Agatha Penney

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards” (Soren Kierkegaard)

Sometimes we may feel that everything we experience in life is difficult, challenging or simply doesn't make sense anymore. The amount of pressure we need to handle every day combined with all these repressed and unprocessed memories of things we never dealt with can easily lead to generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias and heightened stress level.

What happens next are the by-products of the above, which amongst others are: family issues, relationship difficulties, separation, affairs, depression, prolonged sadness, lack of motivation and energy, addictions and many others.

We all possess physical, mental/emotional and sexual healths. When our physical health needs attention, we go to see a doctor. Sadly, we often disregard the latter. Negligence of our emotional or sexual healths will affect the others and often leads to our physical health issues. This scenario in many cases creates a vicious cycle, where we see a doctor for physical misalignments without attending to the real causes of our suffering.

We think we are strong and we can handle it all, where in fact we are getting weaker, less resilient to common life's adversities and prone to negative feelings & reactions.

At times like this, therapeutic process can come really handy and can help us to see our lives through a different pair of lens. No matter what, therapy can be a practical investment in your personal well being, health and prosperousness. Once in the process, you will gain awareness that will help you in developing new powerful meanings of yourself and the world around you, and that empowering level of consciousness can never be taken away from you.

I offer a fully confidential, non-judgemental and integrative approach to general & psychosexual therapy for couples and individuals with evidence-based (CBT) and humanistic models, which assists working through life challenges whilst gaining awareness, tools and confidence of self.

Other difficulties my clients experience:

• Estrangement from family
• Mother-Daughter relationship conflict
• Separation from a child
• Shunning
• Complicated relations with parents/siblings
• People pleasing tendencies
• Communication Problems
• Confidence and self-worth
• Workplace bullying

Psychosexual Issues:

• vaginismus
• dyspareunia and/or vulval/vaginal pain
• anorgasmia
• menopause and its impacts
• low or lack of sexual desire
• unfulfilled sexual needs
• change in sexual needs
• arousal difficulties
• erectile dysfunctions (inc. porn related ED)
• premature ejaculation
• difficulty ejaculating
• intimacy issues
• understanding one's sexuality

Fees for individual and couples psychotherapy/psychosexual therapy

Sessions last 50 minutes (a clinical hour)

Individual process £80

Couple process & Mother-Daughter process £110 (also available for 75 mins at £165)

Journaling process £130 (a one session per week + weekly journal support)

Supervision:

Trainees £70

Qualified practitioners £80

Group process - please enquire 

If you wish to find out more, please enquire via email (please click here) 

What people say:

Adam, 52, Financial Consultant, Wiltshire, 2021

Having recently lost both my parents, also dealing with complex family issues and experiencing two unexpected work redundancies, alongside bringing up a young family I found myself increasingly more depressed and turning to alcohol as an escape to feel less unhappy. I had moved into a place where I had self-rationalised this as being normal and ok, given the circumstance of life around me. As a person that enjoys being fit and generally self-disciplined, I found myself feeling increasingly lost and de-motivated, and with the drinking came hangovers, weight gain, lack of self-confidence and a diminished sense of humour.

Working with Agatha equipped me with the psychological and spiritual tools to uncover many of the root causes and emotional triggers that were leading me to self-limiting habits and behaviours that I had developed over many years. I was able to face these in a systematic and personally meaningful way that meant I could adopt new ways of tackling what it was that was making me un-happy and overcome this, and to do so incrementally over time. There were some quick wins and some changes understandably needed a longer term to resolve.

I successfully quit drinking for a month and have done this twice now, breaking an almost 30 year habit. My drinking is much more in control, it can sometimes still be a battle though its one I know I can win now. I have also taken much more control over many aspect of my life and stripped back many of the self-limiting thoughts and behaviours that had been an unconscious part of me and the decision I had made for years. I have achieved many more of things I wanted to get from life and found new ways to give back and help others. I overall feel a much greater level of self-awareness and am conscious to the influences that lead to my decisions. Most of all I have found a greater level of acceptance, peace and positivity with the challenge’s life puts our way. I cannot recommend working with Agatha enough to anyone looking to make lasting, positive changes to their life.

Madeleine, 34, GP Doctor, Surrey ,2021

Before the process, I was crippled by self doubt, anxiety and fear. I found it very difficult to express what I wanted and to take decisions in my life.   The biggest insight that I took from the process was taking ownership of my life. I realised that I can control how I react to daily challenges and difficult situations both personally and professionally. The process helped me to feel less helpless and empowered to take decisions. I am not completely cured of the problems that I had when I started the process but I feel like I have the tools to be able to deal with life’s challenges!

Ayla, 27, Lawyer, Hampshire, 2021

Before I started my journey with Agatha, I had faced several life challenges which cumulatively left me at a low point where I often felt emotionally/mentally exhausted. I had a poor relationship with myself as being diagnosed with two STIs left me with feelings of shame, guilt and unworthiness. Similarly, I had an unhealthy relationship with others, in particular my family where I constantly sought their approval and subconsciously relied on them to guide me and influence my life choices. My low self-esteem affected every aspect of my life, all the way from my outlook on life to every relationship I had, including friendships and my once healthy relationship with my boyfriend.

