Trichotillomania Support in Victoria
Find a therapist in Victoria who understands trichotillomania. Whether you pull your own hair or you’re supporting a child or someone you love, search by town or city, from Mildura to Bairnsdale, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Victoria.
Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Victoria
Australia’s first support groups for trichotillomania started in Melbourne. A Swinburne University researcher set them up with the Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria. Yet most Victorian therapists still never learned about hair pulling in training. Connecting you with people who already understand it is the reason this directory exists.
Everyone listed has told us they understand hair pulling and already help people who pull. Each listing shows how the person works, whether they see people in person, online or both, and what they charge. Each one has a private contact form.
The directory includes psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, CBT therapists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners, and BFRB coaches. BFRB stands for body-focused repetitive behaviour, the group that includes hair pulling and skin picking. If you live a long way from Melbourne or a regional city, see who works online across Victoria.
We’re building the Victoria directory.
Keep updated as we’re a new directory actively seeking new trich-aware therapists to join.
See practitioners who work online →Tell me when a practitioner lists in Victoria
Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Victoria
Find a TherapistHow do I find a trichotillomania therapist near me in Victoria?›
Search the directory by city or town, such as Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton or Mildura. Every listing shows how the person works, what they charge and whether they see people in person, online or both. You can message anyone directly.
Can I have sessions online from anywhere in Victoria?›
Yes. Many people listed work online with clients across Victoria, from Portland to Mallacoota. Psychologists and other Ahpra-registered practitioners hold national registration. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t tied to a state.
How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in Victoria?›
Private sessions in Victoria usually cost $120 to $300, and around $220 to $260 is typical. Inner Melbourne runs highest. Every listing shows its own prices, and many offer a free first call. Medicare and some private health insurance extras cover pay part of the cost for some practitioner types.
What kinds of help are there for hair pulling in Victoria?›
People who pull work with psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, CBT therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners, occupational therapists and coaches. Different people find different things helpful. Everyone in our directory has told us they understand hair pulling and already help people who pull.
Do I need a GP referral or a diagnosis to get help in Victoria?›
No. You can contact anyone listed in our directory directly, without a GP referral or a diagnosis. Just tell them you pull your hair and you’re looking for someone who understands trichotillomania.
My child pulls their hair. What do I do first?›
Stay steady and don’t tell them off, because pressure and punishment reliably make pulling worse. Start with The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania, then look for someone in the directory whose listing says they work with children and teens.
Are there trichotillomania support groups in Victoria?›
Yes. ARCVic in Melbourne runs peer groups on Zoom for people who pull or pick, open to anyone in Australia. The IOCDF lists more online BFRB groups. If you run a group in Victoria, tell us and we’ll list it for free.
How common is hair pulling in Victoria?›
About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so more than 100,000 people across Victoria. It’s a recognised condition, not a bad habit, and it usually starts between ages 10 and 13. Learn more in our complete guide to trichotillomania.
How to get in touch with a therapist
You can message anyone listed here today. You don’t need a GP referral or a diagnosis.
When you write, say what it is: “I pull my hair. I’m looking for someone who understands trichotillomania.” Their reply tells you a lot about whether they’re the right fit.
Most practitioners in Victoria work in Greater Melbourne, with smaller numbers in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. Mildura is more than 500 km from Melbourne by road, and much of Gippsland and the Wimmera is a long drive from the nearest city. Online sessions close that gap.
Psychologists, occupational therapists and other Ahpra-registered practitioners hold national registration, so they can see you online wherever you live in Victoria. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t tied to a state at all.
Medicare also pays part of the cost of up to 10 sessions a year with psychologists and some other practitioners if your GP refers you. That route exists, and it often takes longer, usually without a choice of someone who understands hair pulling.
How to choose who to work with
People who pull find help from many directions: psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners, occupational therapists and coaches. Different people find different things helpful.
If you’d like to check a registered professional, Australia has free public registers. “Psychologist” is a protected title, so only people registered with the Psychology Board of Australia can use it. You can look them up, along with occupational therapists and doctors, on the Ahpra register. Counselling isn’t regulated by the government, and many counsellors and psychotherapists join the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists instead. Hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners and coaches belong to their own associations.
Everyone on this site has one thing in common: they’ve told us they understand hair pulling. On a first call, you can ask:
- Have you helped people who pull their hair before?
- How do you work? What happens in the first few sessions?
- What if I feel it isn’t right for me?
There’s more in our guide to how to talk to someone who can help.
Charities and groups in Victoria
Victoria has no charity just for hair pulling, but a Melbourne not-for-profit runs support groups for it. These organisations can help.
Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria (ARCVic)
A Melbourne not-for-profit for people with anxiety disorders and OCD, and their families. It runs peer support groups for people who pull or pick, and an OCD & Anxiety HelpLine on 1300 269 438.
