Featured among Australia's Best Equine Wellness Experiences
As featured in Well Traveller
Just 40 minutes from Byron Bay, Sugar Beach Ranch is located on the beautiful coastline of the Northern Rivers. It’s where Maxime Willems combines counselling, equine-assisted psychotherapy and yoga to offer a truly holistic experience.
Maxime
Hi, I'm
I'm a qualified counsellor and yoga teacher with a deep passion for Equine Assisted Therapy and Gestalt Psychotherapy.
My work is all about guiding you back home to yourself: Helping you feel lighter in your mind and heart, and walk away with a renewed sense of clarity, calm and connection.
I hold space for you to slow down, breathe, and gently rediscover who you are beneath the noise. A space where you feel seen, supported and safe to show up exactly as you are.
Beyond one-on-one therapy, I adore creating equine wellness experiences and sweet retreats at Sugar Beach Ranch, a hidden haven where the rhythm of the ocean, the whisper of the bush, and the wisdom of horses come together to nurture your soul.
I’m also a mama, and bring my background in Traditional Hatha Yoga, Trauma-Informed Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Doula work into everything I do, weaving together body, mind, and spirit so you can feel grounded, open and alive.
Let's Create Space For You
Through a gentle blend of gestalt Psychotherapy, somatic awareness, and the calming presence of horses, you’ll be supported to explore your emotions, understand your patterns, and reconnect with your body’s wisdom.
This is a space where you are truly seen and heard, where healing happens through genuine connection, curiosity, and compassion. Together, we’ll work towards helping you feel lighter, clearer, and more confident to walk your own path, connected with yourself, and the world around you.
Equine Assisted Therapy
Turn your Equine Assisted Therapy sessions into a deeper journey of rest and renewal.
Stay at Sugar Beach Ranch, a peaceful coastal horse sanctuary surrounded by ocean, bushland, a magnesium pool and vibrant wildlife scenes.
Your stay combines personal equine therapy sessions with time to unwind, reflect, and reconnect, supported by nature, gentle horses, and space to simply be.
Equine Wellness Experience
This is your moment to reset, recharge, and reconnect.
Join us for a retreat designed for women who are ready to slow down, nurture themselves, and feel fully alive.
Through equine assisted therapy, yoga, meditation, sound bowl healing, art and time in nature, you’ll leave feeling lighter, stronger, and more connected, to yourself, to the herd, and to the world around you.
Equine Wellness Retreat
Give your team a reset they’ll actually remember.
Step out of the office and into nature, horses, and meaningful connection at a secluded horse ranch in South Ballina NSW.
Through Equine Assisted Learning, teams build trust, communication, collaboration, and emotional awareness, all in a fun, immersive, and hands-on way.
This isn’t just a team-building day; it’s an opportunity to connect deeply, refresh energy, and leave inspired together.
Corporate Team Wellbeing