Agatha helped transform my life where instead of playing the victim, I was able to empower myself and determine my own future.

We unpicked my childhood and exposed the deep-rooted origins of my issues. Then once I developed this awareness and acceptance of why I and others reacted the way we did, I could then de-weaponize their actions and improve my own. Agatha helped me build a healthy relationship with myself where I developed skills for self-love, acceptance and trust. She shifted my perspective on life events, so instead of viewing them as hardships I was able to use them as learning experiences which would help mould and strengthen my character. We worked on ways to identify and deal with my emotions so I wasn’t as emotionally labile.

Agatha helped me free my authentic self so that I could live my life how I felt right. She inspired me to start the lifelong journey of self-development so I that I can work towards becoming the best version of myself.

It was a pleasure working with Agatha and I would highly recommend it as she is a genuine, loving and professional psychotherapist.

Leanne, 51, Teacher, Kent, 2020

I found Agatha online when searching for a solution to the difficulty in my relationship with my daughter. Fortunately, my daughter was on board too, and so we had online counselling together.

Agatha gave lots of practical tips, alongside the counselling, for example relating to communication with other people – and how to better facilitate difficult (or, in fact any) communication. This tool has been helpful, not only in my relationship with my daughter, but in other situations too. For me, personally, something which struck a chord was the difference between ‘expectations’ and ‘intentions’. It is subtle but very impactful when shifting gear from one to the other. Also remembering that we are not responsible for the actions of other people, but only our own responses to them.

My daughter and I ironed out several things which needed to be said, in an environment that was safe. Agatha is very professional in keeping the dialogue open and honest and she ensures that both parties are given fair ‘air time’ whilst treating each without bias. She listens carefully and picks up on areas that need further investigation.

I can highly recommend Agatha, and only wish that we had been able to meet in person (our sessions were online). I have kept her details and would certainly consult with her again for any future issues too.

Jack, 22, IT, Buckinghamshire, 2019

I started seeing Agatha after a friend recommended I start therapy and after a few sessions began working towards making positive changes that were highlighted in my sessions. After being in a low point for a long time, I felt like genuine progress was being made towards being in a place that I wanted to be at, where I was aspiration, motivated and happy again. I would strongly recommend Agatha to anyone who was considering therapy to help tackle anything they were unhappy or struggling with.

Judy (65), Retired Teacher, London, 2019

I contacted Agatha in the hope of understanding a relationship problem with my daughter who has cut off all communication with me, without explaining why. Agatha helped me to truly acknowledge that we see things differently from each other and to accept this. Immediately, I felt a great weight leave my shoulders. I have learnt that I don't need to control others lives by helping them to run smoothly, but to allow my daughter and other family members to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.

Agatha helped me understand that cutting off all communication from me was our daughter's decision alone, and that I don't need to feel the responsibility for that decision. While I feel incredibly sad not to see our daughter and her family, with Agatha's insights and advice, I can respect her decision and wait until she is ready to re-connect. I knew the moment I first spoke to Agatha that we clicked. Within the first hour she so generously shared her deep knowledge of human relationships, which helped me immeasurably. She is warm, kind and honest and I would recommend her highly.

Jill (46), Fashion Designer, London, 2019

I had been feeling low, depressed & was not in work for almost 2 years not excited about my future, In few sessions Agatha's positive energy and advise opened my outlook & approach to life, Soon I started feeling optimistic, I was even offered a role within my industry which I like and now am looking forward to life, Agatha has great skills and there is so much to learn from her as a fantastic and professional person. Thank you

Ally (38), Consulting, New York, 2019

Agatha, you have made a big difference in my life. You unscrambled the thoughts and emotions which were distorted and unhelpful, and helped me digest and re-adjust them so that they fueled and spurred me forward, rather than held me back. Your gentle, caring, PRACTICAL style (I put a big emphasis on the value and utility of the tools you’ve armed me with) was the perfect antidote to my self-sabotage... You’ve helped me massively, guiding me back to my powerful “I”, and thus giving me the impetus to pursue my dreams. You are love personified. Keep doing what you do. Thank you!!!

Natasha (32), Consulting, London, 2019

I decided to get in touch with Agatha after getting to a point in my life following a breakup and a job change where I just felt very stuck and lacking purpose. I was feeling empty and confused, like I failed both in my professional and romantic lives. I was lacking motivation to do even basic things like look after myself.

Working with Agatha really helped me organise my thoughts and get to the bottom of my emotional state. She helped me look at things from a different perspective, discover my deeper strengths and start appreciating and accepting myself as I am.  Within a couple of months, I started to feel much stronger mentally and started to gradually gain back my energy and motivation.

With Agatha’s encouragement and support, I took some long overdue steps to change my job, set my long-term life goals, and most importantly establish boundaries for what I am, what I’m not and what I want in life. I now have a new exciting job lined up, and am on the recovery path from an abusive relationship. It’s been a massive turnaround and I look forward to gaining my energy and motivation back 100%.

