Intrusive memories
Support for flashbacks, nightmares and re-experiencing.
Online Trauma Counselling · Exeter
Online Trauma Counselling in Exeter
Online trauma counselling for Exeter, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay to the streets around the university, 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 Exeter
Trauma Counselling for Exeter, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Exeter: from the cathedral quarter and the quay to St Thomas, Heavitree and Pinhoe
- Known for
- The cathedral, the quay and the university
- Region
- South West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- TALKWORKS, Devon's NHS Talking Therapies service
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Exeter
Why do people in Exeter reach out?
Trauma often shows up long after the event, inside a life that otherwise looks in order. A childhood nobody ever named, an assault, a difficult birth, a crash on a narrow lane. In Exeter the surface is calm and well-mannered, and that can make an old, unspoken thing feel even more out of place. Emergency hospital admissions for self-harm here ran at 159 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 117 per 100,000, which sits oddly against the city's composed reputation and is worth knowing regardless. The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital sees a portion of that. The rest is carried at home, quietly, sometimes for years on end.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Exeter
St ThomasHeavitreePinhoeSt LeonardsExwickWhiptonAlphingtonWonfordTopsham
Wherever you are in Exeter, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Exeter
Official figures for Exeter, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 159 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 117 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm (2023/24).
Reviewed June 2026.
What does trauma counselling involve?
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.
What actually happens in the room is the same everywhere, so it is written up once: see trauma counselling in detail for the methods, the practical side for fees and session lengths, and qualifications, registration and ethics if you want to check who you would be working with.
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.
The work is done online, by secure video, from Hove. There is no room in this city, and for trauma that generally helps rather than hinders. You choose the space, you choose what the camera includes, and you can end a session yourself at any moment, which puts control back where it belongs. Nobody has to drive anywhere afterwards while still shaken, which matters more than people expect. The camera can stay off for as long as you need.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What sort of things do people bring?
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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter come for trauma counselling
None of this work depends on you recounting what happened. That is the part people most need to hear, because the fear of being made to describe it is what stops most from ever starting. The pace is entirely yours. We begin in the present: what your sleep does, what makes you jump, what you swerve around without having decided to, and where you already feel a fraction steadier. The Human Givens Rewind Technique allows the memory to be processed without being spoken aloud, and we arrive there only after the ground beneath is firm. Stopping is always available and is never counted as a step backwards. TALKWORKS, Devon's NHS Talking Therapies service, accepts self-referrals in England and can assess trauma and route it onwards, and where symptoms are severe your GP should be involved as well. Devon Mind is there for steadier day-to-day support.
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 Exeter
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Exeter, you can refer yourself directly to TALKWORKS, Devon's 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.
Exeter questions
Online Trauma Counselling in Exeter: common questions
Am I going to be asked for the details of what happened?
No. The Human Givens Rewind Technique is used precisely so that the memory can be dealt with without a description of it. You give as little as you wish, and often a single word for the event is plenty. Nothing is drawn out of you by encouragement or by silence.
Self-harm admissions in Exeter are 159 per 100,000, above the England average. What should I do with that?
Take it as context for 2023/24, set against an England average of 117 per 100,000, and nothing more personal than that. If you are harming yourself, tell your GP, and Samaritans will take a call at any hour. Counselling then runs alongside that care rather than in place of it.
Can TALKWORKS help with trauma, or is it only for anxiety and depression?
It assesses trauma and routes trauma-focused work as well. Self-referral in England means no GP letter is needed to begin. Where symptoms are severe, or safety is affected, speak to your GP at the same time. Private sessions can run alongside while an NHS appointment is arranged.
I live in a village outside Exeter and driving in is impossible. Does trauma work really translate to video?
It does, and for rural parts of the county it is often the only realistic option. Nothing about the Rewind Technique requires sharing a room. What matters far more is feeling safe where you are sitting, and home usually beats an unfamiliar building reached after an hour on the roads.
How long might this take, and what are the fees?
A single, clearly bounded event often needs fewer sessions than expected; years of something needs more, and nothing is sold as a package. An hour costs £80, ninety minutes £100 and two hours £120. The free 15-minute consultation is the place to ask what your own situation may need.
I'm a student at Exeter carrying something difficult. Can we meet online privately?
Yes. Online sessions fit around lectures and can be taken from your accommodation, at a pace you set and never rushed. Trauma work moves only as fast as you want. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove.
How do I start trauma counselling online from Exeter?
Trauma counselling for Exeter is provided online, so support is not delayed by long rural journeys. After a free 15-minute consultation we agree a gentle pace, and secure video sessions can usually begin within a week or so. The consulting room is in Hove; Exeter is served by video.
What are the fees for trauma counselling, and how does the NHS compare in Exeter?
NHS trauma support in Exeter comes through TALKWORKS 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 Exeter clients have evening times?
For trauma, many Exeter clients prefer staying in a familiar, private room rather than travelling. 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 on the Sussex coast.
Online Trauma Counselling in Exeter, 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: Plymouth, Torquay, Taunton. See all of South West.
Close to this in Exeter, there is anxiety counselling, addiction counselling and psychotherapy.
For anyone near the coast, the same trauma counselling runs in person in Brighton. Every area covered is listed separately.