I’m Dr Jean Penman
Counsellor and Psychotherapist for
-individual personal therapy
-couples therapy
-professional clinical supervision and skills training
workshops
Special interest areas
- Medically unresolved persistent physical symptoms
- Sexual problems, intimacy and relationships
- Recovery from medical investigations or treatment
- Acute or long-term physical health diagnosis
- Grief and Loss
- Spiritual concerns
The most important aspect of my therapy approach is understanding and valuing the reality of your circumstances. From here we consider what you may wish to address: physical symptom improvement, your relationships, work life balance or other issues of concern. As we talk through the links between body, mind and emotion you will have the opportunity to enhance your physical, mental, emotional and sexual wellbeing. See below for details of personal therapy, couple therapy, clinical supervision and professional support
Individual Therapy
You may be searching for the right kind of individual help. In general, you are maintaining, at least on the surface, both work and relationships. However, you may have underlying issues that you rarely talk about to anyone. In quieter moments know you need some change.
My skill lies in working respectfully and confidentially with you to understand your situation and repeating patterns that make life more stressful than it needs to be. We can also link the relationship between body symptoms and emotional processes and how these may be impacting your thoughts and physical function. We explore self-protecting responses which may be increasing your frustration and exhaustion. This frees up a greater insight into how to look after yourself, improve relationships, and enjoy life better.
Clinical Supervision for registered health and social care professionals
You may be an experienced health, social care, or talking-therapy professional looking for a specialist clinical supervisor to support you on a regular basis with complex cases. Or you may just be starting out. My supervisory approach will offer high support and high challenge. It is a process that will enhance your strengths in order to case manage long-term physical, mental, or sexual health issues to increased effect and service-user satisfaction. This can also include clinical supervision of client work with medically unresolved persistent physical symptoms presenting in any medical or psychological speciality.
Couple Therapy
It can take many years of distress before couples seek out joint therapy. This can often mean that patterns of misunderstanding, distrust and cycles of distress feel impossible to change. Finding agreement to seek professional help is a potential first step. In therapy each person is heard respectfully and equal time is given to hear both points of view without negative judgment.
When a couple both recognise the need to reduce negative feedback loops and are both ready to work through past and present difficulties there can be change for the better. Realistic goals are discussed and agreed. Change comes by prioritising the therapy sessions and following through at home with the insights gained. Many people say, ‘We wish we hadn’t left it so long…’
Workshops, Education and Skills Training
Are you delivering undergraduate or post-graduate professional skills training to health (medical, nursing, professions allied to medicine), social care, or counselling/clinical psychology/psychotherapy professionals?
I can offer a lively day of training, group work, workshop, and lecture presentations on enhancing communication with complex patient/client presentations, medically unresolved persistent physical symptoms, and sexual dysfunction. The aim is to enhance client and professional outcomes.
‘Intimacy, sex and relationship challenges laid bare across the lifespan.’
Special offer – 20% off
Benns J, Burridge, S, and Penman J. 2021, Routledge.
As healthcare professionals we have written about how intimacy, sexual problems and relationship challenges across the lifespan can affect health. We show how to begin to address these more effectively at all professional levels in day to day clinical settings using anonymised and composite case encounters. The book is a light but impactful read and may also be of interest to the general reader of 18 and over.
Look out for a 20% discount at the checkout when you purchase direct from Routledge.
The book is also available at Waterstones, Blackwell Publishing and Amazon Books UK.
Pre-publication review
‘This book is essential for those studying undergraduate/post-graduate nursing, midwifery, and health care professional programmes. The area of sexual health in practice tends to be ‘medicalised’ in terms of achieving outcomes in the NHS, however, this book incorporates ‘reality-based’ stories around the wider issues involved with sex and relationships across the lifespan. Educational programmes for health professionals need to incorporate all the elements identified in this book proposal, to give a holistic and balanced overview of the issues involved with this complex subject area.’ (Academic Reviewer comments, 2020)
Post-publication review
‘I am really impressed with the quality of writing and thought-provoking content of this book.’ (NHS Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2021)