About Penny
Penny Ralston is a counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She has five years of professional experience helping people manage stress, anxiety and low mood. Penny uses straightforward, practical conversations to help people feel less overwhelmed and more able to act on changes they want to make.
She builds a calm, non-judgemental space where clients can talk about what matters most. Sessions focus on what is happening now and on clear steps forward.
How Penny works
Penny supports people to explore motivation, self-esteem and confidence in short, practical ways. In her work she also addresses relationship worries, grief, addiction concerns and issues around intimacy. Penny pays attention to the particular needs of people on the autism spectrum and young adults who are finding their path.
She can also help with parenting stress, career decisions and coping with major life changes. Penny draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions link together, and Mindfulness Therapy, which teaches present-moment awareness and calm. These approaches are used to build coping skills and reduce unhelpful thinking patterns.
Her style is collaborative and direct. She helps people set small goals and tries practical strategies in sessions. The aim is to leave each meeting with something to try between appointments.
Sessions are offered in English and conducted online through a mix of formats to suit different needs and schedules.
Penny lists 2 ways of working on the entry:
What Penny works with
The areas below are the ones Penny selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Grief
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Trauma and abuse
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | BACP |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 5 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
CBT and Mindfulness in online counselling
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions influence each other. It breaks problems down into small parts and offers practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns, which can help with anxiety, depression and stress.Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple awareness exercises and breathing practices to reduce reactivity. It helps people notice their experience without rushing to change it, which can ease rumination and improve concentration.
Penny treats choosing an approach as a shared decision. She will talk through what feels workable and adapt methods to match a person's goals and everyday life. The first sessions are often used to try different techniques and agree a plan together.
Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy around work, study and family life. Video calls allow more face-to-face interaction, while phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be a simpler check-in. Live chat and text-based messaging suit brief updates, written reflections or times when messaging fits better into a busy day. Together these options offer flexibility so people can keep progress moving even with a full schedule.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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