Ellen Penny-Brookes, BACP

Ellen Penny-Brookes offers calm, practical support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low self-esteem or life changes. She introduces a steady, thoughtful style that helps clients talk through their immediate worries and understand the patterns behind them. Ellen writes plainly, listens closely and keeps sessions focused on what matters most to each person.

Ellen trained in psychodynamic counselling and holds a Masters degree with distinction in Psychodynamic Counselling from the University of Essex. She also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Counselling at the University of East Anglia. She is registered with the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, BACP.

Her work combines psychodynamic thinking with client-centred and cognitive behavioural approaches. That means she pays attention to how early experiences shape current feelings, while also using practical strategies to manage symptoms day to day. Therapy sessions are conversational and aim to link today's problems with deeper patterns when that is helpful.

Ellen has five years' experience helping people face anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, loss and adolescent issues. She sees adults and young people, and works with concerns such as eating and sleeping problems, parenting strain, addiction and identity questions. She is also familiar with attachment-related difficulties and issues around abandonment and dissociation.

Sessions are offered in person and remotely by video call, phone or messaging. Ellen adapts the pace and focus to each client and supports people who want a clearer sense of themselves, better coping skills and more stable relationships.

How Ellen's approaches work online

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early bonds shape current relationships and emotional responses. Online work can help uncover patterns of closeness and distance, supporting people dealing with attachment issues, abandonment fears or difficulties trusting others.

Client-Centred Therapy places the person at the heart of the process. The counsellor listens with empathy and follows the client's pace, which helps people who need understanding, validation and time to find their own answers.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is practical and action-oriented. It looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact and uses simple techniques to reduce anxiety, improve mood and change unhelpful habits.

Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. Ellen will work with the client to understand their goals, preferences and immediate needs, then suggest a way forward that may combine methods. Adjustments are made as the work progresses to keep the focus relevant and useful.

Online therapy via video, phone, live chat or messaging makes it easier to fit sessions into busy lives. Video calls are suited to a full conversation, phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or live chat can support shorter check-ins or ongoing reflection between calls. These formats offer flexibility and continuity for people juggling work, childcare or travel.