Psychologist for Domestic and Family Violence Recovery
"Survival was never weakness — it was courage in its purest form".
When trust and safety are violated within a relationship, the impact can reach into every part of life — affecting identity, confidence, and connection with others. Domestic and family violence can take many forms, including emotional, psychological, spiritual, or physical abuse. At Refuge Psychology, support is provided with care, confidentiality, and respect for each person’s story. Recovery begins with safety, understanding, and the reassurance that healing is possible.
Faith Sensitive Psychological Support for Domestic & Family Violence Recovery
Domestic and family violence (DFV) occurs when one person uses patterns of power and control to dominate, intimidate, or harm another within a close relationship or family system. It can take many forms — emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or spiritual. While some forms of violence leave visible marks, others can be deeply hidden, manifesting as manipulation, fear, isolation, or erosion of confidence and autonomy. Abuse may involve threats, coercion, or using children, faith, or reputation to maintain control. Regardless of how it appears, DFV is never acceptable, and its impact can be profound and long-lasting.
Healing from domestic and family violence takes time. Survivors often experience a complex mix of grief, guilt, fear, and confusion, especially when the person causing harm was once a source of love, faith, or trust. Recovery begins with safety — emotional and physical — and the gradual rebuilding of self-worth and agency. Support from a trauma-informed psychologist can help make sense of what has happened, re-establish boundaries, and begin to restore trust in oneself and others.
What does trauma-informed support look like?
Trauma-informed support recognises that experiences of abuse can alter how a person feels, thinks, and relates to others. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?”, it asks “What happened to you?” and “What helped you survive?” In therapy, this means creating a space that feels safe, predictable, and collaborative. The focus is on understanding your experience at your pace, without judgment or pressure to disclose more than feels comfortable. Evidence-based approaches such as schema therapy, EMDR, and relational work may be used to process trauma, strengthen emotional regulation, and rebuild trust.
At Refuge Psychology, trauma-informed care also means paying attention to power dynamics within therapy itself. You are always the expert in your story, and decisions about your healing are made together. Over time, therapy can help you reconnect with your strengths, regain a sense of control, and rediscover hope — not as an ideal, but as something real and attainable through compassion, safety, and understanding.
How does faith or spirituality relate to experiences of domestic and family violence?
For some people, faith is a powerful source of strength and resilience. For others, faith has been used against them — to justify control, silence, or submission. Within religious or spiritual contexts, harmful interpretations of scripture or power can sometimes be misused to excuse abuse, keep victims quiet, or encourage forgiveness without accountability or safety. When this happens, the damage can extend beyond the relationship, affecting a person’s identity, worldview, and sense of belonging within their community.
At Refuge Psychology, these complexities are approached with deep respect. Faith and spirituality are not dismissed or discredited; they’re understood as vital parts of a person’s story. Support focuses on helping individuals untangle harmful messages, reconnect with what feels life-giving, and recover a sense of safety and spiritual integrity. Healing often involves rediscovering a faith that is compassionate, freeing, and grounded in dignity rather than control.
Have questions about mental health support?
Q&A-
Domestic and family violence includes patterns of behavior used to control, intimidate, or harm another person within an intimate, family, or caregiving relationship. This can involve emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or social abuse. Violence is not defined only by physical harm—ongoing fear, control, or loss of autonomy are key indicators.
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Non-physical forms of abuse can be just as damaging as physical violence. Emotional manipulation, coercive control, threats, isolation, or financial restriction can deeply affect a person’s sense of safety, identity, and self-worth. Your experience is valid even if there were no visible injuries.
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Survivors may experience anxiety, hypervigilance, shame, difficulties with trust, emotional numbing, or ongoing self-doubt. These responses are common trauma reactions and reflect the nervous system adapting to prolonged stress and threat.
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Recovery involves rebuilding a sense of safety, restoring trust in yourself, understanding how the abuse affected you, and developing healthier emotional and relational patterns over time.
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Schema Therapy helps identify deeply held beliefs and patterns that often develop after abuse, such as feeling unsafe, powerless, or responsible for others’ emotions. Therapy focuses on understanding these patterns with compassion and gradually building healthier ways of relating to yourself and others
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When abuse occurs within a religious or faith context, it often adds additional layers of complexity to the experience and the recovery process. Beliefs, teachings, community expectations, and spiritual authority can all influence how abuse is understood, tolerated, or silenced.
To take the next step, book an confidential online session with psychologist Kylie Walls and access compassionate, trauma-informed support wherever you are in Australia.
About meI’m Kylie Walls, a registered psychologist who utilises evidence-based approaches, particularly Schema Therapy, to help people understand and shift longstanding emotional and relational patterns
I work with both individuals and couples
I support people whose difficulties persist despite insight or previous therapy
My approach is collaborative, compassionate, and values-guided
I’m interested in how earlier relational or systemic experiences shape present-day difficulties, and in working with these experiences in ways that support greater choice and flexibility.
I aim to create a safe, thoughtful therapeutic space that supports deeper therapeutic work.
I welcome clients from all backgrounds
I’m able to offer a faith-sensitive approach where this is relevant and desired
AREAS OF SUPPORT
Mental Health SupportCompassionate, evidence-based support for anxiety, depression, trauma, and emotional distress, tailored to the individual’s circumstances, values, and goals.
Couples TherapySchema therapy for couples supports partners to understand and change recurring relationship patterns shaped by past relational injuries.
trauma & Abuse RecoveryEvidence-informed support for those impacted by a range of trauma and abuse, including emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual abuse and religious trauma.
relationship supportSupport for those navigating relationship challenges, including conflict, extended family difficulties, betrayal, and relationship or marriage breakdown.
DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE SUPPORTTherapeutic support for the emotional and relational impacts of domestic and family violence.
marriage breakdown & BetrayalSupport for navigating marriage breakdown and betrayal, including the impact on trust, attachment, and sense of self.
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