Petersfield · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Petersfield
If something that happened to you, whether last month or many years ago, still shows up in your sleep or in your closeness to other people, trauma therapy over secure video lets you work from your own home in Petersfield. You set the pace, you won't be pushed to describe what happened, and there's no charge for an initial 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 Petersfield
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Petersfield by car
- About 71 minutes with clear roads (43.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Petersfield, change at Havant for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire, 023 8038 3920
- 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.
Living with it where faces are familiar
In a town of about 15,000, the reminders of a hard experience can be close by: a road you'd rather not drive down, or a face you might see in the queue at the shops near The Square.
If you live out in the villages, long quiet evenings can give old memories room to return. Trauma can come from a single event, such as an accident, an assault or a sudden death, or from a long stretch of living with fear. It can also build up through work. If you've worked at the urgent treatment centre at Petersfield Hospital, or anywhere in health care, you may have carried distressing moments home with you. Afterwards it can show up as jumpiness, numbness, nightmares, or reacting to something small as though it were dangerous. Those reactions are your nervous system doing what it learned to do to protect you, and they make sense, even when they get in the way of the life you want now.
Steadiness first, and you decide when to go further
Trauma therapy with me begins with steadiness. In the early sessions we work on what helps you come back to yourself when something sets you off, and we notice protective reactions such as freezing or shutting down without judging them. Only when you have reliable ways of returning to the present do we turn towards what happened, and even then a little at a time. You don't have to describe the event in detail. I often use the Rewind Technique, which allows us to work with a memory while you keep the details to yourself. Over this distance, safety also means planning where you'll be during sessions: a room at home where no one will walk in, and time afterwards to settle before you go back to the day. I'll ask about self-harm, gently, because it matters. If hurting yourself has become a way of coping, we plan for your safety together, and anything urgent goes to your GP, NHS 111 or 999. If a community mental health team at Petersfield Hospital already supports you, our sessions can run alongside their care.
What trauma can leave behind in Petersfield lives
After a shift in urgent care
Staff at the urgent treatment centre and on the wards at Petersfield Hospital can carry moments home with them. We can work with what has stayed.
When they still live nearby
In a town of about 15,000, the person connected with what happened may be someone you still pass in the street. We work on that too, and if you aren't safe now, the helplines on this page come first.
Shock after a sudden loss
A death by suicide can bring shock as well as grief. Cruse runs a Support After Suicide Service across Hampshire, and our sessions can sit alongside it at whatever pace you need.
When it becomes too much
If memories or panic become unmanageable, Havant Adults' Safe Haven offers support in person. Check its opening times before you set off, and call 999 if anyone is in danger.
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 Petersfield
Alongside trauma therapy, Havant and East Hants Mind offers local mental health support, and NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire takes self-referrals from Petersfield when what happened has left a lasting anxiety or low mood. In the town itself, Petersfield Counselling Service offers low-cost general counselling for adults. If you're under NHS care, the community mental health teams at Petersfield Hospital remain part of the picture.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Hampshire023 8038 3920Free 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 itInclusion Recovery Hampshire0300 124 0103Free 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.
In this area you can also text HANTS to 85258. Local drop-in crisis support: Havant Adults' Safe Haven (Havant & East Hants Mind) (check opening times before you go).
What people in Petersfield ask before starting
Is there specialist trauma support near Petersfield?
The free local routes I can name for Petersfield are general ones rather than trauma specialists: NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire on 023 8038 3920 for anxiety or low mood after a frightening experience, the community mental health teams at Petersfield Hospital through your GP, and Havant and East Hants Mind. If your trauma is a bereavement by suicide, Cruse has a dedicated service for that.
Is video safe enough for trauma work from home in Petersfield?
It can be, as long as the space is private, you won't be interrupted or overheard, and you know you're free to stop whenever you need to. The other option is a drive of about 71 minutes each way to Hove, or a train via Havant, and travelling home alone after a hard session isn't always wise. From here, home is often the steadier choice, with an occasional session in the room if it would help.
I live alone in a village near Petersfield. What if a session leaves me shaken?
That gets planned before we ever begin. The last part of each session is for settling, and we'll agree what you'll do afterwards, perhaps a walk or ringing a friend, before you go back to the day. If you feel unsafe later on, the Shout text line is open day and night: text HANTS to 85258. More urgent contacts are in the urgent help box on this page.
What if I'm in crisis while waiting to start trauma therapy?
You can book the free call yourself, with no referral, but please don't wait for it if things are urgent. Call 999 if anyone is in danger, or phone NHS 111 for urgent mental health help. Havant Adults' Safe Haven offers support in person as well, so check its hours before you go. Starting therapy can wait until you feel a little steadier.
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 somewhere 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.