GP Portrait of Grace Penman

Grace Penman, ACA

Finding direction through cultural and life transitions

4 years in practice · based in Australia · sessions in English · online sessions

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About Grace

Grace Penman is an ACA counsellor with four years of clinical experience. She supports adults from mixed cultural backgrounds as they handle identity, belonging and the practical pressures of adult life. Grace listens without judgement and helps people find clearer choices when they feel pulled in different directions.

Many people arrive feeling torn between family expectations and their own values. That tension can cause anxiety, guilt or a sense of not being enough.

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Background and approach

Grace helps clients name those feelings and make decisions that feel more authentic to them. Her work often focuses on life transitions such as studying or working in a new country, raising children across cultures, or navigating a relationship with different cultural upbringings. She offers practical tools to manage stress and rebuild a sense of belonging during change.

Grace uses a combination of approaches to address both thoughts and body-held responses. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify values and take meaningful steps, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to reshape unhelpful thinking. She also uses Attachment-Based ideas and EMDR to work with relational and intergenerational wounds held in the body.

Sessions are conversational and paced to each person. Grace aims to help clients reclaim their voice, reconnect with what matters to them, and build everyday strategies to cope with anxiety, grief or life changes.

Approaches that suit online therapy and change

Grace commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people clarify their values and take small, concrete steps. ACT focuses on noticing thoughts and choosing actions that align with what matters, which can reduce avoidance and worry.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and to build practical coping skills. CBT is often helpful for managing anxiety, low mood and stress through structured exercises and behavioural experiments.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Grace collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. She checks in regularly and adapts the plan as needs change, so therapy stays practical and relevant.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different circumstances. Video is useful for deeper conversation and emotional work, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat or text helps with short check-ins or when writing feels safer. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to fit around study, work and family commitments.
Explore online therapy options See what online therapy involves and what your next steps would be.

Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does Grace help with?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, relationship strain and parenting pressures, plus identity and belonging issues linked to mixed cultural backgrounds.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Grace offers a conversational, paced approach that mixes practical strategies with emotional processing. Sessions focus on choices, actions and what matters to the client.
What experience does she bring?
Grace has four years of professional experience working with adults from mixed cultures and immigrants, including people in the LGBT community.
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
She works from Australia and is credentialed with the Australian Counselling Association, listed as ACA.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Grace offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging depending on the client’s needs.
How does payment and cost work?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Grace?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a time according to the therapist’s availability.

What this therapist works with

Most often

Experience
4 years
Licensed
Languages
English

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