Trichotillomania Support in Northamptonshire

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.

There’s more in our guide to how to talk to someone who can help.

Northamptonshire has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). The UK’s BFRB charity runs its groups online, and the county has its own independent Mind. These are the organisations most useful to people in Northamptonshire who pull.

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

Many people who pull describe the same loop, even if they’ve never put it into words.

It often starts with a feeling. That might be tension, boredom, restlessness or a pull towards one particular hair. Some people search for a hair that feels coarse, kinked or “wrong”. Others notice nothing until they look down and see hairs on the desk.

The pull itself usually brings a moment of relief. Some people describe it as satisfying or calming. It rarely hurts in the moment, which is one reason trichotillomania is not self-harm. The aim is to settle a feeling, not to cause pain.

Then the relief fades. What follows is often regret, counting the damage, and a promise that it won’t happen again. That shame adds its own tension, and tension is often what started the loop in the first place.

This is why “just stop” misses the mark. Trichotillomania is not a bad habit, not attention-seeking and not a lack of willpower. It’s a recognised condition with its own pattern. Notice when the urge comes, what the pull feels like and what follows. That picture of your own loop is a useful thing to bring to a first conversation.