Intrusive memories
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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
What brings people in Plymouth to counselling?
Trauma has a particular presence in a city built around the sea and the service. Some of it is service-related. A good deal is not, and comes instead from a childhood, an accident, a hospital, or something that happened once and was never mentioned again. Emergency admissions for self-harm here ran at 112 per 100,000 in 2023/24, slightly below the England average of 117 per 100,000, and a number just under the line still stands for a great many people managing on their own. Around Stonehouse and Stoke, and out in Plymstock, there are people who have carried something for decades and never found a moment they felt able to raise it.
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
Official figures for Plymouth, for context rather than as a description of you.
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).
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 full trauma counselling page, alongside how I work and my BACP registration.
How does meeting by video work in practice?
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 online, by secure video, from Hove, and there is nothing in this city to travel to. Trauma work suits that better than most. You choose the room, you choose what appears on screen, and you can end a session at any point without explaining why. If you are posted away, or at sea for part of the year, sessions pick up where they left off rather than starting over. Headphones are usually all the privacy needed.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can trauma counselling in Plymouth 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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth come for trauma counselling
There is no requirement to tell the story, and that is not a technicality. This is paced work, led by you, and the Human Givens Rewind Technique is used precisely because it allows a memory to be processed without being described aloud. We start well back from the memory itself: what your sleep and startle response are doing, what you avoid, what makes an ordinary day harder than it ought to be, and what already steadies you a little. Only once that footing is solid do we approach the memory, and only at the pace you set. Stopping is always permitted. NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth, known as Plymouth Options, takes self-referrals in England and can assess and route trauma-focused work, and where symptoms are severe your GP should be involved. Devon Mind offers support locally alongside.
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
Do I have to go over what happened for this to work?
No. The Human Givens Rewind Technique processes a memory without it being narrated, which is the whole reason it is used. You decide what is said and how much. A single word for the event is frequently all that is needed for the work to be done properly.
Self-harm admissions here are 112 per 100,000, just under the England average. Does that matter?
Not to you personally. It is a 2023/24 rate for the local population, set against an England average of 117 per 100,000, and it describes hospital admissions rather than distress. If you are hurting yourself, tell your GP, and Samaritans can be reached at any hour of the night.
Can Plymouth Options handle trauma as well?
It assesses trauma and routes trauma-focused work accordingly. Self-referral in England means you do not need your GP to write first. Where symptoms are severe, or sleep and safety are badly affected, involving your GP alongside is sensible. Private sessions can carry on while an NHS appointment is arranged.
Some of what I carry is from my time in the service and I cannot discuss the details. Is that workable?
It is. This work does not depend on what happened, only on what it is still doing to you, and the Rewind Technique needs no account of the event itself. Anything you are not permitted or not ready to say simply stays unsaid, and the work goes on regardless.
How many sessions, and what will they cost?
It depends whether we are working with one incident or with something that ran for years, and nothing is booked in blocks. Sixty minutes is charged at £80, ninety at £100 and two hours at £120. We review the pace openly as we go, and the free 15-minute call is where to ask about your case.
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.
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.
People who come for trauma counselling in Plymouth often also look at 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.