International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
The main international home for BFRB support since the TLC Foundation for BFRBs wound down. Its directory lists online support groups for hair pulling and skin picking.
Beyond Blue
A national mental health organisation based in Melbourne. It isn’t focused on hair pulling. Its free support service on 1300 22 4636 can help with the anxiety and low mood that often come with it.
Kids Helpline
Free, private support for young people aged 5 to 25, by phone or online, day or night. Call 1800 55 1800.
Lifeline
Call 13 11 14 at any time if things ever feel too much to handle on your own.
Support groups in Victoria
Australia’s first trich support groups began in Victoria, and ARCVic still runs them. Most groups now meet online, and for something this private, many people find that easier.
- ARCVic trich and skin-picking groups: peer groups on Zoom, open to anyone living in Australia. Details are on the ARCVic support groups page.
- IOCDF online BFRB groups: more groups on Zoom for anyone who pulls or picks, listed on the IOCDF support group directory.
- Beyond Blue forums: free online peer forums on anxiety and related topics.
For parents: watching your child pull is hard. The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.
Do you run a Victoria group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.
Focused and Automatic Pulling
Many people who pull describe two kinds of pulling, and most do both.
Automatic pulling happens outside awareness. You’re reading, driving or scrolling your phone. Only later do you notice the hairs on the desk or a new bare patch. Some people are shocked by how much they pulled without knowing.
Focused pulling starts with an urge. A hair feels coarse, crooked or out of place, and tension builds until you pull it. There can be a brief moment of relief afterwards, then regret or shame.
The mix changes from person to person. Some people pull mostly at night, alone. Others pull at work or in the car without noticing. Stress, boredom and tiredness can all shift the pattern.
Neither kind means you’re doing something wrong. Trichotillomania is a recognised body-focused repetitive behaviour. It isn’t a bad habit, attention-seeking, self-harm or a lack of willpower. Noticing which kind of pulling you do can make it easier to put into words, for yourself and for the person you choose to work with.
About this page
Sources: Australian Government Centre for Population and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (population); Australian Rotary Health (history of Australia’s first trichotillomania support groups); Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria; Ahpra; Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and PACFA; Talked, Foundation Psychology, Hardwick Psychological Services and Affective Care (session cost and Medicare data); International OCD Foundation (including its BFRB support group listings); Beyond Blue; Kids Helpline; Lifeline.
Things change. We check this page often, but always check prices and qualifications with the person you contact. This page is information, not medical advice.
Are you a therapist or practitioner in Victoria who works with trichotillomania?
Be found by people looking for help with hair pulling across Victoria, in person or online.
About Victoria
Victoria is Australia’s smallest mainland state and its second most populous, with about 7.1 million people. Most of them live in Melbourne, the capital, on Port Phillip Bay. The Victorian Alps rise in the northeast, the Murray River forms most of the northern border, and the Great Ocean Road follows the southwest coast.
Geelong, on Corio Bay, is the state’s second-largest city. Ballarat and Bendigo grew rich in the 1850s gold rush and kept their Victorian-era streets. Mildura grows grapes and citrus on the Murray, and Gippsland runs east to the Gippsland Lakes. In Melbourne, Carlton’s Lygon Street is known for Italian food and Fitzroy for independent shops. St Kilda has the beach and Luna Park, which opened in 1912.
Attractions in Victoria
Victoria’s sights run from a World Heritage hall and a gold-rush town to limestone sea stacks, ancient rock art and a nightly penguin arrival.
Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Joseph Reed designed this Great Hall in Carlton Gardens for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The first Parliament of Australia opened here on 9 May 1901. In 2004 the building and gardens became the first built site in Australia on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell National Park
Limestone stacks up to about 45 metres high rise from the Southern Ocean beside the Great Ocean Road. Waves cut them from the cliffs, and stacks collapsed in 2005 and 2009. Returned soldiers built the road between 1919 and 1932 as a memorial to those killed in the First World War.
Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
An outdoor museum on a former gold-mining site in Golden Point, opened on 29 November 1970. Its streets recreate Ballarat in the decade after gold was found there in 1851. There are more than 60 buildings, staff in 1850s dress and a tour through an underground mine.
Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park
Sandstone ranges rise sharply from the plains of western Victoria, with Halls Gap as the main town. Gariwerd is the traditional name used by the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali peoples. The park holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known Aboriginal rock art sites, and five rock shelters are open to visitors.
Penguin Parade, Phillip Island
Phillip Island has the world’s largest colony of little penguins, the smallest penguin species. Every night at dusk they come ashore at Summerland Beach and cross to their burrows. Locals began running organised viewings in the late 1920s, and the state later bought back a housing estate built on the breeding ground.