Penelope Wells

Hi this is Penelope, but I am generally known as Eppie. 

I offer a free of charge discovery session of up to 60 minutes to see whether you'd like to start working with me.

Sessions are 60 minutes long.

I specialise in working with trauma as a person-centred psychotherapist and brainspotting practitioner. I see trauma as something very personal to each person and can include at any point feeling frightened, under threat, humiliated, rejected, abandoned, unsafe, unsupported, trapped, ashamed, submissive, violated, lost and powerless.

I am a fully qualified person-centred counsellor (First class BA honours from the Metanoia Institute) and also a certified brainspotting therapist. Both therapies both rest on the premise that given the right conditions, people's inbuilt ability to self-heal is there. I provide these conditions - by being genuine, empathic, non-judgemental, compassionate and creativity. 

As  neurodivergent person (with dyspraxia), I have a deep understanding of neurodivergence and experience working with trauma, abuse, neglect and bereavement. I have experience of working with psychosis and voice-hearing. 

It's helpful to meet before we start working together for you to see if I am the right fit - to find out whether meeting me feels right at a gut level. 

Carl Rogers' quote helps me to express this, he felt that 'a person is a fluid process, not a fixed or static entity; a flowing river of change, not a block of solid material; a continually changing  constellation of potentialities, not a fixed quantity of traits.' (On Becoming A Person, 1961). 

I am also a FIL Rainbow Baby Specialist, having received training and experience of working with people who have experienced the loss of their baby.

I aim to capture the essence of what it is to be you, to be alongside you through the muck, mire and confusion, or following in the tail of your comet in the skies. Wherever you are in our sessions I will be alongside you, being present providing a space for you to explore your experience of life.

How do we achieve this collaboratively together? 

- as a brainspotting therapist; this is a trauma therapy which supports your brain to heal itself. It has evolved from EMDR therapy and is a way of connecting mindfully with parts of you that have been locked and blocked as a protection. These are met by me with empathy and non-judgement. Working through lockdown has evidenced that this therapy is equally as effective online as it is in person. As this works from a somatic base (from the body), it is also suitable for trauma that there are no words for and there is no requirement to verbalise the trauma. 

- working with sand tray and objects. You might ask isn't that just for children? I answer 'yes and no'. Adults need the opportunity to be playful, to find meaning through objects, or just to connect with the feeling of sand. I answer 'yes' too since our inner child needs nourishing and connecting with since much wisdom comes from children, and similarly to brainspotting, this can serve as an access to trauma held in the deeper parts of our brains. 

- working with rebounders (aka mini-trampolines!) I'm trained as a flexi-rebound therapist and have two rebounders (for each of us) as the impact of movement in therapy has been shown to be incredibly beneficial for releasing tension accumulated in trauma, improving self-esteem and a non-verbal access point for processing at a deeper level. This is particularly helpful (but not exclusively) for those with dyspraxia or ADHD.

- a wide range of resources including Russian Dolls, art, cards to name but a few. 

It's about finding what works for you. Our sessions will be as unique as you are. 

Over the course of our first session which is free of charge, you and I will explore what is bringing you to counselling and how working together may be beneficial. We'll look at what you can expect from me, and what I'd need from you in order for us to work safely and well together. 

There are of course a few bits of information I'd need from you to ensure that I have the correct level of experience and skill and we'll also talk about important aspects such as how I keep records and what confidentiality and disclosure might look like. We'll also look at what preferences you may have in how we work together. But don't worry if you have no idea - especially if therapy is a new experience for you. Nothing is cast in stone and it's just a way of starting the process of co-creating the space between us. 

I work on-line and in person, but can also do a hybrid so if you wanted to be in person but felt you'd prefer to meet online first then that works for me too. 

And any questions that come up for you, I'll try my best to answer or point you in the right direction if its not something I know about. 

I'm here to help you find your own answers - or where answers seem to be eluding you, to sit alongside in the confusion and stuck-ness. I believe you are the expert in yourself, even if that seems hard for you to believe right now. I'm a fellow human-being and a companion in the sometimes difficult and painful journey of healing and discovery of your authentic self. 

If you're meeting me in person, I have a beautiful  room in the heart of historic Tunbridge Wells a short walk from the train station. There are plenty of paying car parks nearby and limited free parking in the area. Or if you're meeting me on-line then I predominantly work with zoom, but am open to use other platforms if that works better for you. 

More details are at eppie@eppiewellscounselling.co.uk