Little Shadow counselling support
At Little Shadow, we offer counselling and support to parents experiencing perinatal distress. Perinatal means anything to do with pregnancy, birth, and the first few years of a baby's life, including baby loss and infertility. We provide you with a safe, non-judgmental space to seek healing, resilience and empowerment. Our counsellors are here to help you navigate emotional challenges, including depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss. Our team have specialist training and professional development to help support those in the perinatal period. Our counsellors genuinely relate – many are parents and have experienced perinatal or other life periods of distress themselves.
If you’re looking for social connection and awhi, check out our group support program, He Waka Eke Noa.
Financial support
We’re committed to removing barriers to parents accessing counselling and mental health support. Our fees are subsidised thanks to funders, fundraising, grants and donations. All of our venues are tamariki friendly, and you can bring babies two years and under with you if you wish.
MSD funding
If our fees seem out of reach, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) offers support with counselling when you meet their income threshold criteria. Check your eligibility here, or download an application form to take to your GP here. Any of our Provisional or Full NZAC members can support you if you’re accessing this subsidy, making the fee just a very small one.
Funding from our supporters
Alternatively, we’re lucky enough to have a limited number of free counselling sessions available thanks to the generosity of our funders. If you’d like to apply for free counselling, please fill out this form. We endeavour to contact you within five days.
Our team
At Little Shadow, we understand that seeking help is a brave and essential step towards personal growth and emotional wellbeing. That's why we’re proud to introduce our team of compassionate counsellors who are dedicated to supporting individuals on their journey towards healing and self-discovery. Our counselling service for parents is made more affordable by kind donors, fundraising and grants.
To book an appointment with one of our Little Shadow counsellors, click on the button below their profile.
We look forward to supporting you on your journey to wellbeing.
Danni Ridley (she/her)
(FULLY BOOKED)
Bachelor of Counselling and Addiction Practice, NZAC Provisional Member.
Fee: $60 per session
Availability
Thursdays: Lower Hutt Women’s Centre and online.
Fridays: Johnsonville Plunket Clinic and online.
Danni is a second-generation Pākehā/tauiwi practitioner from Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington. Since becoming a mother in 2022, she has developed a particular interest in the challenges of modern parenting, including identity shifts, relationship changes, and the pressures and lack of support many parents experience.
Working in a pluralistic way, Danni draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Narrative Therapy. She has additional training in trauma, perinatal trauma-informed care, and the neurobiological changes associated with pregnancy.
Danni supports a wide range of whānau, including gender-diverse and rainbow families, non-default parents, and solo parents. She previously worked in the Drug Treatment Unit at Arohata Women’s Prison, giving her experience in trauma, addiction, and abuse, and is dedicated to empowering people through the highs and lows of parenthood.
Bec Osborne (she/her)
(FULLY BOOKED)
Bachelor of Counselling, NZAC Provisional Member.
Fee: $60 per session
Availability
Thursdays: Johnsonville Plunket Clinic or online.
As a parent herself, Bec has a deep understanding of the many layers of emotion and experience that can accompany this season of life.
Recognising the vulnerability that can come with reaching out for support, she offers a warm and respectful space where people are welcomed just as they are.
Bec’s approach is collaborative and grounded in the belief that everyone deserves to be truly seen and heard. She brings curiosity and care to exploring the stories that shape people’s lives, the meanings they make of their experiences, and the skills and values that help them through difficult times. She knows the healing value of having someone walk alongside you and sees counselling as a place to reconnect with what matters most.
Bec is Pākehā and holds a firm commitment to Tiriti-informed practice. Her work often includes conversations around identity, change, loss, and the challenges that can accompany life’s transitions.
Katia Guiloff (she/her)
(FULLY BOOKED)
Student counsellor.
Fee: $35 per session
Availability
Fridays: Johnsonville Plunket Rooms
Katia offers a calm and supportive space where people can explore the ups and downs of parenthood. She believes that everyone already has the inner wisdom needed to navigate difficult times, and that counselling helps illuminate this wisdom. Her practice is grounded in openness and acceptance.
Originally from Chile, Katia has been growing her roots in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last 18 years. Outside of counselling, you can find her with her two young tamariki, cycling around Porirua or lost in a book.
Support from our Mental Health Partners
In addition to our Little Shadow counsellors, we have independent perinatal mental health professionals who can support you in your journey to wellbeing. Our partners play an integral role as members of the wider Little Shadow whānau, and we’re delighted to share their profiles below.
Want to connect with one of our partners? We can refer you.
Rachel Brown (she/her)
Bachelor of Arts, Postgraduate Diploma of Teaching, Master of Counselling Studies, NZAC Full Member
Fees: $126.50 per session for individuals, $200 for a 90-minute session for couples
Availability: Paraparaumu, Tawa and Online
Rachel Yücel (she/her)
Registered Psychologist. Bachelor in Psychology, Master of Applied Psychology, and Postgraduate Diploma in the Practice of Psychology. Member of New Zealand Psychologists Board & New Zealand Psychological Society
Fees: $170 per session
Availability: Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and Online
Why counselling?
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Counselling is a useful tool for healing and gaining clarity over your life. Counselling can help you find direction and see meaning in your experiences. Talking with someone can give clarity and a fresh perspective to your thoughts.
What’s counselling like?
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Our counsellors listen and reflect, creating a safe space to help you discover fresh perspectives and inner strength. Counsellors help you imagine how these ideas might look if you integrated them into your life.
Everyone is different. You might need just a handful of sessions, or you may want ongoing support to tackle deeper issues. Whatever your needs, counselling can help support your journey.
Cancellation fee
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Please note that appointments cancelled or rescheduled with less than 48 hours’ notice will be invoiced in full.