Farnham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Farnham
If something that happened to you, recently or long ago, still floods back, keeps you on guard or makes parts of life feel unsafe, trauma counselling by secure video is open to you from Farnham. You won't be asked to retell it in detail. We go at the pace you set, and you can call a halt whenever you need.
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 Farnham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Farnham by car
- About 84 minutes with clear roads (69.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Farnham, change at Guildford and Gatwick Airport 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.
Carrying it quietly in a town where you're known
In Farnham, trauma might show up in the person who stopped driving after a crash and now accepts lifts without explaining why, or someone who came home from Frimley Park Hospital physically mended after an emergency and still can't sleep.
It might be a student on the University for the Creative Arts campus, far from family, carrying something that happened before they arrived or since. It can be a death that came without warning, or a childhood that taught you to stay alert. If what happened involved someone local, or became known about in town, that can add its own weight, and it is reasonable to want help from someone with no connection to Farnham. Video makes that possible from wherever you feel safest.
Steady first, then the memory, at your pace
Trauma work with me follows a careful order. First comes steadiness: knowing how your body reacts when something reminds you, what helps you come back to the present, and that you decide how much we touch on in any session. Only then do we turn towards the memory itself, and even then you don't have to describe it in detail. For a single frightening event I may suggest the Rewind Technique, which works with a memory without asking you to relive it aloud; I'll explain it fully beforehand, and it is always your choice. Experiences that built up over years, rather than in a moment, usually need slower work around trust, shame and safety with other people. You can ask me to pause or change direction whenever you need to, and I will. If things feel unmanageable between sessions, the 24/7 Surrey and Borders crisis line and the rest of the urgent help on this page are there for you at any hour, alongside our weekly work. If you are still in danger from someone, your safety comes before any of this, and the domestic abuse information here is the place to start.
Where trauma can surface in Farnham
After a hospital emergency
An accident or sudden illness that brought you to Frimley Park Hospital's emergency department can leave flashbacks and broken sleep long after the physical side has healed.
A death without warning
When a death was sudden, shock and grief tangle together. Cruse Bereavement Support - South West Surrey can help with the grief while sessions with me attend to the shock.
Young people and their parents
If you're between 11 and 25, Headroom Charity offers free counselling, and it supports parents and carers too, which can help a family take in what has happened.
Severe, long-standing difficulties
If trauma has left severe or enduring problems, the Community Mental Health Recovery Service has a Farnham clinic, reached through a referral from your GP.
Free and low-cost support for Farnham
Private trauma counselling can sit beside the free routes here. Mind Matters Surrey accepts self-referrals for anxiety or low mood that follow a frightening experience. Creative Response's community art sessions for adults offer a way to be around other people without having to explain anything, and PeerTalk Farnham meets on Thursday evenings.
- 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 Farnham ask before starting
Will I have to describe what happened in detail?
No. Plenty of trauma work can be done without telling the whole story, and some of it without telling the story at all. You choose what to share and when. If something comes up that you aren't ready for, we stop, steady things, and come back to it another time or not at all.
Is trauma counselling by video from Farnham safe if I get overwhelmed?
We plan for that before we start. Early sessions build ways to steady yourself, and we agree what happens if a session gets too much, including what you'll do once the call ends. Out of hours, you can ring Surrey and Borders' 24/7 crisis line on 0800 915 4644, and the evening Safe Haven drop-ins include Aldershot and Guildford.
Is there free trauma support for people in Farnham?
For anxiety or low mood after something frightening, the free NHS Talking Therapies option locally is Mind Matters Surrey, reachable directly on 0300 330 5450 without a GP. If difficulties are severe or long-lasting, your GP can refer you to the Farnham clinic of the Community Mental Health Recovery Service. Young people aged 11 to 25 can get free counselling from Headroom Charity.
How soon can I start trauma counselling from Farnham, and what happens first?
On the free 15-minute call, share only as much as you want to. I'll be honest about when a regular weekly slot is free. The first sessions are about getting to know each other and finding what helps you feel steady, not about the memory itself, which waits until you're ready.
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 at your pace, with a short call
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.