Sara Phillips Counselling
Deepen your understanding of your Self and your connection to your community and the world around you with Counselling & IFS-Informed Therapy in Hobart and Online.
Please note: This website is under development Nov -Dec 2025
Hello, my name is Sara Phillips and I hope to meet you soon.
I am a Counsellor & Coach, and a Clinical Supervisor.
I am an Internal Family Systems IFS-Informed Therapist / Coach.
I authentically and genuinely support people to heal, grow and enjoy life more with courage, compassion, creativity, curiousity, clarity, calm & connection.
I’m based in Hobart, and I see clients and supervisees in Battery Point and West Moonah and online across Australia.
I guide you to deepen your compassion, curiousity, courage, creativity and connection:
- within your Self (mind, body, heart, soul & spirit)
- within your relationships
- within your Community
- within your relationship to Earth
I wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me throughout 2023, the strategies that you encouraged me to devlop have really helped me and I would have to say I am probably in the best place I have been for years. – Client
Thank you so much for all the support and guidance-I just get so much out of our sessions and wouldn’t be where I am without them – Client
Counselling, Coaching and IFS Informed Therapy (Internal Family Systems Therapy) empowers all people from all stages of life and all backgrounds to have enhanced health and wellbeing, to be able to regulate emotions, to be flexible in thinking / perspectives, to live a life of meaning and purpose, to find true belonging and authenticity in Self, in relationships, and in your connection to Earth.
Emotional agility is a process that allows you to be in the moment, changing or maintaining your behaviours so that you can live in ways that align with your intentions and values. The process isn’t about ignoring difficult emotions and thoughts. It’s about holding those emotions and thoughts loosely, facing them courageously and compassionately, and then moving past them to make big things happen in your life.” Susan David emotions researcher and author of Emotional Agility.
Are you struggling with:
- Feeling anxious, worried
- Feeling depressed, flat, unmotivated
- Grief
- Past trauma
- Stress
- Burnout, exhaustion
- Eco-anxiety / Eco-grief / Eco-guilt
- Collective/Societal/ Ancestral Wounds
- Key Life Transitions (teen years, new relationship, separation, parenting, menopause, career change, retirement, mid-life breakdown/breakthrough)
- Chronic Pain / Rehab / Injury
- Understanding your nervous system, your way of processing the world (neurodivergent, highly sensitive, empath)
- Understanding relationships, healthy conflict and communication, attachment styles, love languages
- Finding Your Purpose, making a long-held dream come alive, procrastination, numbing
- Spirituality (Earth-based or Great Mystery)
I tailor these evidence-based, best practice modalities to your unique needs and preferences:
- Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness
- Mind-Body connection (polyvagal theory, somatic therapy)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Trauma Informed Therapy
- Eco-therapy / Coaching
- Nature-based therapy
- Deep Ecology / Psychology for a Safe Climate
- Relationship Counselling (Gottman Training)
- Art Journalling / Journalling
- Creative Expressive arts-based Therapy
- Ancestral Healing
- Holistic Transformational Healing
- Mindset coaching
- Solution-Focussed Coaching
In an IFS Informed Therapy or Coaching session I support you to access your own inner heart and body wisdom/intuition, as well as share with you, ancient wisdom practices from cultures across the world and the latest neuroscience research on body-mind connection, to improve your personal growth and well-being as well as your relationships and well-being of your loved ones and the ecosystem around you.
I aim to empower you to know more about your own body-mind connection and to know what you can do for yourself and your loved ones to feel better, to bounce back with resilience, to courageously navigate transitions in life and to find deep meaning and purpose in life while also rediscovering joy in life again.
Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
― Brene Brown
I’ve found our sessions so beneficial this year so thank you. Thanks so much for your advice and caring approach to what you do. – Client
With support and deep listening, life’s challenges can provide an opportunity for increased self-awareness, growth and a chance to:
- Journey inward to your Authentic Self and Authentic Relationships.
- Learn Ancient & New Wisdom to ease your way.
- Manage the anxiety and stress of living in this modern world.
- Rediscover Courageous Joy and go through a process of Courageous Healing.
- Discover Deep Self, Relationship & Earth Wisdom.
- Tune in to your Divine Heart/Body Guidance.
- Deepen your connection to yourself, others and the world around you.
Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
― Brene Brown
Inner Resources:
Some of the inner resources you may choose to focus on growing in counselling/coaching are:
- courage,
- compassion,
- deep connection,
- acceptance,
- authentic purpose,
- deep inner well-being,
- healthy balance,
- self-care,
- spirituality
- ancestors
- culture
- inner wisdom
- intuition
- gratitude and joy
- healthy communication
- healthy conflict
- healthy grief
Choose which support suits you and your preferences / needs:
For Yourself:
- Deepen your connection to your Self, Others & Earth on a journey of self-discovery & transformation.
- Be in a safe and sacred space for your heart & soul to express your needs, reset your inner compass, focus in on what is important to you and live your most authentic and empowered life.
- Fulfil a deep need to refill your heart, be deeply heard and listened to, to let go of any burdens you are carrying and be welcomed as you are.
- Leave feeling lighter, renewed, deeply supported and feeling tuned in to your inner wisdom/ intuition/ subconscious: knowing your inner truth and heart intentions
- Heal your body, mind, heart, soul & spirit
- Improve your relationships, communication and conflict-resolution skills with your loved ones
For your loved ones:
- Improve your connection and communication in your love relationship with couples counselling
- Support your children/teens to manage anxiety or other strong feelings
- Improve your connection and communication with your children/teens with parent/family counselling
- Feel comfortable in communicating your needs and feelings, listen deeply to your loved one’s feelings & needs to resolve conflicts with win:win solutions.
