Petworth · in person in Hove or online
Trauma therapy for Petworth
If something that happened to you, last year or decades ago, still reaches into your nights, makes you jump at small things or keeps people at a distance, I offer trauma counselling from Petworth by secure video, or face to face at Intergen House in Hove. You choose the pace, and you won't be asked to tell the story 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 Petworth
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Petworth by car
- About 48 minutes with clear roads (27.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Pulborough, change at Barnham for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – West Team, 01273 265967
- 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.
Carrying it in a town where everyone knows your car
In a town the size of Petworth, people tend to know each other's cars and each other's business, and the person or place connected with something frightening can be hard to step around.
Trauma here can follow an assault, a sudden death, a difficult birth, years of living with fear, or a crash on the A272 or the A283. With no station, a car or the bus is usually the only way out of town, so being on the road can stay tied to what happened. You may stop going out much, because a chance meeting in town feels like too much, and the quiet that once felt peaceful becomes isolating. It may show up as nightmares, jumpiness, a numbness that worries the people close to you, or anger that flares at something small. These are common reactions to being badly frightened, and they can carry on long after the danger has passed.
Feeling steady comes before any memory work
To start with, we find what brings you back to the present when something sets you off, a sudden noise or a particular stretch of road, and we get to know your body's protective reactions without blaming you for them. Only when you have reliable ways to steady yourself do we approach what happened, and then a piece at a time, with you deciding how close to go. You never have to describe events to me in detail. The Rewind Technique, which I often use, is a way of working with a distressing memory without you having to recount it aloud. Planning matters too: where you'll be during a session, who is around afterwards, and what you'll do to settle before going back to your day. If you've been hurting yourself to get through, please let me know. We'll plan for your safety together, and urgent help always comes first. If what happened was in childhood, or went on for years, we go more slowly still, and the work may be as much about how you live now as about the past. You stay in charge of what we look at, and if a session went further than felt right, tell me, and we adjust the next one together.
What trauma can leave behind in a small town
When the road is the only way
With no station in town, nearly every trip starts by car or bus. We work towards travelling with less dread, a step at a time and at your speed.
Someone connected still in the parish
The person linked to what happened may still live nearby, so a chance meeting is always possible. If you aren't safe now, the helplines on this page come first.
Alone with it beyond the town
Living alone out in Byworth, Hampers Green or Egdean, evenings can be long. West Sussex Mind offers support across the county, and texting SUSSEX to 85258 reaches crisis help at any hour.
Holding things together for someone
If it happened to your partner or child and you're the one keeping the household going, Carers Support West Sussex helps the person doing the caring, and our sessions can be yours alone.
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 Petworth
Near Petworth, free help is spread across a few general services. If you've been anxious or low since it happened, NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies is free and doesn't need a GP letter, and West Sussex Mind offers support across the county. Carers Support West Sussex can help if you're looking after someone affected. If someone is harming you now, the domestic abuse information on this page matters first.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – West Team01273 265967Free 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 Petworth ask before starting
Which free services help after trauma near Petworth?
That turns on what you went through. After rape or sexual assault, whether last week or years ago, NHS 111 can tell you where specialist care is, day or night. If it happened in service, your GP can point you to specialist help. I don't have a specialist trauma service to name for the Petworth area itself. For anxiety or low mood since the event, NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies covers Petworth from its West Team on 01273 265967, with no GP letter needed.
Could I do trauma work on video from my own home near Petworth, or should I travel?
Either can work. On video, pick a room where nobody will walk in or listen at the door, and plan the half hour after we finish, because there's no drive home to settle on. If home is where something happened, or it isn't private, a session in Hove, about 48 minutes away by car, may feel safer.
If I start trauma counselling from Petworth, do I have to go over what happened in the first sessions?
No. The first sessions are about getting to know each other, understanding how the trauma affects you now, and building ways to steady yourself. Some early sessions may be about nothing more than what helps you feel safe enough at home in the evenings. You may never need to give a detailed account at all, and pausing or stopping is always allowed, even mid-sentence.
What if things get worse while I'm waiting to start, living out near Petworth?
Please don't wait for a session if you're in danger. Call 999, or phone NHS 111 for urgent mental health help. You can also text SUSSEX to 85258 for crisis support. The free 15-minute call with me can be booked whenever you're ready, and starting the work 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.
A first conversation, with nothing you have to tell
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.