Trichotillomania Support in Greater Manchester

Find a therapist in Greater Manchester 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 Wigan to Stockport, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Greater Manchester.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Greater Manchester

In 2016 Greater Manchester became the first part of England to take charge of its own health and social care budget. About three million people live across its ten boroughs. Yet very few of the therapists and counsellors 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 nobody suitable is near your town, see who works online across Greater Manchester.

We’re building the Greater Manchester 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 Greater Manchester

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Greater Manchester

Find a Therapist

How do I find a trichotillomania therapist near me in Greater Manchester?›

Search our directory by town or city, such as Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Bolton, Wigan or Oldham. 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 Greater Manchester?›

Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in Greater Manchester, from Wigan to Saddleworth. 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 Greater Manchester?›

Private sessions in Greater Manchester usually cost £50 to £120, with around £60 to £90 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 Greater Manchester?›

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 Greater Manchester?›

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in Greater Manchester 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 Greater Manchester, tell us and we’ll list it for free.

How common is hair pulling in Greater Manchester?›

About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so roughly 57,000 people across Greater Manchester. 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.” How they reply tells you a lot about whether they’re the right fit.

Manchester city centre and south Manchester have the largest group of practitioners. Stockport, Altrincham, Sale, Bolton and Wigan each have their own. The Metrolink puts the city centre within reach of Bury, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne and Altrincham. From the moorland villages of Saddleworth, online sessions are often easier. UK registration isn’t split by county, so anyone listed can work with you online wherever you live in Greater Manchester.

You can also refer yourself to your borough’s NHS Talking Therapies service, or go through your GP in Salford. 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 if you’d like. 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 Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). The UK’s BFRB charity runs its groups online, and local charities cover young people and adults in the city. These are the organisations most useful to people in Greater Manchester 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.

42nd Street

A Greater Manchester charity for young people’s mental health and wellbeing, based in Ancoats. It offers free, confidential one-to-one support and groups for young people, plus advice for parents and carers.

Manchester Mind

The independent local Mind for the city of Manchester. It offers low-cost counselling for adults, peer support groups and advice, and works with four other local Minds across Greater Manchester.

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 Greater Manchester

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in Greater Manchester 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 Greater Manchester group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

The Pull-and-Relief Cycle

Many people who pull describe the same loop. Once you can see it, pulling starts to make more sense.

It often begins with a build-up. That might be tension, restlessness, an itch at the scalp, or a hair that feels coarse or out of place.

The pull brings a moment of relief. For some it feels like a release. For others it’s closer to satisfaction, or simply a few seconds of quiet.

Then the feeling often turns. You notice the hairs on the desk or a gap in a brow, and shame or frustration arrives. That discomfort can feed the next build-up, and the loop starts again.

This is why pulling is so hard to explain to someone who doesn’t do it. From outside it looks like a choice. From inside it feels more like a current. Trichotillomania is not a bad habit, not attention-seeking, not self-harm and not a lack of willpower.

Seeing the loop in your own days can help that first conversation. “I pull most when I’m winding down at night” gives the person you contact somewhere to start.

About this page

Sources: TherapyRoute, Rob Radcliffe Counselling, Wobble and All Health and Care (session cost data); Health and Care Professions Council; Professional Standards Authority; BFRB UK & Ireland; OCD Action; 42nd Street; Manchester Mind; Samaritans; Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust; Wikipedia (Greater Manchester).

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 Greater Manchester therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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About Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is England’s third most populous county, with close to three million people across ten boroughs. It was formed in 1974 from parts of Lancashire, Cheshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. The Pennines rise to the north and east, where Saddleworth Moor runs into the Peak District National Park.

Manchester and Salford are its two cities. Salford Quays, on the old docks, is home to MediaCityUK and several BBC departments. Bolton, Bury and Oldham grew as cotton towns. Rochdale is where the modern co-operative movement began, and Stockport and Denton were once the country’s leading hat-making towns. Wigan is a rugby league town, ringed by lakes called flashes that formed over old mine workings. To the south, Altrincham, Hale and Bramhall are commuter towns.

Attractions in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester’s attractions trace its industrial past, from cotton and hats to the first co-op shop.

John Rylands Library, Manchester

Enriqueta Rylands built this neo-Gothic library on Deansgate in memory of her husband, John. Basil Champneys designed it, and it opened to the public in 1900. It holds a Gutenberg Bible and the St John Fragment, which has a claim to be the oldest surviving New Testament text.

The Lowry, Salford Quays

Michael Wilford designed this steel-and-glass arts centre on Pier 8 of the old Salford docks, and it opened in 2000. Its galleries hold about 400 works by L. S. Lowry, including Going to the Match. The Lyric Theatre has the largest stage in the UK outside London’s West End.

Rochdale Pioneers Museum, Rochdale

The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society opened its shop at 31 Toad Lane on 21 December 1844, with a plank on barrels for a counter. The building is seen as the birthplace of the modern co-operative movement. It became a museum in 1931 and includes a recreation of the original shop.

Hat Works, Stockport

The UK’s only museum dedicated to hat-making opened in 2000 inside Wellington Mill, a fireproof cotton mill from the early 1830s. Hatting was one of Stockport’s biggest trades, and more than 3,000 people still worked in it in 1932. The mill’s 200-foot chimney was added in 1860.

Dunham Massey, near Altrincham

George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington, rebuilt this house in the early 18th century. The last Earl of Stamford left it and its 3,000-acre estate to the National Trust in 1976. Its deer park dates back to medieval times. Inside hangs Grinling Gibbons’ carving of the Crucifixion, his earliest known work.