Trichotillomania Support in County Durham

Find a therapist in County Durham 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 Barnard Castle to Hartlepool, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in County Durham.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in County Durham

County Durham runs from the North Sea coast at Seaham to the high moors of Weardale and Teesdale. Most people live in towns and former pit villages spread across the old coalfield, not in one big city. Few of the practitioners who work here learned about hair pulling in training. Connecting you with people who already understand it is the reason this directory exists.

Everyone listed here has told us they understand trichotillomania and already help people who pull. The directory includes therapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Every listing shows 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 the nearest town is a long bus ride away, see who works online across County Durham.

We’re building the County Durham 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 County Durham

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in County Durham

Find a Therapist

How do I find a trichotillomania therapist near me in County Durham?›

Search our directory by town, such as Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Bishop Auckland or Chester-le-Street. Every listing explains 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 County Durham?›

Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in County Durham, from the Durham coast to the top of Weardale. UK registration isn’t split by county, and hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t tied to one area either.

How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in County Durham?›

Private sessions in County Durham usually cost £45 to £110, with around £60 to £75 typical. Every listing shows its own prices, and many people offer a free first call. Some private health insurance pays part of the cost for some practitioner types.

What kinds of help are there for hair pulling?›

People who pull work with therapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, 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 GP referral or a diagnosis to get help in County Durham?›

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, and look for someone in the directory whose listing says they work with children and teens.

Are there trichotillomania support groups in County Durham?›

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in County Durham yet. BFRB UK & Ireland runs free monthly online groups for adults, for under-18s, and for parents and loved ones. If you run a group in County Durham, tell us and we’ll list it for free.

How common is hair pulling in County Durham?›

About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so roughly 18,000 people across County Durham. It’s a recognised 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 GP referral or a diagnosis first.

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 County Durham work in and around Durham city, Darlington, Stockton and Hartlepool. People in the north of the county can also reach Newcastle and Sunderland. Weardale and Teesdale have very few. Online sessions close that gap. UK registration isn’t split by county, so anyone listed can work with you online wherever you live in County Durham.

You can also refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies, which Durham and Darlington Talking Therapies runs for most of the county. 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, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful. What matters most is that you feel understood.

You can also check a clinician’s registration. Titles such as “clinical psychologist” and “counselling psychologist” are protected by law in the UK. The Health and Care Professions Council keeps a free register lookup for them. Many counsellors, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists belong to registers approved by the Professional Standards Authority, which runs its own practitioner check. Other good kinds of help aren’t regulated at all and belong to their own associations instead.

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 County Durham

County Durham has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). The UK’s BFRB charity runs its groups online, and two local Minds cover the south and east of the county. These are the organisations most useful to people in County Durham who pull.

BFRB UK & Ireland

A peer-led charitable organisation for hair pulling, skin picking and related behaviours. Its volunteers have BFRBs themselves. It runs free online groups for adults, for under-18s, and for parents and loved ones.

OCD Action

A national charity for OCD and related conditions, including BFRBs. Its website has plain-language information on hair pulling, and it runs a helpline and free online groups for OCD and BDD.

Darlington Mind

A local mental health charity that has been open since 1979. It serves Darlington and South Durham, with support for adults and for young people aged 11 to 18.

Hartlepool and East Durham Mind

A local Mind, also known as Let’s Connect, based in Hartlepool. It offers mental health support in Hartlepool and the east of the county.

Samaritans

Call 116 123 free, any time of day or night, if things ever feel too much to handle on your own.

Support groups in County Durham

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in County Durham yet. Most people here who pull connect with others online, and for something this private, many find that easier.

BFRB UK & Ireland adults group: a free peer-led group on Zoom, once a month, for anyone 18 or over who pulls or picks.
BFRB UK & Ireland under-18s group: a monthly Zoom group for children and teens aged 7 to 18.
BFRB UK & Ireland parents and loved ones group: a monthly Zoom group for anyone supporting someone who pulls.

For parents: our guide The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.

Do you run a County Durham group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

The Hidden Weight of Keeping It Secret

For many people, the hardest part of trichotillomania isn’t the pulling. It’s the hiding.

Hiding takes work, every day. People fill in brows with pencil, wear false lashes, and style their hair over thin patches. Some always wear a hat or a headscarf. They sit where the light won’t show the gaps. Swimming, windy days, hairdressers and sleepovers can all feel risky.

Hiding also shapes relationships. Some people avoid getting close to others, or keep friends at arm’s length, in case someone notices. Many have never told a partner, a parent or their closest friend. Most have never knowingly met another person who pulls.

This silence is part of the condition, not a personal failing. Trichotillomania is not a bad habit, not attention-seeking, not self-harm and not a lack of willpower. It affects about 1 in 50 people, yet so few talk about it that each person tends to believe they’re the only one.

That’s why a first message can feel so big. It may be the first time you’ve written the words down. Writing to someone who already understands hair pulling means you won’t have to explain or defend it.

About this page

Sources: Durham Therapy, Durham City Counselling, Andrew Fleming Counselling, Melanie Hudson and Select Psychology (session cost data); Health and Care Professions Council; Professional Standards Authority; BFRB UK & Ireland; OCD Action; Darlington Mind; Hartlepool and East Durham Mind (Let’s Connect); Samaritans; Durham and Darlington Talking Therapies; Office for National Statistics (Census 2021).

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 County Durham therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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About County Durham

County Durham is a county in North East England. Darlington is its largest town, and the city of Durham is its historic centre. It runs from the North Sea coast to the moors of the North Pennines. In Upper Teesdale, the River Tees drops 21 metres at High Force.

Durham sits on a tight loop of the River Wear, and its university, founded in 1832, fills the streets around the cathedral. In 1825 the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened as the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives. Hartlepool is the county’s port, with its marina on the old docks. Across the former coalfield, towns such as Consett, Chester-le-Street, Bishop Auckland and Seaham grew up around mining. Barnard Castle is the market town of Teesdale.

Attractions in County Durham

County Durham pairs a Norman cathedral and a bishops’ palace with an open-air museum, a French-style art gallery and a Georgian warship.

Durham Cathedral

Building began in 1093 over the grave of St Cuthbert, whose body monks had carried from Lindisfarne. The cathedral and Durham Castle became a UNESCO World Heritage Site together in 1986. St Cuthbert’s shrine lies behind the high altar. The Venerable Bede, often called the father of English history, is buried in the Galilee Chapel.

Beamish, near Stanley

Frank Atkinson, then director of the Bowes Museum, founded this open-air museum in 1970. It shows everyday life in the North East in the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s and 1950s. Many of its buildings were moved here from across the region and rebuilt. Trams and buses carry visitors between the town, the pit village and the farms.

The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

John and Joséphine Bowes built this French-style château as a public art gallery, and both died before it opened in 1892. It holds paintings by El Greco, Goya and Canaletto. Its most famous object is the Silver Swan, a life-size 18th-century clockwork automaton that preens and appears to catch a fish.

Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland

The Bishops of Durham lived here for more than 800 years. In 1756 Bishop Richard Trevor bought 12 of Francisco de Zurbarán’s 13 portraits of Jacob and his sons. They still hang in the Long Dining Room. The 13th, Benjamin, is a copy, because the original hangs at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire.

HMS Trincomalee, Hartlepool

The Wadia shipbuilders built this frigate from teak in Bombay, India, and launched her in 1817. She is Britain’s oldest warship still afloat, since the older HMS Victory sits in dry dock. She is the centrepiece of the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool. Below deck, you can see how her crew lived.