Camberley · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Camberley
If something frightening still replays for you in Camberley, whether it happened in service, at work or at home, I offer trauma counselling by secure video. You decide how fast we go and how much you say, and you can join from a place where you feel safe. We'd start with a free, no-commitment call of 15 minutes.
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 Camberley
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Camberley by car
- About 84 minutes with clear roads (68.6 miles); longer at busy times.
- 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.
When others had it worse, and it still hurts
In a military town, there can be an unspoken scale for what counts as hard.
If you've served, or live alongside people who have, it is easy to tell yourself that what happened to you wasn't bad enough to matter, because someone else's was worse, while your body goes on reacting to it anyway. It might be a road collision on the way home, a frightening birth, an emergency you dealt with at work at Frimley Park Hospital, an assault, a sudden death, or a childhood that never felt safe. Afterwards the body can keep sounding an alarm long after the danger has passed: jumping when a door slams, sleeping lightly, avoiding a road or a smell, going numb when people expect a reaction. Reactions like these are the nervous system trying to protect you, and they say nothing about how tough you are.
Grounding first, with the pace in your hands
Trauma counselling with me follows your lead. Before we go near any memory, we build ways of staying grounded: spotting the first signs that you're being pulled back, and having quick, practical ways to return to the room you're in. Only when those feel reliable do we turn towards what happened, in small pieces, and you can stop at any point. You never have to give a full account. The Rewind Technique, which I use, allows a memory to be worked with while the details stay with you, which can be a relief if you've already had to go over it in detail for someone else. Working by video needs some planning, because when a session ends you're already in your own kitchen, with no time on the road to come back to yourself. We agree how each session will close, and what you'll do in the hour afterwards. Where home includes someone you're afraid of, video from there isn't safe, and the domestic abuse line on this page is a better first call. If you're under NHS care already, our sessions can sit alongside it.
Four places a frightening memory can surface
Not bad enough to count
Living in a military town can make your own experience seem minor beside someone else's. Your reactions deserve attention whatever other people went through.
What you saw at work
Staff at Frimley Park Hospital can carry one emergency long after the shift ends. Attending to your own reaction is part of staying well enough to keep doing the job.
A death without warning
A sudden loss can leave shock as well as grief. Cruse Bereavement Support has a South West Surrey service and a national helpline, and either can sit beside our sessions.
Evenings when it returns
On a hard evening, The Hope Hub, a local charity, runs a crisis drop-in, and the Surrey and Borders Safe Havens at Aldershot and Woking welcome adults from 6pm to 11pm daily.
Free and low-cost support for Camberley
Where what happened has left anxiety or low mood behind, Mind Matters Surrey is free and you can contact it yourself. Cruse Bereavement Support helps after a sudden death, and The Hope Hub offers wellbeing support alongside its crisis drop-in. If it happened in service, or was sexual violence, your GP can help you find specialist support. Weekly sessions with me can sit next to any of them.
- 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 Camberley ask before starting
I live in Camberley and served in the forces, but I'm not sure what I went through counts. Can I still come?
Yes. There's no threshold an experience has to reach before it deserves attention, and comparing yours with what others faced can keep it locked away. On the free call it's enough to tell me something is still affecting you, without saying what. I'm a civilian counsellor with no link to the military, and we go at your pace.
Is there free trauma support for people living in Camberley?
When fear or low mood has settled in since, Mind Matters Surrey will take your call directly on 0300 330 5450, free of charge. Cruse Bereavement Support helps after a sudden death, and The Hope Hub is a local charity with a crisis drop-in. After service or sexual violence, your GP can point you to specialist help.
Would trauma work be better in person in Hove than on video from Camberley?
Usually not, given the distance. Camberley is about 84 minutes from the room by car, and a long drive straight after a demanding session can leave you shaken at the wheel. On video we plan how each session will close so you aren't left stirred up at home. Should you want one meeting face to face, a 120-minute session in Hove leaves time to settle before setting off.
How soon could I start, and what if things feel worse between sessions?
A short free call of 15 minutes is the first step, and I'll be honest then about how soon a weekly time could open up. Early sessions focus on steadiness, so you have things to try if memories surge. If it ever becomes too much, the Surrey and Borders crisis line on 0800 915 4644 never closes, Samaritans are on 116 123, and in immediate danger call 999.
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 where it feels safe to start
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.