My Story

Dr Pennie Blackburn is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with 20+ years experience from the UK domestic and international humanitarian sector, in which she developed a number of innovative services where access to professional help is not available, or at best very limited. She is passionate about access to high quality Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for all.

Pennie is a skilled practitioner, consultant, supervisor and trainer and strives to support excellence through capacity building and service development. Pennie is particularly drawn to narrative ways of working and is interested in the ways that services can be shaped and informed by the lived experience of the people they serve.

As the daughter of a Master Mariner she has ships and the sea in her DNA. Tailoring evidence-based practice for the maritime context; Pennie authored the ISWAN series of Good Mental Health Guides 'Psychological Wellbeing at Sea' and 'Managing Stress and Sleeping Well at Sea' and co-authored 'Steps to Positive Mental Health'. Pennie has developed and facilitated trainings for Shipping Companies and crew in Mental Health Awareness and Managing stress during COVID-19. Pennie is passionate about developing innovative solutions to promoting and supporting Good Mental Health in the maritime sector.

Pennie honed her specialist trauma intervention skills during 7 years in the refugee service at the Traumatic Stress Clinic in London, before experience managing a mental health team for resettled refugees in New Zealand. Motivated by an awareness of the need for highly quality mental health and psychosocial support on the ground where people are displaced by war, political violence, torture and natural disaster; Pennie moved to the humanitarian sector; working with VSO, MSF and ICRC. Pennie was appointed a Psychosocial Expert on the UK government’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in 2012 and was subsequently deployed twice to Kosovo to train psychological therapists and community representatives to support survivors of conflict related sexual violence.

Recently, Pennie has been working independently; working to develop understanding and strategic development for good mental health in the maritime sector, supporting charitable organisations to develop their mental health and psychological wellbeing strategy and continues to maintain her professional interest in humanitarian MHPSS and individual therapeutic support.