Tunbridge Wells · in person in Hove or online
Trauma therapy for Tunbridge Wells
If something frightening happened to you, recently or long ago, and you're in Tunbridge Wells still feeling it in your sleep or your temper, I offer trauma therapy by secure video and in a quiet room in Hove. What we talk about is up to you, and you don't have to tell the whole story to begin.
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 Tunbridge Wells
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Tunbridge Wells by car
- About 58 minutes with clear roads (36.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, 0333 091 0414
- 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.
Green commons outside, alarm bells inside
From the outside, Tunbridge Wells can look gentle and unhurried, with the Commons, a Sunday walk out to High Rocks and the heritage trains of the Spa Valley Railway pulling out of Tunbridge Wells West.
That calm can make it harder to explain why part of you still feels in danger. What happened might have been a crash on a dark road, a medical emergency, an assault, a sudden death you witnessed, or years of feeling unsafe as a child. Afterwards you may sleep badly, jump when a door slams, avoid a certain road or room, or feel strangely absent, as if part of you stepped out and never quite came back. You might snap at the people you love and not know why. These are understandable reactions from a nervous system that learned danger, and they don't mean you are weak or broken.
Trauma work at the speed you choose
The first sessions are about steadiness, and the memory can wait. We work on what helps your body come down from alarm, how to spot the first signs that it's rising, and who supports you between sessions. You don't need to describe what happened in detail, now or later, and I won't press you for it. When you feel ready, we can approach the experience in small, manageable pieces, stopping whenever you want. Some of the methods I draw on can work with a memory without any spoken account of it. If an emergency or a stay at Tunbridge Wells Hospital is part of what you carry, we can look at it without you going back through every detail. If the harm sits inside a relationship that's still going on, your safety comes first, and we'll talk about that openly. If you're under an NHS team already, I'll fit around their plan. If hurting yourself has become a way of coping, you can tell me without fear of a lecture, and we'll plan for your safety together, with the urgent contacts further down this page for the time between sessions.
What trauma can leave behind here
After an emergency at Pembury
A frightening admission or a long night on a ward at Tunbridge Wells Hospital can keep replaying long after you've been discharged.
Back behind the wheel
A collision on a High Weald lane can leave you gripping the steering wheel or avoiding certain roads. Sessions work with the jolt of fear your body produces at the wheel.
Childhood that still echoes
Something from early life that resurfaces when you become a parent, start a relationship or go home to visit. West Kent Mind offers support across the borough beside our sessions.
Flashbacks after dark
If memories surge at night and you need someone urgently, Release the Pressure answers on 0800 107 0160, and Kent and Medway Safe Havens, in the urgent help box below, are a drop-in option.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free and low-cost support for Tunbridge Wells
I can't point to a specialist trauma service in Tunbridge Wells itself. The Counselling Centre on London Road offers lower-cost counselling on a sliding scale, and West Kent Mind and Live Well Kent and Medway offer wider community support. After a sudden death, the national Cruse Bereavement Support helpline is there to talk. None of that stops you starting trauma therapy with me as well.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway0333 091 0414Free 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 Kent community drug and alcohol service (Change, Grow, Live)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live (CGL). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationWest Kent Mind Affordable Counselling
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.
Locally, the Release the Pressure Helpline - Kent is on 0800 107 0160. Local drop-in crisis support: Kent and Medway Safe Havens (Mental Health Matters) (check opening times before you go).
What people in Tunbridge Wells ask before starting
Can I get free help in Tunbridge Wells after something traumatic happened?
There isn't a dedicated trauma service I can name in the town itself. For anxiety or low mood in the wake of what happened, the NHS option is Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, open to self-referral on 0333 091 0414. In a crisis, Release the Pressure, a Kent helpline run by Rethink Mental Illness, is on 0800 107 0160. Private sessions with me can sit beside either.
Can I start trauma therapy from Tunbridge Wells without saying what happened?
Yes. You can begin by telling me only that something happened and that it still affects you, and the free call is where you'll hear how soon we could start. Early sessions focus on helping your body settle, and some of the later work doesn't need a spoken account at all. You decide what is shared and when, and you can pause at any point.
Is it safe to drive home to Tunbridge Wells after a trauma session in Hove?
It's a fair question. Trauma sessions can leave you tired or shaken, and the drive back is close to an hour. If you come in person, we leave time at the end to settle, and you might plan a walk or a break before setting off. On harder days video avoids the problem, because you're already home when we finish.
I was in Tunbridge Wells Hospital after an accident and still relive it. Could that be trauma?
It could be. Intrusive memories, poor sleep, avoiding reminders and feeling on edge are common after a frightening accident or admission, and they're understandable reactions, not a failing. Let your GP know what's happening. If you'd like, we can work on helping your body and mind stop reacting to the event as though it were still going on.
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.
Ask what you need to know, no story required
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.