse clients, sex workers, neurodivergent clients, and people affected by family and domestic violence or difficult family relationships. She also works with people affected by a family member’s involvement with the justice system.
Rachael’s approach draws on Narrative Therapy. She won’t reduce your experience to a diagnosis. Instead, she looks at your relationships, culture and community to understand what’s really going on for you.
Working with Rachael means being heard, not assessed. She’ll help you question the ideas that keep you feeling stuck, and build a clearer picture of yourself and your world.
Booking With Rachael:
Availability: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturday mornings
Timezone: Sydney, NSW (AEST/AEDT)
Where: Online; Walk and Talk in Sydney, NSW
Offers couples counselling? No
Offers counselling to under 18’s? No
Cost: $70-$160 – check our sliding scale here
Specialties:
How to Book
- Think about your goals for counselling, and which counsellor might be a good match
- Send an email to the counsellor you’d like to work with requesting an appointment
- In the rare event you don’t hear from your counsellor within 24 hours, please contact us
Not sure who might be the right fit for you? Contact us and we’re happy to make a recommendation
Intake Process
- Initial appointments are $70 for individuals, or $80 for couples
- Due to our counsellor’s busy schedules, they cannot do intakes over the phone
- Your intake session will include discussing what supports you need, your goals for counselling, and to decide whether your counsellor is a good match for you
- If you decide that the fit isn’t right, you can ask to be referred to someone else – no offence will be taken!
Important Notice
There are some people that our counsellors can’t work with – not because we don’t want to, but because we want you to have the best possible care.
If you currently experience domestic violence, are having a mental health crisis, are experiencing severe substance dependency issues, or other acute crises, we can’t provide you with the level of support you deserve. However, we will use your initial appointment to connect you with places that specialise in these issues, so you can get the best possible care.
