Intrusive memories
Support for flashbacks, nightmares and re-experiencing.
Trauma Counselling · Ditchling
Trauma Counselling in Ditchling
Trauma Counselling for Ditchling and the surrounding area, in person or online. Ditchling is a beautiful Downs village beneath Ditchling Beacon, long associated with artists and craftspeople. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Ditchling
Trauma Counselling for Ditchling, at a glance
- Known for
- Ditchling Beacon, the village pond and the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft
- Area
- Lewes & Mid Sussex, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office.
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies
- Format
- In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.
Life in Ditchling
What is going on for people in Ditchling?
There is a version of village life that assumes nothing much happens, and it is not accurate. People living in Ditchling carry the same range of frightening experiences as anyone else: accidents, assaults, medical emergencies, things from childhood, a bereavement that arrived without warning. What differs is how well it can be concealed. In a place where you are known, keeping up appearances becomes almost automatic, and the effort of it is exhausting. Meanwhile sleep stays broken, small noises produce a jolt out of all proportion, and certain roads or dates in the year become quietly difficult without you ever explaining why to anybody.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Ditchling
The village crossroadsSouth StreetWest StreetEast End LaneLewes RoadBeacon RoadCommon Lane
Wherever you are in Ditchling, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Ditchling
Official figures for Ditchling, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 127.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 117 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm (2023/24).
Reviewed June 2026.
What actually happens in trauma counselling?
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 method travels; only the geography changes. the full trauma counselling page explains it properly, how I work, sessions and fees answers the practical questions, and professional standards and registration shows how the practice is held to account.
Where do we meet, and what happens?
Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.
Sessions take place in a private room in central Hove, twenty minutes or so from the village, or online by secure video. With trauma work the choice belongs firmly to you, because feeling in control of the arrangements is part of the treatment rather than a detail around it. Some people want a proper distance between the session and home. Others want to finish the hour and already be in their own kitchen.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What does trauma counselling 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 Ditchling
Why people in Ditchling come for trauma counselling
You will not be asked to tell the story. That is the part most people need to hear before they will make the first call. This work uses the Human Givens Rewind Technique alongside careful groundwork, and the technique deliberately does not depend on you describing the event aloud. The early sessions go towards stability: sleeping better, understanding why your body reacts as it does, and having a clear way to pause. Pace is set by you at every stage, and stopping is always allowed. When you are ready, the memory can be processed so that recalling it no longer sets off the whole alarm system. NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies offers a free route with trauma-focused options, and the Sussex Mental Healthline is there at any hour of the night. The self-harm admission rate for this part of West Sussex reached 127.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, higher than the England figure of 117 per 100,000.
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 Ditchling
My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Ditchling, you can refer yourself directly to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.
Seeing me privately usually means you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout, working at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and 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.
Ditchling questions
Trauma Counselling in Ditchling: common questions
Where do Ditchling sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Ditchling or blend the two.
Do I need to explain the details before you can help?
You do not. We need to know how it affects you now, not what happened, and the Rewind Technique works without a spoken account. Some people never describe the event at all and the work still does what it is meant to do. That choice stays with you throughout.
What will trauma counselling cost?
Sessions are £80 for an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation before you commit to anything. A longer appointment is sometimes worth it for this work, so there is unhurried time at the end before you drive home.
Is there NHS help for trauma in this part of Sussex?
NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies covers the area, takes self- referrals and includes trauma-focused therapy at no charge. Demand is steady across the county, where 24.5% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23 against an England average of 23.8%. Registering while working privately is a reasonable plan.
Can this be done over video from home?
It can, and it is a common choice for people out here. You need somewhere genuinely private, an hour that will not be interrupted, and a bit of space afterwards before the day resumes. We agree in advance how the session will close so nothing is left hanging.
I have never told anyone, not even my family. Where would I even begin?
You begin by saying that much and no more. Not having spoken about something for years is extremely common and does not make you a difficult case. The first session is about how you are now, and the amount you disclose stays under your control from the outset.
Can trauma counselling be discreet if I come from Ditchling?
Yes. My room sits over the Downs in central Hove, well away from the village, and you arrive straight to your session with no waiting room. Should you prefer not to travel, secure online sessions keep the work entirely private, always at your pace.
How do I book trauma counselling and travel to Hove from Ditchling?
We begin with a free fifteen-minute call, with no need to share detail, then a first session. It is around twenty minutes by car over the Downs to Hove, with trains from nearby Hassocks or Burgess Hill. If travelling feels too much, online video is always available.
What are your fees for trauma counselling, and what about NHS trauma support in Ditchling?
Private sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, after a free consultation. You can self-refer to free NHS Talking Therapies for West Sussex; waits vary, and seeing me privately means gentle, sooner trauma work at a pace you set.
For trauma, in person in Hove or online from Ditchling, and can we meet in the evening?
In a close village, some value a room set over the Downs for privacy, while others feel safer on video at home; both suit the gentle Rewind Technique. You lead the pace throughout, and evening and weekend slots keep sessions separate from village life.
Trauma Counselling in Ditchling, 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 nearby: Hassocks, Lewes, Burgess Hill. See all areas I cover.
People who come for trauma counselling in Ditchling often also look at anxiety counselling, addiction counselling and psychotherapy.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same trauma counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.