- Manage anxiety and other strong emotions in family relationships
Researchers have found that even more than IQ, your emotional awareness and ability to handle feelings will determine your success and happiness in all walks of life, including family relationships.”
― John M. Gottman
Deep Eco Soul Wisdom Studio
As a Clinical Counsellor, IFS-Informed Therapist & Coach I can offer you the following support:
- Work 1:1 with Sara: Eco Soul Therapy / Counselling & Coaching
- Workshops
- Sit in Circle / Council
- Online Courses
- Retreats (TBA) and
- Eco Soul Wanders (TBA)
Please contact me, for more information or to book a 15 minute free call to find out if I am the right therapist/guide/coach for you on 0458231968 or saraphillipstas@gmail.com My preference is to chat with you to see which type of therapy is the best fit for you and I’m always happy to refer on if needs be!
How I work?
I use the understanding of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model (read more here) and Deep Ecology to support you to work with your parts and increase your ability to access your Self-energy of curiousity, compassion, connection, courage, calm, clarity, confidence and creativity while also listening deeply to the wisdom, healing and guidance of Earth.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a philiosophy for life, not just for therapy, and it is the most powerful way that I have found for understanding the mystery of what it is to be human, for discovering more of our essence, our wise authentic true Self….the Self that is always there, never changing. Pema Chodron refers to this Self as ‘wide open sky.’ We might be clouded over with an emotional / thought storm yet the ‘wide open sky’ of Self is always there.
Some call the Self the Soul, Spirit, Love or Divine Essence. It doesn’t matter what you call it, we all feel Self and know when we are in Self as we feel connection, calm, clarity, compassion, courage, creative, confident, and /or curious… Some of us feel Self most when in nature, or when doing something physical with our bodies, or when being creative or connecting with those we love. This is why I usually start a coaching or counselling session with asking what do you enjoy, so I can find out about when you feel most connected to Self. (And if you don’t have a way to connect with Self, we might start there!). Read more here.
Your soul is your true home. In the moment you finally arrive in this psycho-ecological niche, you feel fully available and present to the world, unlost. This particular place is profoundly familiar to you, more so than any geographical location or any mere dwelling has ever been or could be. You know immediately that this is the source, the marrow, of your true belonging. This is the identity no one could ever take from you. … Acting from this place aligns you with your surest personal powers (your soul powers), your powers of nurturing, transforming, creating; your powers of presence and wonder. Bill Plotkin from Nature and the Human Soul
Connect:
Registration & Memberships:
Credly PACFA Accreditation Information here.
(ICF Member 2018-2023)
- I am a Climate Aware Practitioner of Psychology For A Safe Climate: Psychology for a Safe Climate and a member of Work That Reconnects Network
- I am on the international IFS Intuitive Drawing Pracitioner List here:
- I am a registered Mental Health Practitioner with Psychology Today:
About Me
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with PACFA and a Level 4 Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor with ACA based in Hobart, with online clients across Australia. I was also a Professional Certified Coach registered with the International Coach Federation (2018-2023).
I am deeply influenced by mindfulness, buddhist philosophy, Inter-being/interconnectedness of all beings, Deep Ecology, self-compassion, neuroscience, mind-body connection and earth-based cultures from around the world. I am on a healing journey myself and I value learning, being curious, creative, holding flexible perspectives, being courageous, flow, presence, hope and joy, in my own life and in sessions with clients.
I am deeply interested in ‘walking the soul path with practical feet,’ this journey of the survival dance and sacred dance, and in deepening the conversation between the human and more-than-human world. I am curious about how we might honour the healthy feminine with the healthy masculine within all of us and in our society, and to explore the ecosystems within us as individuals and within our society as a collective.
Read more about my Purpose and Values here
Read more here about my career background/experience, what I am listening to and the training I am engaged in, my lived experience, my daily practices for healing and living a Soul-led life, and why Hobart is my Soul Home.
LOCATION: Tas Ethical Building 86 Hampden Rd Battery Point, near Hobart CBD, plenty of parking available. New Studio is planned for West Moonah and Nature Walk & Talk Sessions in Cornelian Bay and Lenah Valley
Latest Posts:
Nature-based Mindfulness Workshop
FREE NATURE-BASED MINDFULNESS WORKSHOP Date: 9 August 2025 Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm Venue: Pelverata Memorial Hall, 1237 Pelverata Rd, Pelverata Morning tea and a light lunch will be provided. Who For: Anyone wishing to learn nature-based mindfulness practices to support themselves and their community. We encourage paid and unpaid care workers. This workshop is part of a larger project…
Understanding Your IFS Healing Journey
The healing journey is non-linear, characterized by exploring one’s parts through Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. It emphasizes awareness of a boundless Self while addressing trauma from life and from childhood. Sessions facilitate integration, allowing clients to feel profound shifts and navigate personal growth fluidly. The process cultivates trust and encourages ongoing self-discovery.
Deep Ecology / Active Hope
Do you care deeply for Earth and feel a sense of courage, passion, motivation and curiousity about what are the possibilities for change in the way we relate to and care for our Earth? Are you keen to cultivate a sense of hope and take hopeful action within your community? Find out more about Deep…
