Ellen Penny-Brookes , BACP

Ellen Penny-Brookes is a counsellor who focuses on women's issues alongside many other life challenges. She offers calm, straightforward support for people dealing with anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, trauma and changes in relationships. Ellen explains things plainly and helps clients talk through difficult feelings and decisions.

She trained in psychodynamic counselling and holds a Masters degree with distinction in Psychodynamic counselling from Essex University. Ellen also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Counselling at the University of East Anglia. Her background informs a style that pays attention to early life patterns and to how feelings and relationships shape current behaviour.

Ellen blends psychodynamic ideas with client-centred ways of working, and draws on cognitive behavioural techniques when helpful. In sessions she aims to listen carefully, reflect what she hears and work with each person's priorities. Together she and the client shape the pace and focus of the work.

Her practice supports people facing stress, depression, burnout, addiction concerns, eating and sleeping difficulties, ADHD, gender dysphoria and a wide range of relationship or family-related worries. She also helps with attachment issues, body image and caregiver stress. Sessions are available in-person and remotely to suit different needs.

Ellen is registered with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, listed with the BACP. She has around five years of professional practice and works from the United Kingdom. Her approach is warm, patient and aimed at helping people find clearer ways to cope and move forward.

How Ellen’s approaches translate to online therapy

Attachment-based work focuses on patterns in relationships and early bonds. It helps people who feel stuck repeating the same relationship cycles or who struggle with closeness and trust, by looking at how past attachments shape present feelings and reactions.

Client-centred therapy puts the person at the heart of sessions. The counsellor listens without judgement, follows the client's agenda and offers empathy to help people feel understood and make their own decisions about change.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Ellen will talk with each person about their needs, goals and preferences and together decide whether attachment-based, client-centred or some CBT-informed techniques are the best fit. That choice can change as therapy progresses and priorities shift.

Online formats give practical options for fitting therapy into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face connection when a visual conversation helps, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a quieter presence is needed, and live chat or messaging suit short check-ins or people who prefer writing. These options aim to make regular counselling more accessible and easier to sustain alongside daily commitments.