Godalming · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Godalming
If something that happened, last year or decades ago, still shows up in your sleep, your body or how close you let people come, I offer trauma therapy to people in Godalming by secure video. You decide the pace, and you won't be asked for details you aren't ready to give. Nothing is decided until after a free 15-minute call.
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 Godalming
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Godalming by car
- About 68 minutes with clear roads (43.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Godalming, change at Havant 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.
Ordinary Godalming days, and a body still braced
Trauma comes from many places: an accident, a sudden death, an assault, a frightening birth or illness, or years of living with fear at home.
Afterwards ordinary life carries on, in Crownpits or Aaron's Hill as anywhere, and part of you stays on alert. The reminders can be small and very local. A crowded platform at Farncombe or the start of a new school term can bring it back with a force that makes no sense to the people around you. You might startle easily, sleep in fragments, feel oddly numb, or snap at small things and then feel ashamed. Your nervous system is trying to keep you safe, and these reactions make sense given what you went through.
Steadiness before story, and you hold the reins
Trauma therapy with me starts with stability. Early on, we get to know your body's alarm: how it rises, where you feel it, and what brings it back down. We also look for a few ways back to the present that suit you. We treat your protective habits with respect, whether that's staying busy or going blank, because they got you through. Only when you feel steadier do we approach what happened, a little at a time, and you can stop, slow down or change direction whenever you want. You never need to describe events in detail, and Brainspotting, one of the methods I use, doesn't depend on you putting a memory into words. From Godalming, each session ends at home, so we keep the last few minutes for settling, and you decide in advance what you'll do afterwards. If you've been harming yourself, or thinking about it, I'll ask gently and we'll plan for your safety together. In an emergency, call 999 or NHS 111 straight away, day or night, because they can respond immediately in a way that weekly sessions cannot.
What an old fear can look like now
After a shock that ended in hospital
If what happened ended in A and E at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, a hospital smell or a siren on the road can bring it back. We work with reminders like that slowly.
When a death came without warning
Shock can sit underneath grief for a long time after a sudden loss. Cruse's South West Surrey service supports people after a death, alongside our work.
Between sessions, after dark
If memories flood in at night, Surrey and Borders Partnership answers its 24/7 mental health crisis helpline on 0800 915 4644, and it covers Godalming.
Still on guard years later
Growing up with fear at home can leave you scanning every room as an adult. If you aren't safe now, please use the domestic abuse number further down first.
Free and low-cost support for Godalming
I haven't been able to confirm a specialist sexual violence or veterans' service for Godalming, so I haven't named one, and your GP can advise on specialist help. Mind Matters Surrey sees adults whose anxiety or low mood began after something frightening, Cruse supports people bereaved suddenly across South West Surrey, and through a GP, adults with severe or lasting difficulties can reach the Waverley mental health team at Berkeley House.
- 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.
- Local organisationCatalyst Counselling: families, friends and carers (Catalyst Support)
- Local organisationCommunity Mental Health Recovery Service (CMHRS) Waverley, Berkeley HouseNHS secondary care community mental health team base.
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.
Locally, the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT Mental Health Crisis Helpline is on 0800 915 4644.
What people in Godalming ask before starting
Who else in Godalming can help after a traumatic experience?
The free help I can name is general rather than trauma-specific. Mind Matters Surrey, the county's NHS Talking Therapies service, takes self-referrals on 0300 330 5450 for anxiety or low mood that started after a frightening event. Your GP can refer you on if you need more intensive NHS care. Where a death is part of what happened, Cruse's South West Surrey service can help too.
Is trauma therapy by video from home in Godalming safe enough?
It can be, provided the space is private, you won't be interrupted, and you know you can pause or stop at any moment. Home is often steadier than a room you don't know. The alternative is a 68-minute drive to Hove, and travelling back alone after a hard session isn't always wise.
Since my child started school in Godalming, old memories keep surfacing. Can trauma therapy help?
Yes. School settings, routines and even the noise of a playground can wake memories you'd kept at a distance for years. We'd begin by helping you feel steadier day to day, and only approach the memories themselves when you're ready, without you having to describe them in detail.
What happens between booking the free call and the first trauma session?
On the call you only need to tell me that something happened and it still affects you. I'll explain how we'd pace the work and say plainly when a weekly slot could begin. If things feel unsafe while you wait, ring 0800 915 4644 for the Surrey crisis line, NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.
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.
Talk first about pace, then decide
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.