Penny Furness
About Me
Penny Furness
Integrative Counsellor & Psychotherapist
Who am I?
I am a qualified integrative counsellor and psychotherapist.
I am also a trained EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) therapist.
This means I can draw on different ideas and approaches to support you.
How do I work?
People seek therapy for many different reasons, and I believe every client is a unique individual who deserves to be fully heard, understood and valued.
I aim to support and empower clients within a safe therapeutic relationship based on honesty, trust and collaboration. In our sessions, I will help you explore and gain insight into your thoughts, feelings, behaviours and relationships.
We will work together to find answers to problems, consider ways of living with difficulties and distress, and move towards achieving what is most important to you.
How might this therapy help you?
I know from experience how daunting therapy may feel and how helpful it can be.
Having the space and time to talk, feel, think and explore within a safe, confidential, trusting relationship can help you make sense of your experiences.
This is often the first important step in healing, meeting life’s challenges, making positive changes and choices, and achieving growth and progress.
Whom do I work with?
I work with clients of all ages and backgrounds.
My areas of special interest and expertise include:
-
Mid-life, menopause and later life issues
-
Loss, bereavement and grief
-
Relationship difficulties
-
Isolation and loneliness
-
Anxiety and low mood
-
Stress
-
Living with chronic conditions
-
Appearance concerns
-
Traumatic life events.
I also have experience working with clients facing the following concerns and difficulties:
- Insomnia and sleeplessness
- Depression
-
Thoughts about death or suicide
-
Self-harm.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) therapy can facilitate the processing and recovery from disturbing, difficult and traumatic life events.
I can offer EMDR as a stand-alone approach, or it can be combined with a longer-term talking therapy approach.
If you are interested in EMDR, we can discuss what you would like and how this might work for you before you start.
Session Details
Charges
I currently charge £48 for a 60 minute session. This will rise to £50 from January 2025.
I offer a concessionary rate of £30 for full-time students and for people who are unemployed. This will rise to £35 from January.
EMDR sessions are charged at the rate of £60 for a 1-hour session. Sessions can be 60, 75 or 90 minutes in length, depending on what works for you, which we can discuss.
Location and Times
I currently offer sessions on Tuesdays (PM) and Fridays (all day), in a comfortable counselling room in S10, as well as occasional online sessions on other days.
If I am fully booked when you contact me, I will offer you a place on my waiting list.
The room is on the second floor of a building without lift access.
Free parking is available onsite and the room is close to tram and bus stops.
Short and Long Term Therapy
I offer both short-term and longer-term therapy.
Long-term therapy is particularly suited to developing a close relationship which supports deep trust and exploration.
A course of EMDR therapy is typically 8-12 sessions, but can be longer if needed.
In-Person Therapy Sessions
Therapy often works best when sessions are weekly. However, I can also offer fortnightly or even monthly sessions, to suit you.
I offer primarily in-person sessions but can be flexible if you might need or prefer telephone or online sessions from time to time.
Free Initial Consultation
I offer a free 10-20 minute telephone consultation to start. We would be able to discuss your needs and wishes, session rates and times, whether we are a good match and how we might best work together.
Counselling qualifications and courses:
Professional Diploma in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy
CRUSE Bereavement Support training
EMDR Academy UK-Trained EMDR Therapist
Other relevant experience and qualifications:
MSc and PhD in Psychology. Chartered Psychologist.
20+ years of teaching & health and wellbeing research.
11 years of adult (burns and elderly care) nursing.