Portsmouth · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Portsmouth
If something frightening still shows up in how you sleep or how easily you startle, whether it happened once or went on for years, trauma counselling is careful work towards feeling safer, at a pace you set. From Portsmouth we'd usually meet by secure video, from whichever room at home feels most settled. You decide what you share, and nothing has to be told in detail.
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 Portsmouth
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Portsmouth by car
- About 69 minutes with clear roads (48.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Portsmouth & Southsea to Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Portsmouth, 0300 123 3934
- 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.
Other people's worst days, and your own
Some trauma in Portsmouth comes through work.
If you've served out of HMNB Portsmouth, worked shifts at Queen Alexandra Hospital or been at the port when something went badly wrong, you may carry moments you've never described at home and don't want to. Some comes from a single event, such as an assault, a crash or a sudden death, and some from years of living with fear, as a child or with a partner. Reminders can arrive without warning, from a siren or from footsteps close behind you on the walk home. Your body reacts before your mind has caught up, with a pounding heart, a flash of the old scene or a sudden need to get out. Those reactions make sense once you see them as an alarm that is still set for a danger that has passed, and noticing them is often where the work begins.
Steadiness first, and the memory only when you're ready
Trauma work moves in stages, and you decide when each one starts. First we build steadiness: learning to spot the first tug of the past, and practising whatever lands you in the present again, such as pressing your feet into the floor, holding something cool or describing what's in the room. Only when that feels reliable do we go anywhere near what happened, piece by piece, and never further than you agree. The Rewind Technique is one approach that can work on a memory without you describing it out loud. Some part of you may cope by working all hours, switching off or watching every exit, and we treat those habits with respect rather than asking them to stop before they're ready. You can pause, say no or change direction at any point. If you serve or work in healthcare, nothing you tell me is passed to your employer, apart from the narrow safety exceptions I set out when we begin. If self-harm or thoughts of not wanting to live are part of this, I'll ask about it gently, we'll plan for safety together, and the crisis numbers further down cover the days between our sessions.
What might still be with you
A hospital shift that stayed
Working at Queen Alexandra Hospital can put you beside other people's worst moments. When one of them keeps replaying at night, it deserves attention of its own.
What you saw while serving
Service from HMNB Portsmouth can involve events you've never spoken about to anyone. We work with what stayed with you, and you choose how much, if anything, to put into words.
A sudden loss to suicide
Traumatic loss can bring shock, intrusive images and guilt on top of grief. The Cruse Support After Suicide Service covers Portsmouth, and sessions here can run beside it.
Fear that lived at home
Years of fear as a child, or with a partner, can keep your body on guard long after you've left. If you're not safe now, please use the domestic abuse helpline lower down first.
Free and low-cost support for Portsmouth
Free help can sit alongside trauma counselling. Where fear or low mood has lingered since a frightening event, NHS Talking Therapies Portsmouth will take a referral straight from you. Solent Mind runs the Portsmouth Wellbeing Centre, and the Cruse Support After Suicide Service helps people bereaved by suicide. Compass Counselling offers low-cost sessions at Portsmouth Central Library and online.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Portsmouth0300 123 3934Free 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 itPortsmouth Recovery Hub023 9229 4573Run by The Society of St James (SSJ) with Inclusion. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCompass Counselling Service
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.
What people in Portsmouth ask before starting
Do I have to explain what happened before trauma counselling from Portsmouth?
No. On the free 15-minute call, 'something happened and I'm still not right' is plenty. I'll tell you then whether I have space, and when. The early sessions are about steadiness rather than the story, and later you choose how much to share, if anything at all. You can stop or slow down at any point.
Who offers free help in Portsmouth after a traumatic experience?
I don't have a verified specialist trauma service to name for Portsmouth, and I'd rather not guess. If you've been anxious or low since it happened, NHS Talking Therapies Portsmouth takes calls on 0300 123 3934 with no GP letter needed. Your GP can talk through other NHS options, the Cruse Support After Suicide Service helps after a suicide, and the Portsmouth Wellbeing Centre, run by Solent Mind, is another local place to ask.
I work at Queen Alexandra Hospital and one shift keeps replaying. Is that trauma?
I can't put a label on it for you, but replaying, poor sleep and dreading going back are worth taking seriously, whatever they end up being called. Counselling with me is private and separate from the trust, with the same narrow safety exceptions. We'd focus first on helping you feel steadier between shifts, then, if you want to, on the shift itself.
Is trauma counselling by video safe from home in Portsmouth?
It can be, if you have a room where nobody will walk in or listen. Familiar surroundings can make it easier to settle afterwards, with no long trip home. If there's nowhere private at home, or home itself feels unsafe, mention it on the call and we'll find another arrangement, which could include an occasional session in Hove.
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 short call, in your own words
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.