Supporting Minds with Compassion, Creativity and Care.
To belong is to feel accepted, comfortable, and connected.
My hope is to provide a safe and inclusive space where people feel heard and can find their voice.
Ko Anglo-Celtic te whakapaparanga mai, engari, ko Ingarani me Witirana te whenua tapu. Ko Taranaki te kāinga me, me ko Sarah Darke toku ingoa.
My ancestry is Anglo-Celtic, but I grew up in England and Switzerland. Taranaki is my home, and my name is Sarah Darke.
My Dad was from Northern Ireland, and my Mum is Welsh/English. I moved to New Zealand in 1996. My husband is from the King Country, and we live on a dry stock farm in North Taranaki. I have two adult children.
I’m a trained teacher and fully registered counsellor (MNZAC) with over thirty years' experience working with children and youth. I began my career teaching art, then moved into inclusive education, supporting taiohi/young people and their whānau/families with ORRS, High Health and Behavioural needs.
Over the past ten years, I’ve worked as a counsellor in high schools, intermediate schools and recently with a youth mental health NGO.
I love art, nature and animals.
Approach
Counselling is shaped around what matters to you. Drawing on compassion-focused therapy, CBT, ACT and solution-focused approaches, I offer a safe, confidential space where taiohi/young people and whānau/family feel supported and confident in the strengths they already have.
Empathetic Listening
Every conversation starts with listening. I bring empathy and compassion to each session, so taiohi/young people and whānau/family feel heard, understood and accepted exactly as they are.
Future-Focused Growth
Our work together is about building skills for the future. Taiohi/young people are supported to develop the tools to thrive in their education, in their relationships and in life beyond the counselling room.
Ko wai au/who am I? What do I do?
My Services
Individual Youth Counselling
A safe, creative space for taiohi aged 10 to 24 to explore who they are, build resilience and work through emotional challenges, with support that’s shaped around their needs.
Individual Adult Counselling
I offer brief, solution-focused counselling for adults, with a particular focus on supporting parents and new mums.
Helpful Links
1737 (Need to talk?): free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.
Youthline: 0800 376 633, free text 234, email, or online chat.
What’s Up (ages 5–18): 0800 942 8787, with phone counselling 11am–11pm every day and online chat 11am–10:30pm.
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO).
Lifeline: 0800 543 354, or free text 4357 (HELP)
Depression.org.nz/The Lowdown: free call 0800 111 757 or free text 4202, and free text 5626 for The Lowdown.
Healthline: a registered nurse is available 24/7 on 0800 611 116.
Safe to Talk (sexual harm): 0800 044 334 or text 4334, available 24/7.
Samaritans: 0800 726 666.
Rainbow Youth: support for queer and gender-diverse young people up to age 27.
OUTLine NZ: confidential helpline support around sexuality and gender identity.
Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832.
Youth Law: a free legal service for people under 25.
Belong Counselling Service is not a crisis service.
For urgent support, contact 111 or visit your local emergency department.
In Taranaki? Contact the mental health assessment and brief care (ABC) team: 0508 292 467.
Phone: +64
Connect
Reach out to me via the form or email me directly👇
Email: sarahdarke@belongcs.com
Empowering Youth Through Compassionate Care