Dr Penn Smith

Associate Prof. CPsychol. SFHEA. Postgraduate Programme Lead, Counselling. Trauma/Social Justice/Creative Methods

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Proud to share our latest publication. It’s been a pleasure to co-author this with @ProfDCharura. We engaged in a duoethnography process to explore our approach to research, training, & therapeutic practice with regard to relational psychotraumatology. https://t.co/VN6VQeknml

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Huge congratulations to our PGDip/MA in Humanistic Counselling students who graduated today at York Minster 🎓

It's been a pleasure sharing this journey with you.

Keep riding the waves!

#Classof2024 @ysjschoolofelp @YorkStJohn @pendle_andy @TrishHobman

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Warmest congratulations to our BA in Counselling & Mental Health students who graduated today at York Minster 🎓 #Classof2024 @ysjschoolofelp @YorkStJohn

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Congratulations!

[Professor Divine Charura @ProfDCharura]

So pleased to have this book on #Trauma published this week. Wonderful to have collaborated with Dr Mark McFetridge and @DrEmmaBradshaw @dcopuk @MHEducation @BPS_DoCP @BPSOfficial @ysj_cc @YsjSocial @YorkStJohn

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

❤️‍🩹

[Next To Normal @NextToNormalUK]

There will be light! ❤️‍🩹

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Wonderful to receive this in the post this week. Pleased to see our co-authored chapter in print. "Working Through Relational Trauma: An Exploration of Narratives of Lived Experiences of Trauma and Recovery" @ProfDCharura @ysjschoolofelp

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

@DrLornaHam Congratulations Lorna 🥂

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

@TheFlyingChild @NextToNormalUK I would highly recommend. It captures the complexity of grief, trauma and the all too common & unhelpful responses to mental health in such a meaningful way.

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Blown away! @NextToNormalUK
Such a powerful storyline and talented cast.

Reminder to all that the question to ask is not 'what's wrong with you?' but 'what happened to you?'

#grief #trauma

[Academy of Grief @AcademyofGrief]

Loss and dates
#grief

[Heather Moreno Sutherland @HAnnMSutherland]

Wrote a personal reflective piece for May 2024’s @BACP University and College Counselling Journal - “Distinctions and visibilities: Dr Heather Sutherland shares a personal reflection on ‘mental health’ as a labelled issue of concern in UKHE”
https://t.co/Q9ydqWrtTx @YSJPsych

[Ellie Wilson @ellieokwilson]

My rapist’s defence lawyer tried to break me down and put me in my place. Well, he didn’t succeed. Today I spoke on Good Morning Britain about how I successfully took action against him, and brought changes to the justice system as a result. He messed with the wrong woman…

[BirthTrauma @BirthTrauma]

Some of the stories from the birth trauma report. https://t.co/zR8s54twGr

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Great support and signposting resource from @ysj_cc

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Further evidence of the powerful impact of Sophie's work. This is wonderful to read!

[The Flying Child (CIC) @TheFlyingChild]

This is some of the feedback we’ve received from counsellors/students for our training last week.

100 percent of people said that the presentation has made them reflect on their personal responses to the subject of CSA.

100 percent would recommend our training to a colleague.

Celebrations at The Flying Child headquarters today 🥳

#CSA #TheFlyingChildProject @PennSmith27

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Lovely feedback from one of our PGDip students. Wonderful to hear the impact of Sophie's work. @YorkStJohn @ysjschoolofelp @TheFlyingChild

[The Flying Child (CIC) @TheFlyingChild]

Thank you for this amazing feedback Holly. 🙏🏼🌸

I really loved delivering this session with my co-trainer Jasmine!

#counselling #trauma #CSA

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

@TheFlyingChild @YorkStJohn @ysjschoolofelp You're very welcome. That's great news about the students!

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

Thank u for sharing your story with our students. Your work is so important & impactful. It doesn't stop with us; the ripples continue and have the potential to reach many others.

See the person. Hear them. Always human first.

#TheFlyingChild @YorkStJohn @ysjschoolofelp

[The Flying Child (CIC) @TheFlyingChild]

Despite thinking I’d never say anything, for the shame.

Despite people turning away from signs of my distress, over and over again.

Despite being told to leave university and that I would never achieve anything in my life.

Despite suicide attempts spanning 25 yrs in total.

Despite being told my survival mechanisms were an indicator I had a chemical imbalance of the brain

Despite years of medication I didn’t need, diagnoses I now reject.

Despite being told I had a severe and enduring mental illness and would never live without community support.

Despite being told by a therapist “you shouldn’t look back - you’re an adult now, not a child”

Despite all of this, I survived. I am surviving.

Recovery is not a word that feels appropriate (for me), because it suggests there is an end point, and it’s not that simple.

CSA impacts me, how could it not? But, because I was lucky to cross paths with a therapist who had an understanding of trauma, - I’m living my life in the way I choose, and not drowning in trauma as I was for so many years.

Working today with 50 counselling students who will potentially cross paths with many CSA survivors like me, has been one of the highlights of my work so far.

I hope they remember my story and my parting message - to always look beyond the labels, to see the person, to hear them, and to be human first. Always human first.

#CSA #TheFlyingChildProject

[The Flying Child (CIC) @TheFlyingChild]

In York today with humanistic counselling students.
I’m thrilled to have Jasmine with me - she is presenting from the perspective of both CSA survivor and counsellor, and our panel discussion with tutors will include exploring personal attitudes towards suicidal ideation, self-disclosure and the pathologising of #CSA trauma responses.

#TheFlyingChildProject

[Dr Penn Smith @PennSmith27]

@HAnnMSutherland @davidgauntlett Love this!

[The Baton of Hope @TheBatonofHope]

Let's be committed to not saying "committed".

Suicide has not been a crime in the UK since 1961. When we use terms like "committed suicide", we make the issue more difficult to talk about and prolong the pain for the person's loved ones.

What should you say instead? Read on...