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About sarah at Pawsitive Directions
About Sarah
Hey, I'm Sarah — counsellor, animal lover, and the person behind Pawsitive Directions.
I grew up on cattle farms in South Gippsland, surrounded by dairy and beef cattle, horses, chickens, dogs, cats, and native wildlife.
Animals have been part of my everyday world for as long as I can remember — and that relationship has shaped not just who I am, but how I understand connection, trust, and what it means to feel safe.
When I discovered animal assisted counselling, something clicked.
Here was a way to bring together everything I'd always known
That animals have a way of reaching people that words sometimes can't - with the professional skills to actually help.
My background
Pawsitive Directions Animal Assisted Counselling is an ABN registered sole trader private practice business registered in Victoria, Australia in 2026.
I hold a Diploma of Counselling through the Australian Institute of Professional Counselling, with six advanced study majors, and have undertaken specialist training in Animal Assisted Psychotherapy through the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI) in Victoria.
I am registered with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) at Level 1, and hold professional insurance that specifically covers working with animals and membership with the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT).
Alongside my formal qualifications, I continuously engage in short courses, research, and professional development — with a particular focus on anxiety (generalised and social), depression, panic disorder, and agoraphobia.
I engage in regular clinical supervision to ensure my practice remains ethical, current, and grounded in best practice.
Why I do this work
I understand what it's like to navigate mental health challenges — both personally and as someone who has supported family members through their own.
That lived experience doesn't make me your therapist and friend, but it does mean I come to this work with something beyond theory.
I know what it feels like to sit across from someone and wonder if they really get it, or if they even truly care.
I want you to feel the difference.
I have a particular passion for working with women who experience chronic anxiety or depression, who haven't found traditional talk therapy in a clinical room helpful in the past, and who feel more at ease in the company of animals or nature than in a waiting room.
If that's you — you're in exactly the right place, and I hope our work can help you to go in a more pawsitive direction moving forward!
My Mission
At Pawsitive Directions, my mission is to provide individualised support to adult women who are ready to reconnect with themselves — rediscovering their inner strength and sense of self with compassion and without judgment, guided by the presence of animals, nature, and their innate wisdom.
Every session is personalised, integrative, and paced entirely by you.
My Commitment to you
I am committed to offering high-quality, evidence-based counselling that genuinely integrates the support of animals and nature.
Not as a gimmick, but as a meaningful part of the therapeutic work.
I invest continuously in my own training, supervision, and personal development so that what I bring to each session is thoughtful, ethical, and effective.
Every session takes your needs, your pace, and your goals into account. I check in with you regularly to make sure our work together is meeting your expectations — and I will always tell you honestly if I think a different kind of support would serve you better.
Taking your needs, pace and personalised care plan into account during each session, while regularly checking in to ensure we are meeting your expectations for sessions.
Where Pawsitive Directions is heading
My vision is for Pawsitive Directions to be recognised as a trusted, ethical provider of animal assisted and nature-based counselling in Victoria and across Australia.
Known for care that is deeply personalised and genuinely different from what most people have experienced in therapy before.
In the near future I'll be expanding into structured group programs through the Animal Wisdom Program, and exploring the use of nature-based and wildlife observation alternatives for those who prefer to connect with the living world more broadly.
I'm also developing ways to incorporate interactive and game-based tools into sessions for clients who engage best through activity and play
Because not everyone processes best by sitting still and talking, and that's always been fine with me.