Dr. Penny Brower, LCPC

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Narrative-focused counselor helping people reshape their stories

Details

Name	Dr. Penny Brower
Credentials	LCPC
Based in	Illinois
Licensed in	Illinois
Session format	Online
Languages	English
Years in practice	34

About Penny

Dr. Penny Brower is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with 34 years of experience. She uses Narrative therapy as a central way to help people understand the stories that shape their choices and feelings.

Dr. Brower aims to make therapy practical and collaborative so people can make clearer decisions about their next steps. She connects narrative work with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral ideas to help people notice patterns and try different ways of responding.

Background and approach

Sessions focus on identifying the moments when thoughts, relationships, or events push someone off course. Then she helps build simple, workable skills to move forward in a manner that fits the person's values. Penny has worked in a range of settings including in-home therapy, community mental health centers, independent practice, and with the Air National Guard.

That variety shaped her focus on resilience, real-world strategies, and reducing stigma around getting help. Her background includes program development aimed at lowering suicide risk and supporting functioning under stress. People come to her for stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, depression, ADHD, grief, trauma, addictions, LGBT concerns, intimacy issues, anger, and life transitions.

She also addresses attachment and family of origin issues, codependency, communication problems, and feelings of emptiness or isolation. Dr. Brower emphasizes a working partnership.

She welcomes feedback about what helps and what does not. Together with each person she adapts methods so the work fits their life and goals.

What this therapist works with

Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Relationship issues, Self esteem among the things Penny works with, alongside the areas below.

Approaches listed

Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Gottman Method: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Internal Family Systems: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Systemic Therapy: Listed by Penny among the ways she works.
Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Penny directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.

Narrative Therapy in this listing

Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.

If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Penny directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.

Online session options

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Dr. Brower draws on Narrative therapy to help people examine the stories they tell about themselves and their relationships, and to open up new possibilities for action and meaning. Narrative work is useful when someone wants to understand how past events shape present choices and to try a different storyline.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which focuses on noticing thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then taking steps aligned with what matters most. ACT can help with anxiety, depression, and making values-based changes. Attachment-Based Therapy informs her attention to how early relationships influence current patterns, which can be especially helpful for relationship and intimacy concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. She treats the first sessions as a chance to learn what matters to the person and to decide, collaboratively, which methods to emphasize. That means adjusting methods over time based on goals and what proves helpful.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility: video calls let people see each other and use visual cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera, and live chat or text-based messaging can suit brief check-ins or when writing feels easier than talking. These options make it simpler to fit sessions into work, caregiving, or busy schedules while keeping the same therapeutic focus.

Common questions about this listing

What kinds of concerns does she address?

She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, trauma, addictions, ADHD, and LGBT concerns, among others listed in her specialties.

What is her therapeutic style like?

She uses Narrative-informed work alongside ACT and CBT ideas and focuses on listening to each person's story and trying practical steps that match their values.

How much experience does she have?

She has 34 years of clinical experience working across in-home services, community mental health centers, independent practice, and programs with the Air National Guard.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with an Illinois LCPC credential and practices from Illinois.

In which languages are sessions offered?

Sessions are offered in English only and she is not accepting international clients.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on client preference.

How is cost handled for sessions?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Contacting this therapist

Sessions with Penny are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Penny where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.

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