Penguin Psychotherapy

Who I am

Hello, my name is Tanya and I have worked for over 20 years in health and social care, working in various settings with children, young people and families. More recently, I have been working for a local counselling charity and the NHS with adults in an outpatient setting.

At home I have my own workshop where I work with found objects, including welding scrap metal. These items I have found when out walking with my dog near my home or washed up at the beach. I am passionate about the environment, wildlife and how human activity, including my own, contributes to climate change, for better or worse.

I am a qualified Integrative Arts Psychotherapist, a registered member of the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) and the UK Council for Psychotherapists (UKCP) and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

What I do

• Private Therapy

  I work with individuals and groups and currently work remotely online and by telephone in response to the pandemic and restrictions placed upon working in person. I offer a reduced fee initial consultation. Sessions are low cost and student rates may be negotiated.

• Integrative Arts Psychotherapy

  An integrative approach recognises the idea that there are many ways in which human psychology can be explored and understood - no one theory alone holds the answer. Using the arts and thinking creatively can support the therapeutic process; you do not need to be an artist to benefit from this but an interest in the arts can be helpful.

• Appointments

  You can make an appointment by telephoning or emailing me. We can then arrange to meet remotely online or speak on the telephone for an initial session. This is to assess whether we feel we can work together. If so, an agreed programme of further sessions can be arranged.

Why Penguin?

In the 2005 movie 'March of the Penguins', I was struck by how penguins, like humans, form attachments in family relationships, seek affection and share with humans, the same basic needs and survival instincts. When one parent leaves to find food for themselves and their family, the other is left to look after their young chicks alone, facing extreme hazards. It is amazing that any of these penguins survive. In order to survive, the parents' trust in each other must be unwavering.

I believe that building trust in the therapeutic relationship is fundamental to establishing a supportive environment, in which individuals can safely navigate these difficult journeys that we all can face when overcoming life's obstacles.