Ashford, Surrey · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Ashford, Surrey
Something frightening can stay lodged long after it ends, showing up as broken sleep or a feeling of being permanently on guard. If you live in Ashford, trauma counselling with me takes place over secure video, and you decide how much you share and when. Nothing is booked until we've had a free 15-minute call.
If you are thinking about ending your life, call 999 or the Samaritans free on 116 123, day or night. More urgent help is on this page.
The practical facts for Ashford, Surrey
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Ashford, Surrey by car
- About 77 minutes with clear roads (64.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Ashford (Surrey), change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Mind Matters Surrey, 0300 330 5450
- Fees
- £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90, £120 for 120. The first 15-minute call is free.
- Registration
- BACP registered member, no. 109340 (check the register); UKCP student member in advanced psychotherapy training.
Trained to stay calm, then unable to switch off
Ashford has an NHS hospital on London Road and a women's prison, HMP Bronzefield, and Heathrow lies about 2.5 miles to the north.
In workplaces like these, staff are expected to stay steady when something goes badly wrong, and at the time they usually manage it. The cost can arrive later: one incident that keeps replaying on the way home, a flinch at a raised voice, sleep that won't come. Trauma isn't only about work, though. It might be an assault you have never told anyone about, a crash, the sudden loss of someone close, or a childhood spent reading moods and keeping quiet. Afterwards, ordinary moments can set off the old alarm: a siren outside, a door banging, a particular smell. You might go numb, keep busy every waking hour, avoid certain streets or feel permanently braced. Reactions like these began as protection, and careful, unhurried work aims to let them settle.
Steadiness first, the past only when you're ready
Trauma work goes no faster than your nervous system can bear, and you're the one who sets that speed. Early sessions stay in the present: learning to notice the first pull of a memory, and finding quick ways back to the room you're in, such as counting the blue things in view or breathing out for longer than you breathe in. Only when that feels dependable does what happened come into view, a small piece at a time, with a pause whenever you want one. A complete account is never required. Some of the approaches I use, such as the Rewind Technique, were designed to work with a frightening memory without asking you to narrate it. If your job involves emergencies, we make sure a session doesn't turn into another debrief: we stay with your own reaction and leave the procedure you followed to one side. On video, we plan the ending of every session in advance, keeping the final minutes for settling, and agree what you'll do straight afterwards, so you don't go from a hard memory into a night shift. If an NHS team is already involved in your care for this, letting them know about our sessions keeps everyone working together. If the danger is still present, especially from someone you live with, please put your safety first and use the domestic abuse contacts further down.
How old fear can surface in an Ashford life
The incident that won't fade
Work near the airport, at Ashford Hospital or at HMP Bronzefield can involve moments others never see. When one keeps replaying long after the shift, your reaction deserves care too.
Grief after a sudden death
A shocking loss can bring fear and intrusive images as well as sorrow. Cruse Bereavement Support's national helpline is there for that, alongside our sessions.
Evenings when memories crowd in
Surrey's evening Safe Haven drop-ins are in towns such as Woking and Guildford, so from Ashford the online Safe Haven may be easier to reach.
Anxious or low since it happened
If dread or low mood began after a frightening event, Mind Matters Surrey can help free of charge, and you can refer yourself, alongside our sessions or instead of them.
Free and low-cost support for Ashford
For specialist trauma or sexual violence support, your GP can tell you what the county offers. Mind Matters Surrey accepts referrals straight from you, with no GP letter, if worry or low mood started after the event. The Grange Day Centre in Fordbridge Park, run by Spelthorne Mental Health Association, offers daytime support through a professional referral. Our sessions can sit alongside either.
- Free NHS talking therapyMind Matters Surrey0300 330 5450Free NHS talking therapy for anxiety, low mood and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You can refer yourself, with no GP referral needed.
- If drinking or drug use is part of iti-access0300 222 5932Free and confidential.
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
If someone at home is hurting, threatening or controlling you, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 2000 247.
If you have experienced rape or sexual abuse, at any time in your life, the Rape Crisis 24/7 Support Line is free on 0808 500 2222 for anyone aged 16 or over in England and Wales.
If you need urgent help now
If you need help right now, please don't wait for a session.
Locally, the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT Mental Health Crisis Helpline is on 0800 915 4644.
What people in Ashford, Surrey ask before starting
I work somewhere in Ashford where emergencies happen. Can counselling help with one incident that won't leave me?
It's something we can work on. A single event can stay vivid for months, especially when you were expected to carry on as normal straight afterwards. We'd begin by steadying how your body reacts when it comes back, then, if you choose, work on the memory itself without you having to describe it in full. Sessions can be timed around your shifts so you aren't going straight back in afterwards.
Is there free trauma support in Spelthorne?
I haven't confirmed a dedicated trauma service in Spelthorne itself. Mind Matters Surrey provides NHS Talking Therapies at no cost and accepts calls directly on 0300 330 5450 when anxiety or low mood followed the event. After a sudden death, Cruse Bereavement Support runs a Surrey North Area service. If domestic abuse is involved, the domestic abuse helpline listed above these questions answers free, day and night.
Is trauma counselling by video at home in Ashford safe, or should I travel to Hove?
Usually home works, with some planning. Somewhere familiar can feel safer than a new room, and it spares you a 77-minute drive back afterwards. We agree how each session ends and what you'll do next, and you can keep something comforting nearby. If you could be overheard, or someone at home frightens you, tell me first so we can plan differently.
How soon can I start trauma counselling, and what if I panic during a session?
Arrange the free 15-minute call whenever it feels possible; telling me that something happened is enough. I'll be candid about how soon a weekly time could open. If panic rises during a session, we stop and steady things together before going on, or we end there for the day. You can pause or slow down at any point, and nothing is pushed.
How much do sessions cost, and is the first call free?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, the same in person in Hove or by video. The first 15-minute call is free, with no obligation to book. There is no NHS referral needed to see me privately.
A first call where you set the limits
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.