01 · Who Pennie works with

Pennie works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Pennie lists 5 specialisms and 58 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Pennie chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Pennie's own words

What Pennie says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with over 40 years of experience in the mental health field, working with individuals across the lifespan and from diverse backgrounds. I hold a Master's degree in Professional Studies (MPS) and am certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and a Certified Trauma Expert. My career has included work in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, hospice care, government-funded programs for at-risk youth, group practices, and long-term private practice. I specialize in trauma, grief, and bereavement, anxiety and depression, relationship issues, self-esteem, life transitions, chronic illness and pain, brain and spinal cord injury, and recovery from abuse. I also have extensive experience supporting LGBTQ+ individuals, single parents, men's issues, and adults navigating identity, loss, or major life changes. I work comfortably with adolescents, adults, and older adults, and tailor therapy to each client's unique needs and goals.

My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and skills-based. I focus on helping clients build resilience, find meaning, and develop practical tools for managing both short-term challenges and long-term goals. Many clients return to therapy over time as they continue to grow and face new transitions, which I consider a reflection of trust and therapeutic connection.

In addition to my professional training, I bring deep empathy informed by lived experience with trauma, diability, chronic pain, and loss. I believe therapy is not just something I do - it is who I am. My goal is to help clients feel seen, supported, and empowered to move forward with greater clarity, strength, and hope.

Pennie Brooks, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Nov 2026

03 · How Pennie works

The 8 approaches Pennie lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Pennie lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Pennie's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Pennie runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

The Gottman Method

A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Also listed

• Hypnotherapy
• Imago Relationship Therapy
• Somatic Therapy
• Systemic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Pennie practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Pennie's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Pennie at this point.

2. Naming Pennie specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Pennie is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Pennie.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Pennie

Built from what Pennie actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Pennie's - Pennie has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 42 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMHC

Licensed in

Florida

Licence

FL LMHC MH6216

Licence number

MH6216

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1417081084

Years in practice

42

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Pennie's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Pennie. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.