Counselling at Rise.
Online, free, and trauma-informed counselling support for members of the Rise survivor community. Structured, scheduled, and ethically delivered.
Online. Structured. Scheduled. Safe. Trauma-Informed. Free.
Counselling is available to individuals who are part of the Rise community and have completed the intake process. Sessions are coordinated through trained practitioners and overseen by qualified professionals.
Counselling is online only. You will be informed at every step. Sessions are not immediate or on demand. Scheduling and preparation are necessary to ensure appropriate trauma-informed support.
Four steps to counselling.
From intake to your first session, every step is intentional and survivor centred.
Complete the Intake Form
Start with the Rise Survivor Intake form. This tells us who you are and what you need.
Speak with Intake
You speak with a Rise intake representative who hears your story and assesses next steps.
Referral Decision
Based on your needs, you may be referred for counselling within the Rise community.
Sessions Scheduled
Counselling sessions are scheduled with a Rise counsellor at a time that works for you.
Our counselling team is made up of trained practitioners. Some are fully qualified counsellors. Some are counselling interns completing their practical hours under supervision. Every counsellor and intern is overseen by Lisa Whitford to ensure professional and ethical standards are maintained.
Meet Lisa Whitford.
Qualified counsellor. Head of Counselling and Management at Rise. The professional who guides every session, supervises every intern, and upholds the standard of care across the organisation.
Lisa is a qualified counsellor who oversees the coordination, structure, supervision and ethical delivery of counselling services within Rise. She also runs her own private counselling practice independently of her volunteer role at Rise. Shared here for transparency, so survivors and the public know exactly who is responsible for guiding the counselling function within Rise.
Visit Lisa's Practice- Organises and manages counselling allocations within Rise
- Supervises and supports counsellors and counselling interns
- Upholds trauma-informed standards across all sessions
- Facilitates workshops through Rise
Credentials behind the care.
Lisa's qualifications support both the counselling and training components within Rise, ensuring professional, structured, and ethically aligned services.
Lisa Whitford has been part of the Rise team since February 2025 and serves within our management structure as Head of Counselling. She is not only a qualified professional but also an active and committed member of our volunteer base. Her time, expertise, leadership, and genuine heart for survivors are deeply valued within this organisation. The care she brings to her work, and the integrity with which she carries it out, are invaluable to Rise.
Humanitas Partnership.
For counselling needs that fall outside of domestic violence and GBV, Humanitas offers free counselling support that anyone can request directly.
Rise partners with Humanitas, an established training organisation for counselling interns. Interns complete their academic training through Humanitas and undertake their practical counselling hours with Rise. All counselling sessions conducted by interns are supervised by a qualified counsellor, either through Rise leadership or Humanitas oversight.
Please note that the demand for free counselling is extremely high, and interns are only available when they have capacity. If no profiles are visible on the Humanitas platform, it means there is currently no availability.
If you would prefer to request counselling directly through Humanitas, you may do so below. This is for counselling needs outside of domestic violence and GBV.
Request Humanitas Counselling