Ms Joanna Penty

A conversation with Joanna Penty

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  Having experienced low mood and anxiety, through psychotherapy, I developed a deeper understanding of myself and became increasingly curious about what drives human behaviour — why we think, feel, and act the way we do.
  I have great respect for clients when they share challenging aspects of their life. I enjoy helping individuals gain insights, heal and become their authentic selves which is why I have worked in mental health for more than 20 years.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  These are five of my therapy gurus: Aaron Beck, Judith Beck, Christine Padesky, David Clark and Marsha Linehan.
  
  Aaron T. Beck founded Cognitive Therapy, which later became known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). He showed how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are closely linked, and how unhelpful thinking patterns can keep emotional distress going.
  
  Judith Beck expanded and refined this work by developing clear, practical ways for therapists to use CBT with clients. Her focus on collaboration and skill-building has helped make CBT easier to understand, learn, and widely used across mental health services.
  
  Christine Padesky has had a strong influence on CBT through her warm, collaborative approach to therapy. She focused on helping people build on their strengths and gently explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours using simple, practical models. This helped clients understand and change unhelpful patterns. Her work helped make CBT more hopeful, client-empowering, and focused on real-life change.
  
  David M. Clark has had a major impact on CBT through his work developing effective treatments for anxiety, particularly panic disorder and social anxiety — the latter he has also experienced himself. His research helped explain what keeps anxiety going and led to practical, targeted therapies that are now used and recommended worldwide. He has also played a key role in improving access to CBT by helping services deliver therapy more widely and track how well it works.
  
  Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) was developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan. She created DBT to help people who experience intense emotions and find it hard to manage distress, combining practical coping skills with mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion to support lasting change.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  I’m currently interested in the connection between the gut and the brain. Our gut produces many important chemicals, including neurotransmitters that influence mood and wellbeing. To support this process, it’s helpful to nourish the gut with foods rich in fibre, protein, and healthy fats, which allow beneficial microorganisms to do their work.
  
  In contrast, diets high in ultra-processed foods, sugar, and refined starches can encourage different microorganisms to flourish that make inflammatory chemicals which contribute inflammation in the body, which may affect overall health, including joint and physical wellbeing.

• What methods do you use?

  Primarily CBT but I use other therapeutic interventions as needed. Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) helps individuals learn to tolerate and manage difficult feelings. Developing Mindfulness skills helps clients reduce their level of arousal/stress leaving them calmer and more able to approach issues. Reliving, and Imagery Rescripting can support clients with a single incident trauma, an accident or rape and lastly Compassionate CBT can help complex childhood issues.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  I work with clients experiencing an anxiety disorder, depression or an eating disorder - bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Some clients, two thirds, with anxiety and or depression see symptoms lifting in four to six weeks, eating disorders may need longer. However hold in mind that for about one-third of people talking therapy is not helpful for a range of reasons, such as, alcohol or drug issues.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  Therapy has made a great difference in my life.
  
  I've experienced depression and anxiety myself, so I understand how difficult they can be. Over time, I’ve developed helpful strategies and skills from having therapy myself, drawing from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and other psychological approaches. Treating myself with compassion and kindness has been very helpful and developing a 'perfect nurturer' for myself.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  I most like being trusted and respected. It is an honour when clients open up, telling me about highly distressing and challenging issues. Sometimes they have held onto their difficulties for a long time, decades even. When that trusting relationship is established between a clients and me, then the psychological work can begin. Being trusted in this way, having that true connection that is wholesome and real is good.
  
  More broadly, I find great fulfilment in working with clients as they reclaim their lives, become empowered and move forward.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Sure. I am a human as the next person and of course I can make mistakes.
  
  There are pressures in this work, and for me timing can be a challenge as I have some ADHD traits. In contrast, the hyperfocus trait can be really helpful in sessions. My clients know I am there with them on their journey.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  For me it's climate change, the heating up of the planet and the tragic loss of biodiversity that has taken millions and millions of years to evolve; the human tragedy, the loss of vast swathes of land becoming unable to grow crops for humans – thus displacing them.
  
  I have tween-age daughter and I am really concerned about the future we are sowing for her right now. Short-term political strategies are not helpful for this issue, we have much to learn from our First Nations sisters and brothers who cared and tended for this land considering the effects of their actions over generations rather than, not a 3, 4 or 5-year political cycle.
  
  I am however, encouraged and pleased that many individuals, organisations and governments are committed and are working tirelessly to resolve the multifaceted problem of Climate Change.
  

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van de Kolk
  This is an amazing and fascinating book about trauma, how common it is, and different ways to treat it.
  
  Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
  Jeff's voice has such an incredible range. A beautifully expressive and haunting version of this song.
  
  The Woodford Folk Festival: 26 Dec - 1 Jan
  Given its timing, this is a festival of renewal. It is art, world music, First Nations music and culture, up and coming Australian performers, spoken word, nature, yoga, dance, green issues and more.
  Woodford engenders the most incredible atmosphere where people can be their very best self. They are friendly and warm. The Woodford Culture is enabling so that many great conversations are had between strangers.
  The Site - in the last 32 years 130,000 trees have been planted on the site and so the animals and birds to returned. Nothing better than a bowerbird or kookaburra waking you to a fresh new day.
  I go every year for an incredible dose of goodwill and hope for how the future could be.
  The strong positive vibe lasts for at least 3 weeks after, longer even - so great value.