Orpington · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Orpington
If something frightening is still with you in Orpington, in your sleep or in how guarded you've become, trauma sessions with me happen on a secure video link. You set the pace and decide what we talk about, and starting doesn't depend on telling me what happened.
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 Orpington
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Orpington by car
- About 67 minutes with clear roads (54.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Orpington, change at London Bridge for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Bromley Talking Therapies, 0300 003 3000
- 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.
A frightening day in an ordinary suburb
In Orpington, trauma may trace back to an ordinary road, a hospital corridor or a family home.
A sudden admission to the Princess Royal University Hospital, the borough's main acute hospital, can stay in the body long after the physical side has mended. If you work there, what you've seen on a shift can travel home with you. A collision, an assault, a sudden death, or a childhood in a house where you were never sure of your safety can leave the same kind of trace. Afterwards, ordinary things around town can set off the alarm: an ambulance heading for Farnborough Common, raised voices in The Walnuts, a smell, a date in the calendar. You may sleep lightly, jump at sounds, feel numb with the people you love, or keep so busy that nothing surfaces. Each of these is your nervous system trying to protect you, and none of them is a flaw in your character.
Steadiness first, memories later, and only if you choose
We begin with the present. Early sessions are about feeling steadier: learning to notice when the past starts to take over, and finding what brings you back to now, like your feet on the floor or the sounds of the room around you. Because we work by video, we settle in advance how each session will wind down and what comes straight after it, so a difficult hour doesn't run directly into the school pickup or a night shift. Only when you're ready do we approach what happened, in small pieces, and you choose what to say. Brainspotting is one approach I may use, and it doesn't require a full account of the memory. We also get to know the reactions that freeze you or keep you scanning for danger, without judging any of them. Nothing is forced, and a session can always slow down or stop. If you're already receiving NHS care for what happened, this work can run beside it.
How trauma can surface in Orpington
After a stay in hospital
An emergency admission or a frightening operation at the Princess Royal University Hospital, and fear that comes back with every letter or appointment since.
What hospital staff carry home
Working on Farnborough Common means meeting people on their worst days, and some shifts stay with you long after you've changed out of uniform and gone home.
Childhood abuse, for women
The Bromley Woman's Service, an NHS evening psychotherapy service run by Oxleas in Orpington, works with women who experienced childhood sexual abuse.
Something on the daily commute
A frightening moment on a train or platform between Orpington and London, and a commute that now takes you back past that place every working day.
Free and low-cost support for Orpington
NHS Bromley Talking Therapies takes self-referrals for the anxiety or low mood that can follow a frightening event. If you need a fuller assessment, the Bromley Mental Health Hub, a partnership of Oxleas and South East London Mind, directs Bromley adults to suitable services, and South East London Mind has its Orpington Centre on Station Road. Working privately with me doesn't stop you using any of these.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Bromley Talking Therapies0300 003 3000Free 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 itChange Grow Live (CGL) Bromley Drug and Alcohol Service020 8289 1999Free and confidential.
- Local organisationBromley Recovery and Wellbeing College (South East London Mind)
- Local organisationBromley and Orpington SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch.
- Local organisationCruse Bereavement Support, Bexley and Bromley branchBereavement support.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis WhatsApp Service () is another option: WhatsApp 0303 330 1511.
What people in Orpington ask before starting
Is there NHS trauma support in Orpington?
For women who experienced childhood sexual abuse, the Bromley Woman's Service is an NHS evening psychotherapy service run by Oxleas in Orpington. More broadly, NHS Bromley Talking Therapies takes self-referrals on 0300 003 3000 when fear or low mood lingers after something frightening, and the Bromley Mental Health Hub assesses adults aged 18 to 64. You can use any of them as well as seeing me.
Will I have to go through the details of what happened?
No. On the free call you can mention that something happened and leave it there. The early sessions build steadiness in the present, and when we do turn towards a memory, the details can stay with you. You can ask to slow down or stop whenever you need to, and you never have to answer a question you'd rather leave.
I work at the Princess Royal University Hospital. Can I bring what I've seen on shifts to trauma counselling?
Yes. What you've witnessed at work counts as much as anything that happened to you personally, and you don't need to measure it against what colleagues seem to cope with. Sessions are separate from the hospital, and confidential within the limits I explain at the start. Because we'd meet by video, we can choose a time a day or two after a run of nights instead of straight after a hard shift.
Can I do trauma counselling from home in Orpington and still feel safe?
Video lets you work from a place you already know, and it means no 67-minute drive back after a demanding hour. Before we start, we'd think about privacy: who else is at home, whether you could be overheard, and what you'd like within reach. If home itself doesn't feel safe, tell me early, and use the domestic abuse number higher up this page.
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 the pace that feels safe
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.