Trichotillomania Support in the Northwest Territories
Find a therapist in the Northwest Territories who understands trichotillomania. Whether you pull your own hair or you’re supporting a child or someone you love, search by town or community, from Inuvik to Fort Smith, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in the Northwest Territories.
Find a therapist for trichotillomania in the Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories covers more than a million square kilometres, and about 46,000 people live here. It has 11 official languages, more than any other province or territory. Very few mental health professionals 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.
Live in the Sahtu, the Dehcho or a fly-in community in the Beaufort Delta? You can see who works online across the Northwest Territories.
We’re building the Northwest Territories 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 the Northwest Territories
Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Northwest Territories
Find a TherapistHow do I find a trichotillomania therapist near me in the Northwest Territories?›
Search our directory by town or community. 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 Yellowknife. Elsewhere, many people choose online sessions.
Can I have sessions online from anywhere in the Northwest Territories?›
Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in the territory, from Tuktoyaktuk to Fort Smith. Psychologists and social workers from other provinces usually need an NWT licence first. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by those rules.
How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in the Northwest Territories?›
Private sessions in the Northwest Territories usually cost $150 to $250, and many sit between $150 and $180. Psychologists tend to be at the top of the range. Every listing shows its own prices, and many people offer a free first call. Some workplace benefit plans, and Non-Insured Health Benefits for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients, pay part of the cost for some practitioner types.
What kinds of help are there for hair pulling in the Northwest Territories?›
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 the Northwest Territories?›
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 the Northwest Territories?›
We haven’t found a regular in-person group in the Northwest Territories 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 here, tell us and we’ll list it.
How common is hair pulling in the Northwest Territories?›
About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so roughly 450 to 900 people in the Northwest Territories. 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.
About half of the territory lives in Yellowknife, and that’s where most private practitioners work. Hay River, Inuvik and Fort Smith have far fewer. Several communities have no year-round road, so online sessions often make the most sense here. You can search the directory for the Northwest Territories to see who works in person and who works online.
Psychologists and social workers based outside the territory usually need an NWT licence 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.
The territory also runs a free Community Counselling Program, with counsellors in 20 communities. That route exists, but you usually can’t choose 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 if you’d like to. “Psychologist” and “social worker” are protected titles in the Northwest Territories. Both are licensed by the territory’s Professional Licensing office, which can confirm whether someone holds a current licence. There’s no online lookup, so email professional_licensing@gov.nt.ca. Counselling therapy isn’t regulated in the territory, 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 the Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). These national and territorial services are the most useful for people 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.
811 Mental Health and Wellness Line
The territory’s free, confidential line, answered by registered nurses 24 hours a day. You can call to talk about how you’re feeling, and interpretation is available in NWT Indigenous languages.
Kids Help Phone
Free, confidential support for children, teens and young adults, any time. Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
Hope for Wellness Help Line
Free counselling and crisis support for all Indigenous people across Canada, any time. Call 1-855-242-3310 or chat online.
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 the Northwest Territories
We haven’t found a regular in-person trichotillomania group in the Northwest Territories yet. Most people here who pull connect with others online, and for something this private, many 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 a group in the Northwest Territories? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.
A Name First Given in 1889
Trichotillomania got its name in 1889. A French dermatologist, François Henri Hallopeau, described a young man who pulled out his hair. He built the word from Greek: thrix for hair, tillein for to pull, and mania.
For a long time, doctors looked at hair pulling mainly through the skin and scalp. It entered the American psychiatric manual, the DSM, in 1987. The current edition, the DSM-5, places it among obsessive-compulsive and related conditions. The ICD-10 lists it under the code F63.3.
Today it also sits in a wider family, the BFRBs. That family includes skin picking, nail biting and cheek biting. Many people who pull do more than one of these.
This history matters for one reason. Hair pulling isn’t new, rare or a passing trend. People lived with it, and hid it, long before it had a name. It’s a recognized condition, not a bad habit, attention-seeking, self-harm or a lack of willpower.
Knowing it has a name, a long history and a place in medical manuals can change how it feels. It can make the first message to someone who understands a little easier to write.
About this page
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics; Government of the Northwest Territories (Health and Social Services professional licensing, Psychology Profession Regulations, Social Work Profession Act, Community Counselling Program, 811); Association of Psychologists of the Northwest Territories; Canadian Psychological Association; TherapyTribe and First Session therapy cost data (2026); Canadian BFRB Support Network; International OCD Foundation; Kids Help Phone; Hope for Wellness Help Line; 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 a Northwest Territories therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?
Be found by people looking for help with hair pulling across the Northwest Territories, in person or online.
About the Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a northern territory of about 46,000 people, between Yukon and Nunavut. Yellowknife, its capital and only city, began as a gold-mining town in the 1930s. It sits on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, the deepest lake in North America.
Hay River, on the lake’s south shore, is a transport hub where the highway, rail line and barges meet. Fort Smith sits on the Slave River at the edge of Wood Buffalo National Park. The Mackenzie River, Canada’s longest, runs north past Fort Simpson and Norman Wells to the Beaufort Delta. Inuvik was built in the 1950s above the Arctic Circle. Since 2017, an all-weather highway has linked it to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean.
Attractions in the Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories draws visitors for its waterfalls, wild rivers, northern lights and Arctic towns.
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (Yellowknife)
The territory’s museum and archives stands on the shore of Frame Lake, near the Legislative Assembly. Prince Charles opened it on April 3, 1979. Its galleries cover the cultures and history of the Northwest Territories, including northern aviation, and admission is free.
Nahanni National Park Reserve (near Fort Simpson)
The South Nahanni River cuts deep canyons through the Mackenzie Mountains here. In 1978, UNESCO made Nahanni one of the first World Heritage Sites. Its most famous sight is Virginia Falls, or Náįlįcho, a 96-metre drop almost twice the height of Niagara Falls.
Wood Buffalo National Park (Fort Smith)
Created in 1922 to protect wood bison, Canada’s largest national park covers almost 45,000 square kilometres across the Alberta border. It holds the only natural nesting area of the endangered whooping crane. In 2013 it became the world’s largest dark-sky preserve.
Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park (near Enterprise)
Here the Hay River drops 32 metres over Alexandra Falls into a limestone gorge. A few kilometres downstream, it falls again over the three-tiered Louise Falls. The park sits on the Mackenzie Highway, about 75 kilometres north of the Alberta border.
Our Lady of Victory Church (Inuvik)
Known as the Igloo Church, it was built by local volunteers between 1958 and 1960. Brother Maurice Larocque, a missionary and carpenter with no formal architectural training, gave it a round shape to cope with frost heave. Inside are Stations of the Cross painted by Inuvialuit artist Mona Thrasher.