Trichotillomania Support in Hertfordshire

Find a therapist in Hertfordshire 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 Watford to Royston, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Hertfordshire.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire built the world’s first garden city at Letchworth in 1903. In 1946, Stevenage became Britain’s first post-war new town. Both were planned to give people a better place to live. Yet very few of the professionals who work here learned about hair pulling in training. Connecting you with the ones who understand it is the reason this directory exists.

Everyone listed has told us they understand hair pulling and already help people who pull. You’ll find therapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Each listing shows how the person works, whether they see people in person, online or both, and what they charge.

Many people listed work online, so you can also see who works online across Hertfordshire.

We’re building the Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Hertfordshire

Find a Therapist

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

Search our directory by town or city, such as Watford, St Albans, Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead or Hertford. 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 Hertfordshire?›

Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in Hertfordshire, from Tring to Bishop’s Stortford. 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 Hertfordshire?›

Private sessions in Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire?›

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 Hertfordshire?›

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

How common is hair pulling in Hertfordshire?›

An estimated 1–2% of people have trichotillomania, so roughly 12,000 to 24,000 people in Hertfordshire. It’s a body-focused repetitive behaviour recognised in the DSM-5 and ICD-10, 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 today through their private contact form. 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 a good fit.

Most practitioners in the county work in the south-west towns of Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. Stevenage, Hitchin, Hertford and Welwyn Garden City have smaller groups. Around Royston, Buntingford and the villages of the north-east, there are far fewer. Online sessions close that gap. The UK has no county rules on who can work with you online, so anyone listed can see you wherever you live in Hertfordshire.

You can also refer yourself to Hertfordshire Talking Therapies, the county’s NHS Talking Therapies service. 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, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful.

If you’d like to check someone’s registration, the UK has free public lookups:

HCPC Check the Register for practitioner psychologists. “Practitioner psychologist”, “clinical psychologist” and “counselling psychologist” are protected titles in the UK.
PSA Check a Practitioner for Accredited Registers, which include many counsellors, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists.

“Counsellor” and “therapist” aren’t protected titles. Many good kinds of help sit outside state regulation and 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 Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). These groups serve people across the county.

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.

Hertfordshire Mind Network

A local Mind working across all ten districts of the county from its Wellbeing Centres. Its Nightlight crisis service runs a helpline and crisis cafés every evening for adults in distress.

Mind in Mid Herts

An independent charity affiliated to national Mind, formed in 2007. It runs wellbeing centres in St Albans, Stevenage, Hertford and Hatfield for people aged 16 and over, with peer support groups and counselling.

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 Hertfordshire

We haven’t found an in-person hair pulling group in Hertfordshire yet. Online groups are the main option, and anyone in the county can join:

BFRB UK & Ireland adults group: a free peer-led Zoom group, 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 Hertfordshire group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

The Sensory Side of Pulling

For many people, pulling begins in the fingertips. A hand drifts to the scalp, brows or lashes and starts to search. Often it’s looking for one particular hair: one that feels coarse, wiry, kinked or out of place.

Once that hair is found, the sensations matter. Some people feel a small release as it comes free. Some look closely at the root, roll the hair between their fingers or run it across their lips. Others notice a tingle or an itch in one spot beforehand, which pulling seems to settle.

None of this is strange, and none of it is rare. People who pull describe these details again and again, at every age. These sensations help explain why the urge can feel so strong. Trichotillomania is not a bad habit, not self-harm, not attention-seeking and not a lack of willpower.

The sensory side is often the hardest part to say out loud. It can feel too odd or too private to describe. Yet these details help a practitioner understand what pulling is like for you. Someone who understands hair pulling will have heard them before.

About this page

Sources: Office for National Statistics (Census 2021); UK Parliament; Town and Country Planning Association; BFI; Hertfordshire private session fee data (2026); Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (Hertfordshire Talking Therapies); Health and Care Professions Council; Professional Standards Authority; BFRB UK & Ireland; Hertfordshire Mind Network; Mind in Mid Herts; Hertfordshire County Council; Samaritans.

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 Hertfordshire therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

Be found by people looking for help with hair pulling across Hertfordshire, in person or online.

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About Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a county of market towns and planned towns just north of London. Hertford is the county town. St Albans, built beside the Roman town of Verulamium, is its only city. Watford, in the south-west, is the largest town. Letchworth became the first garden city in 1903, and Welwyn Garden City followed in 1920. Stevenage was the first new town after the Second World War. Hatfield is home to the University of Hertfordshire.

In the west, the county rises into the Chiltern Hills around Tring and Berkhamsted. In the east, the Lee Valley Regional Park follows the River Lea south from Ware towards London. Harpenden is home to Rothamsted, an agricultural research station founded in 1843. The north-east, around Royston and Buntingford, is quieter farming country.

Attractions in Hertfordshire

People come to Hertfordshire for its Tudor and Jacobean houses, the homes of a playwright and a sculptor, and a Victorian natural history museum.

Hatfield House (Hatfield)

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, finished this Jacobean house in 1611. It stands beside the Tudor royal palace where Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood, and part of that Old Palace survives in the grounds. The Marble Hall holds the Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth. The Cecil family still lives here.

Knebworth House (near Stevenage)

The Lytton family has lived at Knebworth since 1490. From 1843, the Victorian novelist and politician Edward Bulwer-Lytton turned the red-brick Tudor house into a Gothic mansion of turrets and gargoyles. His friend Charles Dickens staged amateur plays in the hall. The park is known for outdoor rock concerts, from Led Zeppelin to Oasis.

Natural History Museum at Tring (Tring)

Walter Rothschild collected animals from boyhood. In 1889 his father built this museum on the family’s Tring Park estate, and it opened to the public in 1892. Rothschild left it to the nation when he died in 1937. Its Victorian galleries are packed with mounted mammals, birds and insects, and entry is free.

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens (Perry Green)

Sculptor Henry Moore and his wife Irina moved to this hamlet near Bishop’s Stortford in 1940, after the Blitz damaged their London home. They stayed until his death in 1986. His large sculptures stand across almost 70 acres of lawns, orchard and sheep fields. His studios are kept as he used them.

Shaw’s Corner (Ayot St Lawrence)

George Bernard Shaw lived in this Arts and Crafts house from 1906 until his death in 1950. He wrote in a small hut at the bottom of the garden that turned on a track to follow the sun. He called it London, so visitors could be told he was away. The National Trust cares for the house, left much as he kept it.