Bromley · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Bromley
If something frightening, recent or long past, still breaks into your days in Bromley, I offer trauma counselling by secure video. Nothing is rushed, and you won't be asked for details you'd rather keep. The early work is about feeling steadier, and what happened can wait until you choose to approach it. The one room I use is in Hove, some 75 minutes away by car.
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 Bromley
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Bromley by car
- About 75 minutes with clear roads (50.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Bromley South, change at London Victoria for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Bromley Talking Therapies, 0300 003 3000
- 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.
When a frightening event follows you round town
You might have been on the platform at Bromley South when something happened that you still can't put out of your mind.
A late walk home from the station, if you were attacked or followed, can leave a familiar road feeling hostile for years. Time on a hospital ward, through an emergency, a hard birth or long days beside someone very ill, can leave fear behind once the medical part is over. For some people there was no single event, only a whole childhood spent on edge. The signs are often physical before they're anything else: startling at a slammed door, going blank halfway through a conversation, lying awake on high alert, or needing to get out of a crowded shop in The Glades at once. Your body is trying to keep you safe, and those reactions can be met gently.
How the work is paced, and who sets the pace
You lead this work, and that isn't a formality. The first sessions build a sense of footing: learning to notice when you're being pulled back into the past, and finding what brings you back to the room you're actually in, such as the weight of your feet, a slow out-breath, or naming three things you can see. Only when that feels reliable do we approach what happened, and even then in small pieces you choose. The Rewind Technique is one way of working with a memory without describing it aloud, if keeping the details private matters to you. Because you'll be at home when a session ends, we agree how each one will wind down and what you'll do in the hour afterwards, so you aren't left shaken with nowhere to put it. If an NHS team is already involved in your care, our sessions can sit alongside theirs. If you're afraid of someone you live with, home may not be a safe place for video sessions, and the domestic abuse helpline shown on this page is a better first call.
Where trauma can surface in Bromley life
Hospital memories from Farnborough Common
An emergency admission, a frightening birth or days at a bedside in the Princess Royal University Hospital can stay in the body long after everyone else has moved on.
Driving feels unsafe now
If a crash has left you tense behind the wheel, the 75-minute drive to Hove needn't be part of this. Sessions run by video, and getting back to driving can become a goal when you're ready.
A death that came as a shock
When someone died suddenly or in frightening circumstances, shock can sit underneath the grief. Cruse Bereavement Support's Bexley and Bromley branch can help with the loss alongside our work.
When your child was affected too
If your son or daughter went through the same frightening event, Bromley Y supports young people's emotional wellbeing and works with their parents as well.
Free and low-cost support for Bromley
Free routes in Bromley can sit beside private trauma work. Oxleas and South East London Mind jointly run the Bromley Mental Health Hub, a single way in for residents aged 18 to 64 that directs people to the services best suited to their needs. If anxiety or low mood has followed what happened, NHS Bromley Talking Therapies takes self-referrals. When a memory floods back late at night, Bromley and Orpington Samaritans will listen.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Bromley Talking Therapies0300 003 3000Free 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 itChange Grow Live (CGL) Bromley Drug and Alcohol Service020 8289 1999Free and confidential.
- Local organisationAccessible Counselling and Therapy (ACT)Low-cost or fee-paying.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis WhatsApp Service () is another option: WhatsApp 0303 330 1511.
What people in Bromley ask before starting
I'm in Bromley and dread retelling it. Does trauma counselling mean going through the details?
No. On the free call you only need to say that something happened, and even that can wait. The early sessions are about steadiness, and later there are ways of working with a memory that don't require you to describe it aloud. You decide what you share and when, and you can slow down or stop at any point.
Where can I get free help after something traumatic in Bromley?
If you're aged 18 to 64, the Bromley Mental Health Hub is one front door to NHS and Mind mental health support. If anxiety or low mood followed the event, NHS Bromley Talking Therapies takes self-referrals on 0300 003 3000. After a sudden death, Cruse Bereavement Support has a Bexley and Bromley branch. Any of these can run alongside private sessions.
Would I ever need to come to Hove for trauma counselling from Bromley?
No. With Hove about 75 minutes away, the work runs by secure video, and nothing about it depends on meeting in person. If one day you'd like to, we'd plan the visit so you aren't driving yourself home straight after a hard session. Until then, the place you join from is your choice, as long as it feels private and safe.
Can I start trauma counselling from Bromley while I'm on an NHS waiting list?
Yes. If you're waiting to hear from the Bromley Mental Health Hub or NHS Bromley Talking Therapies, private sessions can begin in the meantime, and it's sensible to let them know. How soon a regular weekly slot could begin is something we can settle when we speak on the free 15-minute call. If things get worse while you wait, the urgent help section just above these questions lists who to contact.
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.
Start with steadiness, at your own speed
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.