Trichotillomania Support in Alberta
Find a therapist in Alberta who understands trichotillomania. Whether you pull your own hair or you’re supporting a child or someone you love, search by city or town, from Grande Prairie to Lethbridge, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Alberta.
Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Alberta
Alberta covers more ground than France. Yet about three in four Albertans live along the Edmonton–Calgary Corridor, and most mental health professionals work there too. Very few of them learned about hair pulling in training. Connecting you with people who already understand it, wherever you live, is the reason this directory exists.
Everyone listed here has told us they understand hair pulling and already help people who pull. The directory includes therapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Every listing explains how that person works, whether they see people in person, online or both, and what they charge. Each one has a private contact form.
If you live in the Peace Country, around Fort McMurray or on a farm far from town, you can see who works online across Alberta.
We’re building the Alberta 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 Alberta
Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Alberta
Find a TherapistHow do I find a trichotillomania therapist near me in Alberta?›
Search our directory by city or town. Every listing explains how the person works, what they charge and whether they see people in person, online or both. Most in-person options are in Calgary and Edmonton. Elsewhere, many Albertans choose online sessions.
Can I have sessions online from anywhere in Alberta?›
Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in Alberta, from Grande Prairie to Medicine Hat. Psychologists and social workers from other provinces usually need Alberta registration first. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by those rules.
How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in Alberta?›
Private sessions in Alberta usually cost $120 to $250, and many sit between $150 and $235. Calgary and Edmonton tend to be at the top of the range. Every listing shows its own prices, and many people offer a free first call. Many workplace benefit plans pay part of the cost for some practitioner types.
What kinds of help are there for hair pulling in Alberta?›
People who pull work with therapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners 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 doctor’s note or a diagnosis to get help in Alberta?›
No. You can contact anyone listed in our directory directly, without a doctor’s note 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, and look for someone in the directory whose listing says they work with children and teens.
Are there trichotillomania support groups in Alberta?›
We haven’t found a regular in-person group in Alberta yet. You can join online BFRB groups through the International OCD Foundation’s listings and the Canadian BFRB Support Network. If you run a group in Alberta, tell us and we’ll list it.
How common is hair pulling in Alberta?›
About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so roughly 50,000 to 100,000 Albertans. It’s a recognized condition, not a bad habit, and it often 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 directly, today. You don’t need a doctor’s note 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 in-person options are in Calgary and Edmonton. Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat have smaller clusters. In the north, the nearest office can be hours away by road, so online sessions matter here.
Psychologists and social workers based in other provinces usually need to register in Alberta before they can work with you online. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by these rules, and their listings say where they work.
You can also ask your family doctor, or call the Mental Health Helpline (1-877-303-2642), to find Recovery Alberta’s community services. 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 all kinds of practitioners: therapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful. What matters is that you feel understood.
You can check registration for free if you’d like to. “Psychologist” is a protected title in Alberta, and you can look anyone up in the College of Alberta Psychologists directory. “Social worker” is protected too, with a public register at the Alberta College of Social Workers. Counselling therapy isn’t regulated in Alberta yet, so many counsellors hold a national designation such as Canadian Certified Counsellor instead. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches belong to their own professional 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 Alberta
Alberta has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). These national and provincial organizations are the most useful for Albertans who pull.
Canadian BFRB Support Network
A volunteer-run Canadian non-profit, founded in 2013, for people who pull, pick or bite. It shares plain-language information and runs a Canadian online group for people with BFRBs.
International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
The main North American home for BFRB support, including trichotillomania. Its support-group listings include online BFRB groups that people in Canada can join.
CMHA Alberta Division
The Alberta arm of the Canadian Mental Health Association, with regional branches including Calgary and Edmonton. Its programs aren’t specific to hair pulling, but they’re open to anyone.
Kids Help Phone
Free, confidential support for children, teens and young adults, any time. Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline
Call or text 9-8-8, any time of day or night, if things ever feel too much to handle on your own. It’s free and confidential, in English or French.
