Mental health | Couples Therapy | Individual Relationship Support | Trauma & Abuse Recovery
The Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self Schema: When You Don't Know Where You End and Others Begin
Do you struggle to know what you want, or feel your sense of self gets lost in your closest relationships? The Enmeshment schema may explain why — discover where it comes from and how schema therapy can help.
The Abandonment/Instability Schema: When You're Always Waiting for People to Leave
Do you struggle with anxious attachment or live with a constant fear that people will leave? The Abandonment/Instability schema shapes some of our most painful relationship patterns. Discover where this schema comes from, how it shows up in daily life, and how schema therapy can help.
When Control Is the Trauma: Understanding Coercive Control and Its Psychological Impact
Coercive control is a form of violence that can cause profound psychological harm. This article explores coercive control trauma, explaining how repeated patterns of control erode autonomy, identity, and safety over time. Drawing on research, it examines why coercive control is often missed and how understanding its impact can support recovery.
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Harm
Douglas Kelley’s psychiatric assessments at Nuremberg revealed a confronting truth: the men responsible for atrocity were psychologically ordinary. This article explores obedience, authority, and how harm emerges within systems—not madness.
The Unrelenting Standards Schema: When Good Enough Is Never Good Enough
Do you push yourself relentlessly, struggle to feel satisfied, or find it impossible to rest? The Unrelenting Standards schema may be driving that exhausting pursuit of perfection — discover where it comes from and how schema therapy can help.
Understanding Religious OCD & Scrupulosity: A Closer Look at Scrupulosity and Its Impact
Scrupulosity, or religious OCD, traps Christians in cycles of intrusive thoughts, guilt, and compulsive rituals around faith. This article explains the signs of scrupulosity, its impact on prayer, worship, and spiritual life, and how treatments like CBT and ERP bring healing. With compassionate Christian psychology support, individuals can separate faith from fear, break the cycle of religious OCD, and rediscover peace, freedom, and authentic connection with God.
The Self-Sacrifice Schema: When Giving to Others Comes at the Cost of Yourself
Do you give endlessly to others but struggle to attend to your own needs — or feel guilty when you try? The Self-Sacrifice schema may be driving that pattern — discover where it comes from and how schema therapy can help.
The Social Isolation/Alienation Schema: When You Feel Like You Don't Belong Anywhere
Do you feel like you've never quite belonged, or that there's an invisible wall between you and real connection? The Social Isolation schema may explain that persistent sense of alienation — and schema therapy can help.
About KylieHi, I’m Kylie Walls, a registered psychologist and the founder of Refuge Psychology.
My practice is shaped by professional experience, research, and a long-standing commitment to supporting people navigating complex emotional, relational, and faith-related experiences. I have worked with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and faith traditions, and I have also held volunteer and professional roles within church and ministry contexts. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the unique dynamics that can arise when wellbeing, identity, and faith intersect — and the importance of care that is both sensitive and clinically grounded.
I have published research on control, attachment, and emotional regulation, and have previously worked as a Domestic and Family Violence Advisor within a faith-based organisation. I began my career as a teacher and later spent time working in photography, but my ongoing interest in people — their stories, relationships, and inner worlds — led me into psychological practice. I bring both professional and lived experience to my work in a way that is clinically grounded, respectful, and client-led.
Areas 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.
