Penelope Williamson

I am an integrative therapist, with a background in person-centred humanistic counselling and I am registered with the BACP. I have experience within an NHS setting and now work in private practice. 

I have experience in helping clients with a broad spectrum of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, relationships, childhood trauma, neurodivergence, self image and confidence.  I welcome clients from all backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and genders.

I am very warm, open, and relaxed and feel that creativity and humour can be beneficial throughout therapy. I also have coaching experience so for people wanting therapy to explore the present or immediate future I can also help with goal setting and growth mindset.

I believe therapy should be tailored to each individual client, whether that is problem solving, approaching issues with creativity, or exploring deeper emotions and traumas. I offer client led, zero judgement sessions, where you are free to explore any issues and speak freely ensuring you feel heard. I will always offer clients additional resources if requested such as reading materials, podcasts, worksheets etc. I feel that therapy is a collaborative process, so I will encourage clients to explore themselves on a deeper level, gaining more self awareness, hoping to allow for self acceptance and self esteem.

I very much believe that clients are the only expert within the session, they are the ones who will ultimately guide sessions. I will explore what has brought the client to therapy, why now, have they had therapy before and what are their hopes, expectations, and long-term goals for the sessions. I am very open minded and enjoy learning about each individual client and then allowing the sessions to develop into what they need from me. I work on a weekly basis with clients offering open ended therapy, working with clients at their pace.

I currently only work over 16's. I offer limited discounted rates for students and low-income earners who are in receipt of certain benefits. This is on a sliding scale depending on circumstances. Please do contact me to discuss if this is applicable. 

Before the first session I would encourage a quick zoom meeting, to discuss what brings you to therapy and what you are wanting from the process. I will then discuss expectations and how I work with clients. You are very much encouraged to ask questions or raise any concerns about therapy. This will give you chance to see who I am and whether I am the suitable therapist for you. If you decide I am not the right fit at any point I will never be offended or ask any questions as to why. I believe the most effective therapy is when the client feels comfortable and can develop trust with their therapist, as it is a unique working relationship, so it is essential you choose the right therapist for you. If you choose to proceed, we will discuss the practicalities. I will then e-mail over any paperwork, confidentiality, client record sheets and we can book in the first session.