Hastings · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Hastings
When an old or recent experience keeps returning at night or in a body that won't settle, trauma counselling gives you a place to work on it at a pace you set. From Hastings we would mostly meet by secure video, with my one room in Hove there for occasional sessions, and you never have to describe what happened before you're ready.
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 Hastings
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Hastings by car
- About 67 minutes with clear roads (40.1 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Hastings to Brighton; change there for Hove, one stop.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Health in Mind, 0300 0030 130
- 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.
Reactions that arrive before the memory
Trauma often shows up as something other than a memory.
It might be the jolt when a door bangs in a quiet street in St Leonards, or the way your body goes rigid when someone raises their voice nearby, before your mind has caught up. It might be nights broken by the same dream, or a numbness that makes you seem calm to everyone around you. The roots vary. A sudden death, an accident or an attack can do it, and so can things that went on for years: growing up around a parent's drinking or rages, bullying that nobody stopped, or a relationship in which you learned to watch every mood. Sometimes it traces back to one night, perhaps a night that ended in the Conquest Hospital's emergency department. You may have explained it away for a long time. Reactions that keep returning usually mean your nervous system is still guarding against something it once had to survive.
Trauma work by video, with you in charge
From Hastings most of this work happens on a screen, so we take care over how it's set up. Before anything painful, we make sure you have a private space, a way to settle yourself if you start to feel pulled back into the past, and a plan for the hour after we finish. You choose what we look at and when, and you can say stop at any point without giving a reason. The first stretch of work is about steadiness: noticing when your body tips into alarm or goes numb, and finding your way back. When we do turn towards a memory, there are ways of working, including the Rewind Technique, that don't ask you to describe it aloud in detail. We also make sense of what has kept you going, the watchfulness, the shutting down, perhaps drinking to get to sleep, without treating any of it as a fault. If self-harm or thoughts of suicide are part of this, we plan for safety together, and bring in your GP or urgent services when that's needed. If you want specialist services closer to Hastings, start with the East Sussex mental health directory, which the county council keeps.
Support around trauma work from Hastings
Growing up around drinking
A childhood shaped by a parent's drinking or drug use can leave you braced for trouble decades on. Adfam East Sussex supports families affected by someone's use, and our sessions give the past room.
Lower-cost help in St Leonards
If weekly private sessions aren't possible, Counselling Plus Community at 66 London Road offers Hastings and Rother residents a free assessment and affordable counselling.
A drop-in without an appointment
The Seaview Project Wellbeing Centre in St Leonards is an open-access drop-in, with no appointment needed, somewhere to be with people in person while our weekly work happens on screen.
Nights that replay it
If flashbacks or dread keep you awake, text SUSSEX to 85258 at any hour, or call Hastings and Rother Samaritans free on 116 123. You don't need to be in danger to reach out.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. "Similar to England" means the difference is not statistically significant. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free and low-cost support for Hastings
Alongside private sessions, Health in Mind offers free NHS therapy for anxiety and low mood, including when it has followed a frightening experience, and Counselling Plus Community in St Leonards has affordable counselling for Hastings and Rother. Eggtooth, a Hastings creative mental health charity, works with young people aged 5 to 25 and their families. Staying Well Hastings at Carisbrooke House is an out-of-hours walk-in for evenings that feel unmanageable.
- Free NHS talking therapyHealth in Mind0300 0030 130Free 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 itSTAR Drug and Alcohol Service (East Sussex STAR)0300 303 8160Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationHastings and Rother SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch.
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.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
What people in Hastings ask before starting
Is trauma counselling by video safe if I'm alone in Hastings afterwards?
It can be, as long as the hour after the call is thought through in advance. Before going near anything difficult, we agree what you'll do once the call ends, such as a walk by the sea or ringing a friend, and we stop with enough time to settle. If you live with others, we check you can't be overheard. If you feel unsafe afterwards, text SUSSEX to 85258.
Where can I find free trauma help in Hastings?
Health in Mind, the NHS Talking Therapies service for East Sussex, works with anxiety and low mood, including when they follow a frightening experience, and you can self-refer on 0300 0030 130. Counselling Plus Community in St Leonards offers affordable counselling with a free assessment. The county's mental health directory has more, and private sessions with me don't rule any of them out.
Would it be better to come to Hove in person from Hastings for trauma work?
Sometimes. A room away from home can feel safer when home holds reminders, and an occasional longer session in Hove can suit that. But it's a 67-minute drive back to Hastings afterwards, and getting behind the wheel straight after difficult work can leave you shaky. For regular weekly sessions from Hastings, video is usually gentler.
How do I start trauma counselling from Hastings if I'm not sure it counts as trauma?
There's no need to be sure first, and no referral is required. On the free 15-minute call, say only as much as feels manageable. If something else would suit you better, such as Health in Mind or your GP, I'll tell you honestly. If it fits, we choose a first video session.
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 with steadiness, 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.