Clapham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Clapham
If something that happened, recently or years ago, still reaches into your days in Clapham through nightmares, jumpiness, numbness or constant watchfulness, trauma counselling by secure video lets you work on it from a room you choose. You decide what we talk about and how quickly we go. You never have to describe the worst of it in order to begin.
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 Clapham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Clapham by car
- About 84 minutes with clear roads (50.0 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Clapham High Street, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Lambeth Talking Therapies, 020 3228 6747
- 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.
An old alarm in a crowded part of London
You may be carrying something into Clapham from somewhere else: a childhood home that never felt safe, an assault, a crash, a sudden death, or an experience in another country that nobody here knows about.
A district where few people knew you before can feel like a relief, and also like there's no one to tell. Meanwhile ordinary city life keeps nudging the alarm. A siren, a crowd surging towards the doors, a raised voice in the street or someone walking too close behind you after dark can set your heart going before you know why. You might sleep lightly, avoid certain routes, feel cut off from people you love, or keep so busy that nothing has room to surface. These reactions are your mind and body trying to protect you. They say nothing bad about who you are, and they are worth getting help with.
Feeling safer now, before going anywhere near the past
We start with the present. Early sessions are about steadiness: noticing the first signs that you're being pulled back into what happened, and finding what brings you back to now, such as the weight of your feet on the floor or the sounds of the room around you. Because we meet by video, we agree in advance how each session will close and what comes straight after, so a hard hour doesn't end with you stepping straight into a shared kitchen or out to a busy platform. Only when you're ready do we approach the memory itself, a little at a time, and you choose what to say. The Rewind Technique is one approach that can work with a frightening memory without you having to put every detail into words. We also come to understand the reactions that freeze you, flood you or keep you scanning for danger, without judging any of them. Nothing is forced, and you can call a pause whenever you need one, staying there until you're ready.
How trauma can surface in a Clapham life
Bereaved by a suicide
A death by suicide can leave a shock that is hard to set down. South East London Suicide Bereavement Support, run by SEL Mind with South London and Maudsley, offers specialist help.
Startled in the crowd
A packed platform at Clapham Junction or a full Northern line carriage can set off an alarm that first learned to fire somewhere else entirely.
Something from before London
If you came to Clapham from Australia or anywhere else, what happened back there can feel impossible to explain to people who only know the person you are now.
When it gets too much to manage
If flashbacks or fear are overwhelming day-to-day life, Lambeth residents can be connected with adult NHS mental health services through Lambeth Single Point of Access.
Free and low-cost support for Clapham
If fear or low mood has lingered after something frightening, Lambeth Talking Therapies accepts self-referrals from Lambeth addresses. Lambeth Single Point of Access is the route into fuller adult mental health care, and South East London Mind runs Lambeth services. On the Wandsworth side of the Common, your GP can say which services apply. Working with me privately doesn't stop you using any of them.
- Free NHS talking therapyLambeth Talking Therapies020 3228 6747Free 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 itLambeth Drug and Alcohol Service020 3228 1500Free and confidential.
- Local organisationSouth East London Suicide Bereavement Support (SEL Mind with South London and Maudsley)
- Local organisationThe Awareness Centre (TAC Clapham)Low-cost or fee-paying.
- Local organisationCruse Bereavement Support, LambethBereavement support.
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
Private counselling with me can run alongside any of these; you do not have to choose one or the other.
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 Text Service (SLaM) is another option: WhatsApp 0303 330 1511 or text 80991.
What people in Clapham ask before starting
Is there free NHS trauma support in Clapham?
For Lambeth residents, Lambeth Talking Therapies takes self-referrals on 020 3228 6747 when fear, flashbacks or low mood linger after something frightening. Where the effects are more severe, Lambeth Single Point of Access can open the door to specialist adult mental health care. On the Wandsworth side of Clapham, ask your GP which service covers you. None of them rules out seeing me privately at the same time.
Will trauma counselling mean going over what happened in detail?
No. On the free call you can just say that something happened, without saying what. The first stage is about feeling steadier in the present, and later there are ways of working with a memory that keep the details private to you. You can change the subject or call a halt whenever you like, and leaving a question unanswered is always allowed.
I share a flat in Clapham. Is it safe to do trauma work by video there?
It can be, with some planning. Before we start we'd think about privacy, who else might be home, whether you could be overheard, and what you'd like within reach. We'd also plan how you'll come down after each session, so you're not walking straight into a busy kitchen. If home itself doesn't feel safe, tell me early, and see the domestic abuse number on this page.
How quickly could trauma counselling from Clapham begin?
You won't need a referral, and there's no waiting list to get past before that first call. On the free 15-minute call you'll hear straight away whether I have a regular weekly time, and when. You don't need to explain what happened on that call. If it feels right, we agree a first session at a time with some quiet space after it, not squeezed between work and the commute.
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.
Begin when you're ready, at your own pace
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.