Twickenham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Twickenham
When something frightening has happened, whether last month or decades ago, it can keep arriving in the present, in your sleep or in how you react to a sudden noise. If you live in Twickenham, trauma counselling with me happens over secure video, at a pace you set, and what you share, and when, stays your decision.
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 Twickenham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Twickenham by car
- About 83 minutes with clear roads (56.9 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Twickenham, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Richmond Talking Therapies (NHS Richmond Wellbeing Service), 020 3513 4455
- 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.
When the body keeps bracing long after the danger
In Twickenham, trauma could follow a serious injury on a rugby pitch, a frightening incident on a train or a platform, an assault you have never reported, a sudden death in the family, or a childhood in which you learned to watch every face for trouble.
It might be something from years ago that you have never told anyone, and that never quite left you. Afterwards, ordinary things can land differently. A crowd pouring out after an event at the Stadium, a door slammed in the flat above, the riverside path at dusk or a particular smell can switch your body into alarm before your mind has caught up. You might sleep badly, feel jumpy or detached, avoid parts of town, or fill every hour so nothing gets the chance to rise. These reactions are your system trying to protect you, and with careful work they can ease.
Feeling safer now, before looking back
Trauma work moves at the speed your nervous system can tolerate, and you set it. The early sessions are about now: noticing the moment you start to be pulled back into a memory, and finding what brings you back, perhaps the weight of your feet on the floor, a warm cup in your hands, or naming the things around you aloud. Because we meet by video, we leave time at the end of each session to settle, and plan something gentle for straight afterwards, so you aren't stepping from something painful into a busy kitchen. When you feel steadier, and only if you want to, we approach what happened in small, manageable pieces. You don't have to tell the whole story. Brainspotting, for example, can work with what your body holds without you putting the details into words. The reactions that lock you up, numb you or keep you on watch get respectful attention too, and none of them is held against you. If you are already having NHS treatment for what happened, let that team know about our sessions, so nobody is working in the dark. If the danger is still present, especially if it comes from someone at home, please ring the national domestic abuse number shown lower down before anything else.
How old fear can surface in a Twickenham week
Crowds after an event
The surge of people around Twickenham Stadium or the Stoop setting your heart racing, years after the experience that first taught your body to brace in a crowd.
An injury that stayed with you
A serious knock or injury in rugby or another sport, and the flashbacks, dread or lost confidence that outlasted the physical healing.
Braced on the Waterloo line
A frightening moment on a crowded South Western Railway train or platform, and now the daily commute through Richmond leaves you on edge before the doors have even closed.
When evenings are hardest
If memories crowd in after dark, the Twickenham Recovery Hub near Twickenham Green is an out-of-hours crisis café, and the NHS crisis text line takes messages on 80991.
Free and low-cost support for Twickenham
I can't name a specialist trauma service for Twickenham, so the free routes here are general ones. If anxiety or low mood took hold after what happened, you can refer yourself to Richmond Talking Therapies. Richmond Borough Mind offers broader support, including ARC for free short-term help, and Richmond Carers Centre supports anyone caring for someone affected. Private trauma counselling can run alongside all of these.
- Free NHS talking therapyRichmond Talking Therapies (NHS Richmond Wellbeing Service)020 3513 4455Free 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 itWithYou Richmond020 3228 3020Run by We Are With You (WithYou). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationJourney Recovery Hub, Twickenham
- Local organisationTwickenham Recovery HubOut-of-hours crisis café near Twickenham Green.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service is another option: text 80991 or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511. Local drop-in crisis support: Journey Recovery Hub, Twickenham (check opening times before you go).
What people in Twickenham ask before starting
Will I need to describe what happened before starting trauma counselling from Twickenham?
No. On the free 15-minute call, saying that something happened is enough. Early sessions are about steadying yourself in the here and now. Later, if you choose, we can work with a memory while you keep its details to yourself. You stay in control throughout, and we can pause, slow down or stop early whenever you ask.
Can I get free trauma support anywhere in Richmond upon Thames?
There isn't a specialist trauma service I can name in the borough, but some general help is free. For anxiety or low mood that began after a frightening event, Richmond Talking Therapies will take your call directly on 020 3513 4455. ARC, from Richmond Borough Mind, is free and short-term, and if domestic abuse is part of it, the national helpline on this page is free day and night.
Is trauma counselling by video from Twickenham safe to do at home?
It can be, with care. Being at home can feel safer than a strange room, and it spares you an 83-minute drive back from Hove after a difficult session. We plan how each session ends, you can keep something comforting nearby, and we agree what you'll do afterwards. If you could be overheard, or home itself feels unsafe, tell me first.
Something happened long ago and I thought I'd put it behind me. Can trauma counselling still help now?
Yes. How long ago it happened doesn't rule it out. Old experiences often resurface at a change of life, such as a new relationship, a birth, a bereavement, or simply when things finally slow down. That isn't a sign you've failed to cope. Sometimes it means there is finally enough safety around you for it to come up. We would work with it at your pace, starting with steadiness in the present.
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 call where you decide what to share
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.