Counselling and therapy

Counselling at the Christchurch Women’s Centre is provided by registered counsellors and professionally supervised student counsellors studying for their Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree.

The Women’s Centre Christchurch is committed to providing counselling that is safe, supportive, and accessible.

The Christchurch Women’s Centre charges a small fee to access counselling services. It’s important to note that this is not a per-session charge. The service fee provides access to up to 10 counselling sessions as part of a counselling programme. Access to a structured session counselling journey is designed to help you stay consistent, feel supported, and see measurable progress. Along the way, you’ll have guidance, encouragement, and accountability, so the changes you make can integrate.

The fee contributes to the behind-the-scenes support that helps make counselling possible, such as coordination, supervision, resources and the time needed to ensure care is safe, consistent and well supported. Many of these things aren’t always visible, but they play an important role in creating a caring and reliable service.

The one-off service fees are as follows:

• Qualified counsellor or therapist - $45 each session, 50 minutes each.

• Placement student counsellor (third year of study) - $35 each session, 50 minutes each.

• Placement student counsellor (second year of study) - $25 each session, 50 minutes each.

The one-off service fee can be paid upfront or in up to five instalments, and we can talk with you about what payment option would work best for you.

If additional sessions are needed beyond the 10 sessions, we’ll talk with you about options and next steps.

If paying the full-service fee would be a barrier for you, we want to gently remind you that we will continue to offer counselling for women in need, and that any financial difficulties will not prevent you from accessing this service. We will then have a sensitive, compassionate conversation, and a support service fee can be considered on an individual basis. We always approach this conversation with care and understanding, and we encourage you to let us know if you’d like to discuss this.

Our aim is to create a service that feels fair, welcoming, and sustainable, while continuing to support women in a compassionate and respectful way. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to talk this through, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’re very happy to help.

To ensure we offer you the most appropriate support, please complete our self-referral form below.

When you submit your form, we’ll either send you further information about our counselling service, or if another provider may better suit your needs we will contact you to provide recommendations.

Your Privacy
We only collect information needed to support you, improve our services and provide a sage, welcoming environment. For information about how we collect, store, use and may share your personal information, see our privacy statement.

Q. Why is the fee different for a qualified versus a non qualified counsellor?
A. Our standard fee for counselling is $45 per session with a qualified counsellor. We also offer a lower-cost option with our student counsellors, who are currently completing their training and working under professional supervision.

This ensures we provide a supportive and ethical service, while making counselling as accessible as possible to as many wāhine as possible. It also supports the development of future practitioners and contributes to the wider availability of counselling in our communities.

Q. What if I am unable to attend a scheduled counselling session?
A. If you’re unable to attend your session, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance by phone or email. Our no-show policy applies to late cancellations or missed appointments and the session fee will be retained.

Q. How can I pay the service fee?
A. Once your 10 appointments have been scheduled, an invoice will be sent to you including a link for online payment.

Q. Why is the Centre charging a fee?
A. Our fees ensure to the ongoing sustainability of the Centre, helping us maintain a safe, welcoming space and continue supporting wāhine in our community into the future.