Intrusive memories
Support for flashbacks, nightmares and re-experiencing.
Online Trauma Counselling · Cheltenham
Online Trauma Counselling in Cheltenham
Online trauma counselling for Cheltenham, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Cheltenham, from the Promenade and Montpellier to the streets around the Pittville Pump Room, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Cheltenham
Trauma Counselling for Cheltenham, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Cheltenham: from the Promenade and Montpellier to Pittville, Charlton Kings and Hesters Way
- Known for
- The Promenade, the Pittville Pump Room and the racecourse
- Region
- South West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- Let's Talk, the Gloucestershire NHS Talking Therapies service
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Cheltenham
What is going on for people in Cheltenham?
Trauma keeps well in a town that avoids difficult conversations. Something from years ago can sit untouched behind a perfectly ordinary life in Prestbury or Fairview, showing itself instead as broken sleep, a short fuse, or an unexplained reluctance to be in certain places. The self-harm picture here is lower than the national one, with emergency admissions at 92.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24 against an England average of 117 per 100,000, which describes a population and says nothing about the weight one person is carrying. Cheltenham's habit of composure is a real strength and also a very effective lid. Plenty of people who live perfectly well here have never said any of it out loud.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Cheltenham
MontpellierPittvilleCharlton KingsHesters WayLeckhamptonThe SuffolksPrestburyBenhallFairviewLansdown
Wherever you are in Cheltenham, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Cheltenham
Official figures for Cheltenham, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 92.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 117 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm (2023/24).
Reviewed June 2026.
What is trauma counselling, in practice?
Trauma counselling here is gentle and led by you, drawing on methods designed for trauma including the Human Givens Rewind Technique, so a difficult memory is returned to ordinary recall.
The approach does not change with the postcode, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods and what each session covers, on the main trauma counselling page, alongside session lengths and fees and my credentials and registration.
How do online sessions actually work?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
This is online work by secure video, from Hove, and there is no room in this town. For trauma that arrangement is often better than a local one. You stay somewhere your body already reads as safe, you decide what is visible on screen, and ending the call is entirely in your hands. In a town where you might easily know the person in the next chair, having no waiting room at all removes a real worry before the work even begins.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can trauma counselling in Cheltenham help with?
Hypervigilance
Help when your nervous system is stuck on high alert.
Numbness and avoidance
For when you cope by shutting down.
Trauma behind addiction
Healing the wound that drives the habit.
Sub-threshold trauma
Reaching the quieter, accumulated hurts.
Feeling safe again
Working always at a pace that is led by you.
Trauma Counselling in Cheltenham
Why people in Cheltenham come for trauma counselling
The first thing to say is that retelling is not required. This work is paced, client-led and begins nowhere near the event itself. We look first at how things are now: sleep, startle, irritability, what you have started avoiding, and whatever already takes the edge off. The Human Givens Rewind Technique is the main tool, and it is designed so a memory can be processed without you narrating it aloud, which is why someone who has kept something private for decades can still do this properly. We approach the memory only when the ground under it feels solid, and only at your pace. Saying stop is treated as good sense. Let's Talk, the Gloucestershire NHS Talking Therapies service, takes self-referrals in England and can assess and route trauma-focused help, and a severe picture warrants a conversation with your GP as well.
A free, unhurried first step
Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.
Book a free 15-minute callFinding support in Cheltenham
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Cheltenham, you can refer yourself directly to Let's Talk, the Gloucestershire NHS Talking Therapies service for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.
Private sessions with me usually mean you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout; I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.
Other local and national support verified for this area includes:
If you need urgent help now
This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Cheltenham questions
Online Trauma Counselling in Cheltenham: common questions
Do I have to go through what happened before anything can change?
No. The Human Givens Rewind Technique was developed so that a memory can be worked with rather than described. Some people never say more than a few words about it. The change comes from how the memory is processed, not from how much detail you can bring yourself to hand over.
Self-harm admissions here are 92.2 per 100,000, below the England average. Does that mean less help locally?
The two are not connected. That rate is for 2023/24, against an England average of 117 per 100,000, and it describes hospital admissions rather than the availability of support. Let's Talk takes self-referrals across the county. If you are hurting yourself now, your GP should know, and Samaritans answer overnight.
Can Let's Talk deal with trauma, or only anxiety and depression?
It assesses and routes trauma-focused work too. Self-referral in England means you can approach it without your GP writing first. Where symptoms are severe, or sleep and safety have deteriorated, involving your GP alongside makes sense. Private sessions can run in parallel while you wait for an appointment.
This is a small town and I would rather nobody knew. How confidential is it in practice?
Entirely, within the limits explained at the outset under the BACP Ethical Framework. There is no local premises, no receptionist and no appointment card in your bag. Nothing goes to your GP unless you ask for it, and there is no record of you sitting in any waiting room in Gloucestershire.
What does it cost, and how long does this kind of work usually run?
Sixty minutes costs £80, ninety minutes £100 and two hours £120, with a free 15-minute consultation before anything is arranged. Length depends on whether we are dealing with a single incident or something long-running, and we review it openly as we go rather than selling you a block.
I keep up a composed front but something from my past won't leave me. Can counselling help?
Yes. Carrying difficult memories behind appearances is wearing, and there is relief in working through them gently and privately, at your own pace. Sessions are held online by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove.
How do I start trauma counselling online from Cheltenham?
Trauma counselling for Cheltenham is provided online, so support is not delayed by finding a discreet local room. After a free 15-minute consultation we agree a gentle pace, and secure video sessions can usually begin within a week. The consulting room is in Hove; Cheltenham is served by video.
What are the fees for trauma counselling, and how does the NHS compare in Cheltenham?
NHS trauma support in Cheltenham comes through Let's Talk and is free, though the wait can be difficult. Privately, I charge £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, with a free 15-minute consultation. The longer sessions often suit careful trauma work.
Is online right for trauma, and can Cheltenham clients have evening times?
For trauma, many Cheltenham clients prefer the privacy of online sessions, with no waiting room and full confidentiality. We work by secure video at a pace you set, with evening slots where possible. In-person appointments are only for those able to reach Hove.
Online Trauma Counselling in Cheltenham, whenever you are ready
A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.
Also available online across South West: Gloucester, Worcester. See all of South West.
People who come for trauma counselling in Cheltenham often also look at anxiety counselling, addiction counselling and psychotherapy.
Within reach of Sussex? trauma counselling is offered in the room in Hove, where the room is as well as online; see the full list of areas.