Trichotillomania Support in Northumberland

Find a therapist in Northumberland 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 Berwick-upon-Tweed to Hexham, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Northumberland.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Northumberland

Northumberland is England’s least densely populated county. Most of its 331,000 people live in the south-east, around Blyth, Cramlington and Ashington. The rest are spread across hills, forest and coast up to the Scottish border. Few professionals 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 you live in the Cheviots, the Tyne valley or up near Berwick, see who works online across Northumberland.

We’re building the Northumberland 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 Northumberland

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Northumberland

Find a Therapist

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

Search our directory by town, such as Blyth, Cramlington, Ashington, Morpeth, Hexham or Berwick-upon-Tweed. 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 Northumberland?›

Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in Northumberland, from Berwick to Haltwhistle. 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 Northumberland?›

Private sessions in Northumberland usually cost £40 to £140, with around £60 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 Northumberland?›

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 Northumberland?›

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

How common is hair pulling in Northumberland?›

About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so roughly 6,600 people across Northumberland. 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 who see people from Northumberland work in Morpeth, Cramlington, Blyth and Hexham. Many more are just over the county line in Newcastle and North Tyneside. North Northumberland has far fewer, and Berwick is more than 60 miles from Newcastle. Online sessions close that gap. UK registration isn’t split by county, so anyone listed can work with you online wherever you live.

You can also refer yourself to NHS Northumberland Talking Therapies if you’re 16 or over and registered with a Northumberland GP. 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. Feeling understood matters more than any label.

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 Northumberland

Northumberland 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 charities cover the whole county. These are the organisations most useful to people in Northumberland 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 support groups.

Tyneside and Northumberland Mind

The local Mind for Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead and both Tynesides. It runs a support line for anyone 16 or over, and monthly wellbeing groups in Alnwick and Berwick.

Cygnus Support

A mental health charity based in Ashington, founded in 1984 as the Women’s Health Advice Centre. It offers one-to-one counselling across Northumberland, in Ashington, at outreach venues and by phone.

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 Northumberland

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in Northumberland yet. In a county this spread out, most people who pull connect with others online, and 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 Northumberland group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

The Silence Before the Search

Most people who pull keep it to themselves for years before they look for help.

It often starts around the age of 10 to 13. Few children have a word for what’s happening. They only know they can’t seem to stop, and that it feels like something to hide. So they hide it. A fringe covers thin patches. A hat, a ponytail or make-up covers the rest. Some avoid swimming, windy days or the hairdresser.

Hiding takes effort, and it brings its own weight. Many people believe they are the only one. Most have never knowingly met another person who pulls, even though about 1 in 50 people do. Some are told it’s a bad habit and they should just stop. That makes the shame worse, not the pulling better.

For many, the turning point is finding out it has a name. Trichotillomania is a recognised condition, listed in the DSM-5 and ICD-10. It belongs to a family called body-focused repetitive behaviours, or BFRBs, along with skin picking and nail biting. It is not a bad habit, not attention-seeking, not self-harm and not a lack of willpower.

Knowing that can make the first message to someone feel less like a confession. It’s simply describing something real.

About this page

Sources: Pete Askew Therapy, Calonlan Counselling, Select Psychology and TherapyRoute (session cost data); Health and Care Professions Council; Professional Standards Authority; BFRB UK & Ireland; OCD Action; Tyneside and Northumberland Mind; Cygnus Support; Samaritans; NHS Northumberland Talking Therapies (Mental Health Matters); Northumberland (Wikipedia).

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 Northumberland therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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About Northumberland

Northumberland is England’s northernmost county, running from the Tyne to the Scottish border. About a quarter of it is Northumberland National Park, which takes in the Cheviot Hills and a long stretch of Hadrian’s Wall. To the west, Kielder Water sits inside England’s largest forest. With the national park, it forms the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, Europe’s largest area of protected night sky.

Most people live in the south-east, in the former mining towns of Ashington, Bedlington and Blyth, and in Cramlington and Morpeth, the county town. Hexham is the market town of the Tyne valley. Alnwick has been home to the Percy family, later the Dukes of Northumberland, for more than 700 years. Berwick-upon-Tweed sits in the far north, a few miles from Scotland. The county has more castles than any other in England.

Attractions in Northumberland

Northumberland pairs a Roman frontier and an early Christian island with a coast and countryside lined with castles.

Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island

The Irish monk Aidan founded a monastery here around 634, at the request of King Oswald. The Lindisfarne Gospels were made here in the early 700s. A Viking raid in 793 is often taken as the start of the Viking Age. The ruins belong to the priory rebuilt after 1093. A causeway reaches the island at low tide.

Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh

The castle stands on a crag of volcanic dolerite above the beach. The site became the seat of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Bernicia in 547, and the Normans built the core of today’s castle. In 1464 it became the first British castle taken by gunfire. William Armstrong bought it in 1894 and completed its restoration.

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick

Its first parts went up around 1096, and the Percy family have owned it since the early 1300s. After Windsor, it is the second-largest inhabited castle in England. Capability Brown landscaped the park beside the River Aln. The castle stood in for Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films.

Cragside, near Rothbury

A Victorian house built for the industrialist William Armstrong and enlarged by the architect Richard Norman Shaw from 1869. It was the first house in the world lit by hydroelectric power, and Joseph Swan’s light bulbs were fitted in 1880. Armstrong dammed five lakes on the estate. The National Trust has owned it since 1977.

Housesteads Roman Fort, Hadrian’s Wall

Built around AD 124 on a ridge of the Whin Sill, it is one of the most complete forts on Hadrian’s Wall. Its later garrison included a cohort of Tungrians from what is now Belgium. Its stone latrines are among the most complete in Roman Britain. The National Trust owns the site, and English Heritage looks after it.