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 counselling, gestalt psychotherapy, and equine assisted therapy, 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
Through meditation, mindfulness, and the gentle presence of the horses, you’ll be invited to quiet the mind, connect with your intuition, and tap into a more natural way of being.
Surrounded by the herd, this experience offers the opportunity to let go of the outside world, tune into the present moment, and explore what it feels like to simply be grounded, connected, and in harmony with both yourself and the horses.
Equine Assisted Wellbeing
This is a space to slow down, reconnect, and support your whole self.
Through a gentle combination of spinal flow, yoga, equine therapy, and a deeply relaxing massage alongside the horses, you’ll be supported to release tension, reconnect with your body, and find a greater sense of calm and balance.
Surrounded by nature and the gentle presence of the herd, this experience offers space to simply be, helping you feel lighter, more grounded, and more connected to yourself.
Equine Assisted Healing
Turn your equine assisted therapy sessions into a deeper journey of rest and renewal.
Stay at Ballina Beach Resort, a peaceful coastal sanctuary surrounded by ocean, bushland, 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 Stay
This is your moment to reset, recharge, and reconnect.
Through equine assisted therapy, yoga, tea ceremony, sound bowl healing, a massage with the horses 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 Day
Explore our current and upcoming events, workshops, and experiences designed to bring people together, create meaningful connections, and offer space to learn, grow, and simply be.
From immersive experiences with the horses to wellbeing workshops and special events, each offering is an opportunity to step away from the everyday, connect with yourself and others, and experience something a little different.
Take a look at what’s coming up and find an experience that speaks to you.
Events & Workshops