Somatic-Therapists

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Grace Penman, ACA

Finding balance between culture and self

GP Portrait of Grace Penman

About Grace

Grace Penman is an ACA counsellor with four years of clinical experience supporting adults from mixed cultural backgrounds and immigrants. She works with people who feel torn between family expectations and their own values, and she focuses on everyday struggles like anxiety, low self-worth and the stress of major life transitions.

Grace helps clients make sense of identity questions that come with living between cultures. She listens for how culture, relationships and past events show up in daily life.

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Background and approach

Sessions focus on what the person wants to change and on small steps they can try outside sessions. Her approach mixes somatic work with evidence-based talking therapies. That means attention to how the body holds stress, alongside exercises that clarify values and shift unhelpful thinking.

The aim is to restore a sense of choice and agency, not to rush healing. People come to her for issues such as cultural identity, parenting stress while adapting to a new country, relationship challenges, grief, and compassion fatigue. She also supports concerns like abandonment, attachment difficulties, body image and communication problems.

Grace keeps sessions practical and grounded. She uses mindfulness and techniques from ACT and CBT to help people notice patterns and try different responses. Her style is calm, curious and collaborative, with focus on what helps day-to-day functioning and emotional balance.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Grace draws on somatic therapy to help people notice where stress and past experiences sit in the body and to learn gentle ways of shifting those physical responses. This can be useful for trauma, anxiety and persistent tension that feels hard to talk about alone.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps people clarify what matters to them and take small actions in that direction despite uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. Attachment-Based Therapy is another strand, focused on how early relationships shape patterns in current connections and communication.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Grace treats approach selection as a collaborative process and will discuss options based on the person's goals, history and what feels helpful in session. She adapts techniques over time rather than sticking to a single method.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, which provide flexibility for people juggling study, work and family life. These options make it easier to schedule regular sessions and to try different formats for check-ins, homework or reflection between meetings.
Explore online therapy options See what online therapy involves and what your next steps would be on BetterHelp.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems can Grace help with?
She works with adults on stress, anxiety, depression and identity concerns linked to mixed cultural backgrounds and immigration. Other areas include parenting stress, grief, relationship issues and self-esteem.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Grace uses a calm, collaborative style that blends talking and body-aware techniques. Sessions focus on practical steps and noticing how feelings show up in the body.
What is her professional background?
She has four years of professional experience working as a counsellor and psychotherapist with mixed-culture adults and immigrants. Her work draws on several therapy approaches to address cultural and relational concerns.
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
Grace practises in Australia and holds ACA as her credential.
Can sessions be held in other languages or for international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently working with international clients located outside Australia.
Which session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
What do I do to begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.