About Amy Islip
My own desire to experience healthier, more loving relationships was supercharged while I was studying to become a Counsellor.
Learning what it takes to have great relationships was confronting. I wanted to experience more love and connection; not just with others, but for myself too, but I hadn’t known how. I secretly thought it was some kind of failing on my part, but it turns out it was simply a lack of the right knowledge and skills.
My education and training gave me the tools to turn things around – and the results have been life changing. I genuinely love who I am and I’m proud of my ability to create deeply connected relationships. I want that for everyone.
I founded Think Better with a dream of a more loving world. When we experience more love and connection, our lives naturally improve and so does our world. Imagine the ripple effects if we all felt truly loved…
It is my mission to teach seekers of deeper connection the relational skills for secure, healthy, happy relationships – both inner and outer. Doing your part to create a better world starts with learning how to create better relationships, starting with you and extending out.
I hope you’ll join me.
Amy is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Relationship Therapist and Educator known for her warmth, humour and extensive knowledge of relationship patterns. She works with a trauma-informed, strength-based, attachment-focused approach. In addition to her current therapeutic work, she has worked across diverse sectors, facilitating emotional intelligence and relational skills, supervision, witness support, and coaching for corporate organisations, government, and emergency services.
She has a background in teaching trainee counsellors relational and communication skills and has taught extensively as a mindfulness teacher. Following a love of philosophy and meditation, she spent four years studying with senior Buddhist monks and nuns, locally and internationally. She was one of the first laypeople in Australia to be invited to teach love and compassion practices for one of the largest Buddhist organisations in the world.
She lives in Melbourne with her husband, Nathan, and their fur baby, Charlie (a feisty West Highland Terrier). When not working, Amy loves hanging with family and friends, yoga, meditation retreats and travelling light in “Boris” the campervan.
Focus Areas
Couples Counselling
Individual Counselling
Emotion Focused Therapy
Resource Therapy
Attachment Based Therapy
Relatioship Skills and Courses
Availability
Accepting new clients
Limited availability for couples (relationship counselling)
Qualifications
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)
Advanced Clinical Certification (Resource Therapy)
Certificate IV Training and Assessment
Neuro-Linguistic Programming Certification
Registrations & Memberships
PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor (23291)
Recognised trainer with Resource Therapy International
Websites
Approach
Resource Therapy
Psychodynamic theory recognises that much of our behaviour and emotion is driven by subconscious states. In Resource Therapy, we call these states “resources”, which become parts of our personality. Most resources develop in childhood, when the brain is rapidly developing, and while most are helpful, some get stuck in the past and cause us to struggle.
When resource states are negatively impacted by past experiences without resolution, they can cause problematic emotions and behaviours in the present. Traditional talk therapy addresses only conscious states. Resource Therapy works with both conscious and subconscious states, since subconscious states are often the ones in need of help. This approach gets to the heart of issues, providing healing and a new way forward. If you’ve tried traditional therapy without success, it’s understandable, as talk therapy does not work in this deeper way.