Support groups in Alberta
We haven’t found a regular in-person trichotillomania group in Alberta yet. Most Albertans who pull connect with others online, and for something this private, many people find that easier.
- IOCDF support-group listings: online BFRB groups open to people in Canada. Most are scheduled in Eastern Time, so check the Mountain Time start.
- Canadian BFRB Support Network: a Canadian online group where people who pull and pick talk to each other.
For parents: our guide The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.
Do you run an Alberta group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.
The Sensory Side of Pulling
For many people, pulling starts with a feeling rather than a thought. One hair seems different from the rest. It’s coarser, curlier, thicker or somehow out of place. The fingers find it before the mind has noticed.
Touch is often a big part of it. People describe searching the scalp, brows or lashes for a hair that feels “wrong”. Pulling it can bring a small sense of evenness, as if something has been put right.
What happens after the pull matters too. Many people look closely at the root, roll the hair between their fingers, or run it across their lips. These steps can feel as important as the pull itself.
Pulling often shows up in still, quiet moments: reading, scrolling, studying, driving or lying in bed. Some people pull with full attention. Others notice only when there’s a small pile of hair beside them.
None of this is a bad habit, attention-seeking, self-harm or a lack of willpower. It’s how the condition feels from the inside. Naming the sensations can make it easier to describe what happens to someone who understands, and to see that other people know that feeling too.
About this page
Sources: Government of Alberta (population projections; alis certifications); Statistics Canada; College of Alberta Psychologists; Alberta College of Social Workers; Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta; Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association; CBC News; Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and Calgary and Edmonton therapy cost data (2026); Recovery Alberta; Canadian BFRB Support Network; International OCD Foundation; CMHA Alberta Division; Kids Help Phone; 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline.
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 an Alberta therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?
Be found by people looking for help with hair pulling across Alberta, in person or online.
About Alberta
Alberta is the Prairie province of about 5 million people, stretching from the Rocky Mountains east to Saskatchewan and north to the Northwest Territories. Edmonton, on the North Saskatchewan River, is the capital and home to the University of Alberta. Calgary, on the Bow River, is the largest city and hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Banff and Jasper national parks cover much of the Rockies along the western edge. Red Deer sits halfway between the two big cities. To the east, the Red Deer River cuts through badlands around Drumheller. Lethbridge and Medicine Hat anchor the dry southern prairie. The north is boreal forest and river country, from Grande Prairie in the Peace Country to Fort McMurray in the oil sands.
Attractions in Alberta
Alberta draws visitors for its mountain parks, its dinosaur fossils and a long Indigenous and fur-trade history.
Banff National Park (Banff)
Canada’s first national park began in 1885 as a small reserve around the Cave and Basin hot springs, found by railway workers two years earlier. It now covers 6,641 square kilometres of the Rockies, including Lake Louise. It’s part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.
Royal Tyrrell Museum (Drumheller)
Opened in 1985 in the badlands of the Red Deer River valley, it’s Canada’s only museum given over entirely to prehistoric life. It’s named after geologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell, who found an Albertosaurus skull nearby in 1884. Its main gallery holds dozens of mounted dinosaur skeletons, including Tyrannosaurus rex.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (near Fort Macleod)
Plains peoples, including the Blackfoot, drove bison over this sandstone cliff for nearly 6,000 years. UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 1981. Its interpretive centre, opened in 1987, is built into the cliff itself and leads up to a trail along the top.
Alberta Legislature Building (Edmonton)
Built between 1907 and 1913 in the Beaux-Arts style, it stands above the North Saskatchewan River near the last site of Fort Edmonton. Inside, a marble fountain fills the rotunda beneath the dome. Palms grown from seeds planted in 1932 now tower over the gallery.
Heritage Park Historical Village (Calgary)
Opened on July 1, 1964, it covers 127 acres on the shore of the Glenmore Reservoir. It’s Canada’s largest living history museum, showing western Canadian life from the 1860s to the 1950s. Many of its buildings were moved from towns across the region, and steam trains still run its loop.