Intrusive memories
Support for flashbacks, nightmares and re-experiencing.
Online Trauma Counselling · Plymouth
Online Trauma Counselling in Plymouth
Online trauma counselling for Plymouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe to the streets around the Sound, 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 Plymouth
Trauma Counselling for Plymouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Plymouth: from the Barbican and the Hoe to Devonport, Stonehouse and Mutley
- Known for
- Plymouth Hoe, the Barbican and the Sound
- Region
- South West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth (Plymouth Options)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth reach out
Plymouth is a proud ocean city and naval base set far out in the South West, and that remoteness cuts both ways. The forces presence brings deployments and frequent moves, the dockyard economy brings shift work and uncertainty, and the distance from other cities can leave people feeling isolated when times are hard.
Plymouth faces the sea and keeps working. Devonport's dockyard walls run for miles, and the naval base shapes the rhythm of the whole city, with families braced around deployments and postings that come and go. Sailors and dockyard workers share the Barbican's cobbled quay with fishing crews, while students from the university fill the streets above the Hoe. Out at Derriford the hospital never really stops. The city sits a long way down the line, with Dartmoor at its back and the Tamar marking the Cornish border, and that distance can feel like isolation when things are hard. The naval habit of getting on with it runs deep, so a confidential space to speak plainly can matter here.
With deep forces connections, deployments and frequent moves leave their mark; online counselling travels with you and stays consistent through postings.
Plymouth hosts the University of Plymouth and Devonport Royal Dockyard (operated by Babcock), the largest naval base in Western Europe; acute care is provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust at Derriford Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Plymouth
DevonportStonehouseMutleythe BarbicanPeverellMannameadPlymptonPlymstockSt BudeauxEffordStoke
Wherever you are in Plymouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Plymouth
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Plymouth are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 112 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).
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.
Plymouth sits at the far end of a long rail line, with GWR trains to Exeter, Bristol and London, the A38 running east, and ferries across the Tamar and out to France and Spain. That remoteness can make reaching support elsewhere a real undertaking. Secure online sessions close the distance completely, so we meet by video without anyone travelling. The consulting room is in Hove; Plymouth is served online, with in-person appointments only for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online trauma counselling in Plymouth 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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth come for trauma counselling
For many in and around Plymouth's naval community, difficult experiences are carried quietly, out of habit and out of duty. When something from the past keeps intruding, the plain, confidential space to work through it can be hard to find in a tightly connected city. Trauma counselling offers exactly that: a steady, private hour at a pace you set, with nothing needing to go through the base and no rush to explain. Sessions are held online by secure video wherever you are stationed or living; the consulting room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
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 Plymouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Plymouth, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth (Plymouth Options) 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.
Plymouth questions
Online Trauma Counselling in Plymouth: common questions
Can I get online trauma counselling if I live in Plymouth?
Yes. I work with people right across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe outwards, and anywhere else in South West, 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.
I'm connected to the naval base and need this kept private. Is that possible?
Yes. Sessions are held by secure video and are completely confidential, with nothing going through the base. Many forces families value that during postings and deployments. We meet online wherever you are; the counselling room is in Hove.
How do I begin trauma counselling online from Plymouth?
Trauma counselling for Plymouth is delivered online, so support is not held up by the long distance to services elsewhere. After a free 15-minute consultation we set a steady pace, and secure video sessions can usually begin within a week. The consulting room is in Hove.
What are the fees for trauma work, and how does the NHS compare in Plymouth?
NHS trauma support in Plymouth is free via the local Talking Therapies service, though waits can be hard. Privately, I charge £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, with a free 15-minute consultation. Longer sessions often suit trauma work, and forces families value the privacy.
For trauma, is online suitable, and can naval families in Plymouth stay private?
For trauma, many Plymouth clients, including those connected to Devonport, prefer the privacy of online sessions held from home. We work by secure video at your pace, nothing going through the base, with evening slots where possible. In-person is only for those able to reach Hove.
I'm serving with, or connected to, the naval base at Devonport. Can this stay private?
Yes. Sessions are held by secure video and are completely confidential, which many forces families value during deployments and postings. Nothing needs to go through the base. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet online wherever you are stationed.
Plymouth feels a long way from everywhere. Is that a problem for counselling?
Not at all. Because we meet online, the distance down the line makes no difference and there is no journey to make. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, so Plymouth is served by secure video rather than in person.
Online Trauma Counselling in Plymouth, 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: Exeter, Torquay. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Plymouth: 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.