Pennie Sheppard, BACP

Pennie Sheppard welcomes people looking for steady, practical support when life feels overwhelming. She offers calm, down-to-earth help for stress, anxiety, depression and addictions. Her style is gentle and respectful, with a focus on real everyday coping. Pennie Sheppard is BACP registered and has 15 years' experience in counselling.

She works in a way that suits the person in front of her. That can mean talking through difficult feelings, learning simple breathing and relaxation techniques, or trying new ways to manage unhelpful thoughts. Sessions are shaped around each person’s needs rather than a one-size-fits-all plan.

Pennie has spent many years supporting people after trauma and abuse, and those coping with long-term illness or chronic pain. She also helps with relationship strain, grief, anger and compassion fatigue. Her additional interests include attachment issues, codependency and dissociation.

Her approach draws on Client-Centred Therapy to keep the conversation focused on the client's experience. She also uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tools to build practical skills. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy techniques and Emotionally-Focused Therapy ideas inform work with strong emotions.

Pennie aims to move at each person’s pace and to fit therapy into everyday life. She tailors sessions so people can try new ways of coping between meetings. Her background combines talking therapy with body-focused methods to support both emotion and physical experience.

How Pennie uses therapy approaches online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and focus on actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, low mood and coping with long-term health challenges. Client-Centred Therapy keeps the conversation grounded in the client's experience, offering a non-judgemental space to talk and be listened to. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thinking and behaviour and supports practical steps to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Pennie will discuss goals and preferences and together they will choose techniques that fit daily life. That collaborative process means plans can change as needs shift.

Confirm the session formats before booking so you know how meetings will take place. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions around work, caregiving or travel, and it can reduce time spent commuting. It also allows short check-ins and the use of breathing or grounding exercises between sessions, which some people find helpful when building coping skills.