I highly recommend Agatha. She’s very professional, extremely knowledgeable, easy to connect with and maintains an amazing positive attitude, which is contagious. Sessions with Agatha are always very insightful, time flies by very quickly, and she has a talent to connect with people naturally, adding humour and positivity to every conversation. I picked up a lot of very useful insights and techniques that I now apply with myself and have even shared with my friends and family. Thank you, Agatha!

Megan (36), IT Consultant, London, 2018

When I first came to Agatha I was struggling a great deal with a relationship breakdown, boundary issues, and very low self-esteem. She has helped me immeasurably to identify and work on various areas of my life both at the time and over the following months. She is kind, patient, non-judgemental and extremely knowledgeable, and the genuine connection she provides has been pivotal in my self-development and enabling me to establish healthy habits and thought processes.

It would be a tremendous understatement to say that sessions with Agatha have changed my life and my outlook - they have done far more than that. Her ability to listen compassionately and provide constructive counsel has had the knock-on effect of allowing me to be a far more open, honest and genuine person in my everyday interactions. Our sessions are enjoyable, intellectually stimulating, humorous, serious, difficult, easy, thought-provoking and calming. As a result I have come to feel vastly more resilient and much more aware of my feelings and reactions and how to handle them. I would not hesitate to recommend her - she is exceptional

Karolina (39), Wellness Coach, London, 2018

Working with Agatha has been an amazing self discovery journey following from my divorce. As much as I could process most of the divorce issues on my own, I needed someone who was able to see my blind spots. I wanted to move forward and find a new relationship that will be a reflection of a new person that I have become. With Agatha's help I discovered parts of me that were blocking a relationship that I desired. I gained a new level of confidence and just after a few months working together I met my new partner who is everything I have ever wanted from a man and more. Agatha's skilful way of understanding a person and dealing with one's individual issues are absolutely priceless.

Nicole (33), Project manager, London, 2018

Before meeting Agatha I struggled deeply with a relationship I had with a loved one. Unbeknownst to me, lack of boundaries caused a lot of angst between this loved one and I, and I discovered that this was negatively impacting all aspects of the beautiful life I moved to London to create.

Agatha very clearly showed me that I was stuck in a vicious cycle with my loved one and that I would need to establish boundaries - as painful as that can be - in order to take control back over my life. It has been nearly four months since I started working with her and I have successfully defined healthy boundaries not only with the aforementioned loved one but in other areas of my life, and am starting to apply them assertively.

I am learning to find peace and have found that the initial challenge I approached Agatha with is becoming less of a challenge now that the boundaries are in place. Aside from all of this, Agatha is wonderfully positive and there is just so much to learn from her as a person beyond what her frameworks and advice help you achieve.

Sarah (33), Creative Director and CEO, London, 2018

After a very turbulent year, where I had experienced so many changes I was really struggling to not only adapt to my new lifestyle, but accept the changes for myself. My self confidence was at an all time low. Agatha’s approach was a mixture of counselling and coaching which was the perfect combination for me. Her kindness and understanding led me to accept my new circumstances. There is no judgement. She encourages me to always be kind to myself, in my thoughts, my attitude and my awareness. Her encouragement and belief in my ability has enabled me to reach for goals I had only dreamed of.

I now look back, six months ago and am so amazed at how far I have come. The life skills I have learnt over the last six months are tools which I will carry for the rest of my life. My gratitude to Agatha, and the progress we have made is hard to measure.

Ben (17), Student, London, 2017

Before I began working with Agatha, I lacked self-confidence which often affected my social life along with my education as I would shy away from discussion in lessons. This low self-esteem had a 'multiplier effect', constantly getting worse due to my lack of self-belief, slowly making me feel more and more inferior to others and creating more negative thoughts. The main challenge I faced was to try and gain some belief in myself and try to move forward in my life, leaving behind this negative cycle of self-hatred.

Speaking to Agatha, I have developed a level of control regarding my negative thoughts and feelings towards myself, and I am now able to keep them at bay far easier. I also feel much better about myself, and have learnt to appreciate myself for who I am.

I have continued to make great strides in my mental and physical well-being since working with Agatha. My state of mind has completely changed - I have gone from someone whom would often dwell on the negatives in life to someone who is constantly trying to improve their quality of life through building on these negatives and focusing on the positives. I have since set many goals for myself which I now strive to try and meet - this has given me some direction as to what I want to do and has since made me more determined and focused on improving myself.

Joanne, (41), Merchandise Manager, London, 2016

I spent 6 months last year working with you and you completely changed my life all for the better. I hardly recognise who I am now, and I have never been happier, prouder or liked myself more. I told you about a 100 mile run that I was inspired to attempt, I entered even though I wasn't at all sure - but you kept saying to me visualise the end and work towards it.

Well, it was a couple of weeks ago and I not only was brave enough to get to the start line and try, I kept on going and going for 29:26:29 and I did it!!!! I ran my 100 miles. I needed all the determination and courage that I had inside me but I have never been so proud of myself. It was a monumental moment for me and has changed many of my mindsets even further, but one thing I do know, that I could never have done it without the work we did together. So, thank you!!. You really have changed my life for the better and I can't thank you enough. I think everybody should know how amazing you are and how much you can help them. Please use my words, inspire others!