Horsham · in person in Hove or online
Trauma therapy for Horsham
If something that happened to you still lives in your body, as jumpiness, broken sleep or a dread that arrives without warning, I offer trauma therapy for people in Horsham, in a quiet room in Hove or by secure video. You set the pace, and you won't be asked 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 Horsham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Horsham by car
- About 36 minutes with clear roads (23.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Horsham, change at Three Bridges for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team, 01403 620434
- 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.
When the reminders are on your own streets
In a market town like Horsham, the past can stay close at hand.
The road where an accident happened may be the one you take to work. The person who hurt you might still shop around the Carfax or wait at the same school gate. A smell or a time of year can send your body straight back before your mind has caught up. Trauma can come from one sudden event, and it can also come from years of feeling unsafe at home as a child, a frightening birth, or a death in the family that came without warning. From the outside you might seem fine, working and getting on with things, while part of you stays on guard, scanning for the next thing. That watchfulness once protected you, and it isn't evidence that anything is wrong with you as a person.
Pacing trauma work, and the way home afterwards
In trauma therapy with me, you stay in control of how close we come to what happened. The first sessions are about steadiness: noticing the early signs that the past is pulling at you, and practising simple ways of coming back to the present until they work when you need them. Only then do we turn towards the memory, in small pieces, stopping whenever you say. You won't be asked for a detailed account, and the Rewind Technique, one of the approaches I use, can work with a memory while the details stay private. From Horsham, distance shapes the work too. After a hard session, a 36-minute drive home needs some thought, so we leave the final ten minutes for settling, and a 90-minute session can give more room for that. On video, we plan what you'll do straight afterwards, because you'll still be in the house where you live. If you're under NHS care already, that can carry on alongside our sessions, and anything urgent goes to your GP, NHS 111 or 999.
Some ways trauma can follow Horsham lives
After an injury that healed
Perhaps the minor injuries unit at Horsham Hospital patched you up after a fall or a collision, and your body mended. The startle, the nightmares or the fear of that road can take longer.
Reminders a short walk away
In a market town, the place where something happened, or the person involved, may be part of your everyday route. A room outside Horsham can feel safer to begin in.
NHS help for the aftermath
If anxiety or low mood took hold after something frightening, self-referral is open on 01403 620434 at NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, where Horsham falls to the North Team.
Support when nights are hardest
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust publishes a crisis text service. If memories become overwhelming late at night, text SUSSEX to 85258.
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 Horsham
From the sources I've checked, I can't name a specialist sexual violence or veterans' service in Horsham itself. Mind in Brighton and Hove runs West Sussex services, Horsham and Crawley Counselling Group CIC offers lower-cost counselling for adults and young people, and the councils' Horsham District Wellbeing offers free wellbeing support. Any of these fits around weekly private work.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team01403 620434Free 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 itWest Sussex Drug & Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
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.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
What people in Horsham ask before starting
Can I start trauma therapy from Horsham without going into what happened?
Yes. You needn't go into it at the start, and perhaps never in full. A single sentence such as 'something happened a few years ago' is plenty for the free call. We spend the first sessions on feeling safer in your own body, and later work can approach a memory without you putting it into words. If anything feels too much, we stop.
After something traumatic, what free help is there around Horsham?
I can't point to a dedicated trauma service in the town. If anxiety, panic or low mood started after something frightening, you can contact NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies directly. Horsham is covered by its North Team, on 01403 620434. Horsham and Crawley Counselling Group CIC offers counselling with fees on a sliding scale. You can use either while seeing me privately.
Would it be safer to see you in Hove or on video from home in Horsham?
It depends where you feel most settled. Coming to the room puts distance between the work and your everyday streets, but the 36-minute drive home after a hard session needs planning. Video spares you that, as long as home is private and nobody there frightens you. If home isn't safe, please say so on the free call and we'll work it out together.
What can I do in Horsham if flashbacks hit late at night between sessions?
We plan for this early, so you have grounding steps ready that you've already practised. If it's more than those can hold, text SUSSEX to 85258 for crisis support, or ring the Samaritans free on 116 123 at any hour. If you're in danger or might hurt yourself, call 999 straight away.
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 a call that asks nothing of you
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.