Ellen Penny-Brookes, BACP

Ellen Penny-Brookes is a qualified counsellor with over five years of clinical practice. She holds a master’s degree with distinction in psychodynamic counselling from Essex University, an advanced postgraduate qualification, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Person-Centred Counselling from the University of East Anglia. She is registered and accredited with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), registration number 385502, and she is qualified to work with adults, children and adolescents. Ellen offers appointments in private practice both in person and remotely via video, voice call and messaging.

Ellen has experience supporting people with a broad range of concerns. She regularly works with clients facing anxiety, burnout, low self-esteem, depression, relationship difficulties, trauma, loneliness, loss and grief, and issues arising in childhood and adolescence. Her approach is informed by several therapeutic models, and she selects methods to fit the needs of each person she sees.

Psychodynamic thinking is central to Ellen’s work - it focuses on how interacting motives and emotions, many of them outside conscious awareness, shape feelings, choices and ways of relating. She aims to create a respectful, sensitive and compassionate space, tailoring conversations and a treatment plan to each person. Ellen seeks to guide, support and empower clients as they take the often courageous step of beginning counselling, helping them move toward greater understanding and more fulfilling ways of living.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Ellen integrates psychodynamic, client-centered and cognitive behavioral approaches to tailor therapy to each person’s needs. Psychodynamic therapy explores how early experiences and unconscious patterns influence current feelings and relationships, helping people understand recurring themes in their lives. Client-centered therapy emphasizes empathy, acceptance and a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship, supporting self-exploration, self-esteem and emotional processing. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical strategies to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, which can be useful for anxiety, low mood and coping with stressful situations.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Ellen works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods feel most helpful, adjusting the focus as goals and needs evolve. This collaborative process helps ensure therapy aligns with each person’s preferences and circumstances.

Online therapy with Ellen is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, giving flexibility for busy schedules and different comfort levels. These options make it possible to maintain continuity of care when in-person meetings are difficult and to access support from familiar surroundings while working with licensed professionals and therapists.