Wandsworth · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Trauma therapy for Wandsworth
If something that happened, years ago or only recently, keeps coming back into your life in Wandsworth as nightmares or a startle you can't control, trauma counselling gives you somewhere to steady things at a pace you set. Sessions run by secure video, and you never have to tell the whole story, or any of it, 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 Wandsworth
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Wandsworth by car
- About 81 minutes with clear roads (58.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Wandsworth Town, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Wandsworth Talking Therapies, 0203 513 6264
- 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.
After the prison shift or the hospital night
Trauma isn't always one dramatic event, and in Wandsworth it can be tied to places people know well.
HMP Wandsworth is a men's prison in the borough, and the staff who work there can carry home things they saw or heard that are hard to set down. St George's Hospital in Tooting is the borough's main acute hospital, with Queen Mary's in Roehampton run by the same trust, and a frightening emergency admission or a long night beside someone's bed can leave a mark well after discharge. For others it's older, from a childhood where home was never safe, or something private that nobody else knows about. Afterwards, ordinary town-centre noise can change its meaning. A siren on Wandsworth High Street or a door banging in the night can have your body braced before your mind catches up. These are protective responses that outlasted the danger, and with the right help they can ease.
What happens in trauma sessions, and in what order
First we work on safety in the present: catching the first flickers of being dragged back into the past, and building a small set of things that bring you back here, which might be naming colours in the room, cold water on your hands or a phrase that steadies you. We agree a signal for stopping, and you can use it without explaining why. Only once that ground feels solid do we turn towards what happened, and even then in small, manageable pieces. You can keep details to yourself. The Rewind Technique, for instance, lets us work with a frightening memory while you keep its contents to yourself. Reactions such as freezing, going numb or scanning every room make more sense once we see them as your body's attempts to protect you. Because sessions happen on video, we close each one deliberately, returning to the present before the screen goes dark. If you work at HMP Wandsworth or St George's, sessions with me are private and separate from any workplace support. If the person hurting you lives with you, the domestic abuse number further down matters more than anything here.
Where it might come from in a Wandsworth life
Working inside HMP Wandsworth
What prison staff witness on a shift can follow them home. Private sessions sit outside any workplace scheme, and I have no contact with your employer.
After a stay at St George's
A frightening emergency or hard news given at St George's Hospital, and the memories that return whenever another appointment letter arrives.
Loss that came without warning
A sudden death can be traumatic as well as sad. Wandsworth Bereavement Service is there for people who've been bereaved, and you can use it while working with me.
When nights are the worst
If memories flood back after dark, the South London crisis text service answers on 80991, or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511, around the clock.
Free and low-cost support for Wandsworth
I can't name a trauma-specific service in Wandsworth from the information I've verified. If fear or low mood has lingered since something frightening, Wandsworth Talking Therapies takes self-referrals. Allkind is a local mental health charity, and Tooting Recovery Café, run by Hestia, offers mental health support too. Trauma counselling with me can run beside all of them.
- Free NHS talking therapyWandsworth Talking Therapies0203 513 6264Free 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 itWandsworth Community Drug and Alcohol Service (WCDAS)020 3228 1777Free and confidential.
- Local organisationWandsworth Bereavement Service
- Local organisationWandsworth Emotional Wellbeing Service (Together for Mental Wellbeing)Community emotional wellbeing support for adults.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service is another option: text 80991 or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511. Local drop-in crisis support: Tooting Recovery Café (Hestia) (check opening times before you go).
What people in Wandsworth ask before starting
Where can I get free help after a traumatic experience in Wandsworth?
No specialist trauma service in Wandsworth appears in the information I've checked. If anxiety, fear or low mood has stayed with you since something frightening, Wandsworth Talking Therapies takes self-referrals on 0203 513 6264 without a GP. Your GP can talk about other NHS options if the effects are severe. If abuse at home is part of it, use the national domestic abuse number on this page, which answers day and night.
I work at HMP Wandsworth. Can I see you privately without my employer knowing?
Yes. Private sessions have no connection to your employer, and I don't contact workplaces. Anything you say is kept confidential, within limits I explain at the start, such as someone being at serious risk. Because we meet by video, we can look for a regular time that fits around your shifts, and you never have to describe incidents in detail.
Could I do trauma counselling over video in a shared house in Wandsworth?
You could, with some planning. Before we begin we'd think about who else is home, whether you could be overheard, and what you'd like within reach. We'd also plan the minutes after each session, so you're not walking straight into a busy kitchen. If the house itself feels unsafe, let me know early, and we'll look at other options first.
How soon could trauma counselling from Wandsworth begin, and will I have to say what happened?
There's no referral and no waiting list before the free 15-minute call, and during it, it's enough to say there's something you'd like help with, without naming it. You'll hear honestly when a weekly time is free. The first sessions build steadiness in the here and now, and any work with memories comes later and can stay wordless if you prefer.
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 as little or as much as you choose
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.