Penny Tallents
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This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
About me
Hello and welcome.
I specialise in recovery from trauma, particularly the ways we can be hurt by the people in our lives.
From our very first relationships with parents and family, and throughout life, we all need to be able to trust the people who are close to us. This helps us learn that the world makes sense, that it is safe to get close to other people, and that we ourselves are loved, understood and accepted.
If your own needs weren't met as a child, or if somebody has hurt you at any point in your life, then it can show up in many different ways:
- Your emotions can be overwhelming, or you might feel disconnected or completely confused by how you feel
- It is difficult to have close friends or relationships, or you find yourself in relationships which keep causing pain
- You have high levels of anxiety or anxious behaviours (like obsessions, compulsions, or overthinking), depression or suicidal feelings
- You struggle to feel that you have value, that you like yourself, or even know who you are
- You feel like you can't move on from the things that have happened
- If you are diagnosed, self-diagnosed or wondering about neurodivergence, all of the above can be true, and compounded by living with the challenges of a differently-wired nervous system
It can be very difficult sometimes even to understand what is wrong. Maybe you have memories, stories and feelings that already paint a picture, but other experiences might be lost or unclear - perhaps they happened too long ago, or were too painful or confusing to remember, or there was nobody there to help you make sense of it. Even if you already have a good idea of what went wrong for you - for instance, if something deeply upsetting or traumatic has happened - it can be hard to bear this alone, and it doesn't always feel possible to share difficult feelings and experiences with the people in our lives, however close we are to them.
This is why trusting yourself to an experienced therapist, like me, can make such a difference. My main aim is to offer you a sensitive, understanding and thoughtful relationship - everything else that you need can unfold from here. During therapy we will explore and get to the bottom of whatever it is that is troubling you, and support you to feel the emotions that belong with it, so that each time we meet things should make more sense, and feel more bearable. Therapy can, of course, be painful and confronting at times, and I will help us to work through these moments with care and respect.
During a session we might talk about what is happening in the here-and-now of your life, or focus on important relationships and experiences from your past, and weave these together to create new understanding. Another helpful place for us to focus might be our own relationship, because this can shed so much light on what you need from other people, and what kinds of things either help or get in the way when you try to make deeper connections. (If you are someone who likes to know the more technical names for things, I practice relational psychodynamic therapy - this means I am interested in relationships, feelings, and how our minds work, including the unconscious parts.)
My experience is that this kind of therapy can help to relieve pain, deepen your trust and understanding of yourself, and enrich the ways you connect with other people.
I can provide both open-ended and fixed-term therapy, depending on what you feel you need (or can afford) at the moment. I offer once-weekly meetings, usually at the same time and place each week, because that consistency can be a powerful signal to our emotional selves that we are somewhere that feels safe and familiar. I work both face-to-face from my private office in Birmingham and on zoom, and can also offer phone therapy in exceptional circumstances - for instance if you have no other way of accessing therapy at the moment.
I hope that this has helped you feel that you are beginning to get to know me. Please get in touch to arrange an introductory phone call, or ask any questions that I haven't covered here. Thank you for taking the time to be here.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a fully qualified psychotherapist registered with UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy). This means that I have completed an extensive training program over several years, which supports me to work with you in a skilled, ethical and effective way. I have been practicing as a counsellor and therapist for nearly ten years, and prior to this I worked in a range of advocacy and support roles in the NHS and overseas.
I keep my professional experience and knowledge up to date through regular learning and development activities, including affiliate membership of our local West Midlands Institute of Psychotherapy. I have regular supervision with an experienced colleague - this is a reflective process (and a completely anonymised one) which helps to guide our work together.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
Our first meeting is an opportunity for you to find out how it would feel to work with me, and to decide whether you would like to continue. I charge £40 for this first session, and then my usual hourly fee is £60.
I am also very happy to arrange a 20 minute initial conversation over the phone, at no cost. You can book this either through Counselling Directory or by messaging me directly.
When I work
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My usual session times are during the morning and early afternoon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Please get in touch to ask about my current availability.
Further information
I work in a comfy, private office in the Custard Factory complex in Digbeth, Birmingham. There is a spacious reception area in which you can wait before our sessions, several independent cafes if you are looking for some refreshment, or simply take in the street art and energy of this thriving creative area.
Digbeth is a ten minute walk from the city centre, accessible by numerous bus routes, and two minutes drive from the ring road, making it very easy to get here. There are several car parks close to the building. We are also looking forward to the long-awaited Metro extension which will bring tram connections from Wolverhampton to our doorstep.
