Intrusive memories
Support for flashbacks, nightmares and re-experiencing.
Online Trauma Counselling · Gateshead
Online Trauma Counselling in Gateshead
Online trauma counselling for Gateshead, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Gateshead, from the Quays and the centre to the streets around the Angel of the North, 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 Gateshead
Trauma Counselling for Gateshead, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Gateshead: from the Quays and the centre to Low Fell, Felling and Dunston
- Known for
- The Angel of the North, the Sage and the Millennium Bridge
- Region
- Yorkshire & North East (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS Talking Therapies (find via the NHS finder)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Gateshead
Why people in Gateshead reach out
Gateshead sits across the Tyne from Newcastle, a town reshaped by industrial decline and by regeneration along its quays. Insecure work, money pressure and the contrast between landmark culture and hard-pressed neighbourhoods all shape the pressures people carry.
Gateshead rises on the south bank of the Tyne, facing Newcastle across a river spanned by the graceful, blinking Millennium Bridge. Its quayside has become a cultural landmark: the Baltic, a contemporary art gallery in a former flour mill, and the curved glass concert hall now known as The Glasshouse. On the high ground to the south stands Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, arms outstretched over the A1, one of the most recognised sculptures in the country. The huge MetroCentre and the Team Valley estate anchor retail and business to the west, while Saltwell Park's Victorian grounds give the town green space. Beyond, Low Fell, Whickham and Blaydon climb away towards the Durham countryside.
Where the old industries have gone and there is a strong culture of just getting on with things, online keeps support discreet and within reach however stretched the week.
Gateshead is served by Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust (the Queen Elizabeth Hospital) and is known for landmarks along its Tyne quayside, including the Angel of the North, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Gateshead
Low FellFellingDunstonBenshamSaltwellWhickhamBlaydonBirtleyWrekentonWinlaton
Wherever you are in Gateshead, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Gateshead
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Gateshead are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 182.8 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).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
The trauma counselling itself
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 is the same wherever you live, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods, what each session covers and fees, on the main trauma counselling page and on how I work.
How online sessions work
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop, no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.
I'm based in Hove, far to the south, and work with people in Gateshead online, by secure video, rather than in person. You meet from home in Low Fell, Dunston or wherever's quiet, with no need to cross the Tyne or travel to an appointment. We'd keep a steady weekly time that fits around work, shifts or family life.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online trauma counselling in Gateshead can help
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 Gateshead
Why people in Gateshead come for trauma counselling
Trauma can keep your nervous system on alert long after the danger has passed, poor sleep, a quick startle, flashbacks, however capably you carry on around it. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, working with people across Gateshead by secure video rather than in person. Trauma work is slow and led by you: we build a foundation of safety and grounding first, and only turn towards the difficult material when it feels safe. Meeting from your own familiar space, up in Low Fell or Whickham or wherever you feel unseen, can itself help that steadiness.
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 Gateshead
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Gateshead, you can refer yourself directly to NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression, with no GP referral needed. You can find support through the NHS Talking Therapies finder.
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.
Gateshead questions
Online Trauma Counselling in Gateshead: common questions
Can I get online trauma counselling if I live in Gateshead?
Yes. I work with people right across Gateshead, from the Quays and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in Yorkshire & North East, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.
Do I have to describe what happened in detail?
No. Methods like the Human Givens Rewind let us process a memory without you reliving it or even speaking the detail aloud.
Is it safe to do trauma work online?
Yes, when it is paced carefully. We go slowly, keep you grounded, and you stay in control of what we approach and when.
What if I get overwhelmed during a session?
We build in ways to settle and pause, and never move faster than feels safe. Being in your own space online can make that easier.
Is it safe to do trauma work over video?
It can be. We move at your pace and keep grounding techniques to hand, and being in your own space often helps you feel more in control. If additional in-person support were ever needed, I'd help you find suitable local options alongside our work.
How soon can I start trauma counselling online in Gateshead?
We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, usually within a week, then a first video session at a gentle pace. Working from Hove across Gateshead means no waiting list and no crossing the Tyne when you're feeling raw; the session simply comes to you.
How much is trauma counselling, and why not use the NHS in Gateshead?
You can; Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gateshead and NHS talking therapies are free, though often with a wait. My fees are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for two hours. Longer sessions can suit trauma work, and privately you would start sooner and set the pace.
Is trauma work safe to do online instead of in person in Gateshead?
For many people, yes. Being in your own space in Gateshead, rather than an unfamiliar room across the river, can feel steadier. I work from Hove by secure video, and we can use 90-minute or evening sessions so there's time to settle and close gently.
Do you see people in person in Gateshead?
No. I work from Hove and see Gateshead clients by secure video call. Being at a distance makes no difference online, sessions come to you at home, which is often easier to fit around a working week than travelling across the river or into the town.
Is this an NHS or council service?
No, I'm an independent private counsellor, arranged directly with you. You're welcome to use local NHS talking therapies alongside or instead; I'm simply another option, available by secure video at a time that works around your week.
Online Trauma Counselling in Gateshead, 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 Yorkshire & North East: Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Durham. See all of Yorkshire & North East.
All counselling & therapy in Gateshead: Addiction · Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same trauma counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.