Trichotillomania Support in Hawaii

Find a therapist in Hawaii who understands trichotillomania. Whether you pull your own hair or you’re supporting a child or someone you love, search by city or town, from Honolulu to Hilo, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Hawaii.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Hawaii

In Hawaii, the nearest person who understands hair pulling may be on another island. Most practitioners work on Oʻahu, and Hawaii hasn’t joined the agreements that let licensed clinicians from other states see you online. Helping you find people who already understand hair pulling, on whichever island you live, is the reason this directory exists.

The people listed include psychologists, counselors, psychotherapists, CBT therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and recovery coaches. Each listing shows how the person works, whether they see people in person, online or both, and what they charge. Each has a private contact form. If there’s nobody on your island yet, see who works online with people in Hawaii.

Open the full directory →

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Hawaii

Find a Therapist

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

Search the directory by town or city. In-person options are mostly in Honolulu and elsewhere on Oʻahu, with fewer in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Maui and Kauaʻi. Everyone listed has told us they understand hair pulling, and each listing shows how they work, what they charge and how to get in touch.

Can I have sessions online from a neighbor island in Hawaii?›

Yes. Online sessions work anywhere in Hawaii with a steady internet connection. Licensed clinicians usually need a Hawaii license to see you while you’re in the state; hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches don’t. Choose Online in the search to see who works with people in Hawaii.

How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in Hawaii?›

Most private sessions in Hawaii cost $130 to $250, and many cost around $180 to $220. It’s one of the priciest states for therapy. Every listing shows its own prices, and some insurance plans pay part of the cost for some types of practitioner.

What kinds of help are there for hair pulling in Hawaii?›

People work with psychologists, counselors, psychotherapists, CBT therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful. What everyone in this directory has in common is that they understand hair pulling.

Do I need a doctor’s note or a diagnosis to get help in Hawaii?›

No. You can contact anyone listed directly, today. You don’t need a doctor’s note, a diagnosis or a label to get in touch.

My child is pulling their hair. What should I do first?›

Stay steady, and don’t tell them off or ask them to just stop, because that reliably makes pulling worse. Read The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania, then look for someone whose listing says they work with children and teens.

Are there trichotillomania support groups in Hawaii?›

Not just for hair pulling right now. A free OCD support group meets monthly in Honolulu, and the International OCD Foundation lists hair pulling groups that meet online. NAMI Hawaii runs free general mental health groups across the islands. If you run a group, tell us and we’ll list it.

How common is hair pulling in Hawaii?›

About 1 in 50 people pull their hair, so thousands of people in Hawaii live with it. It usually starts around ages 10 to 13, and most people who pull have never knowingly met someone else who does.

How to get in touch with a therapist

You can contact anyone listed right now. You don’t need a doctor’s note or a diagnosis. Most listings say what sessions cost and whether the first call is free.

When you get in touch, say what it is: “I pull my hair. I’m looking for someone who understands trichotillomania.” It saves you explaining from scratch.

In-person options in Hawaii are mostly in Honolulu and elsewhere on Oʻahu. Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Maui and Kauaʻi have far fewer. From a neighbor island, seeing someone in Honolulu usually means a flight, so online sessions are how most people get a wider choice.

Hawaii isn’t part of the agreements that let psychologists and counselors licensed in other states work with you online. So most licensed clinicians need a Hawaii license to see you while you’re in the state. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by these rules, and some work from the mainland. Hawaii doesn’t change its clocks, so check start times: the West Coast is two or three hours ahead, depending on the time of year.

If you have Med-QUEST or insurance, you can also start through your doctor or a community mental health center. That route exists, and it often takes longer.

How to choose who to work with

People who pull find help from many kinds of practitioners: psychologists, counselors, psychotherapists, CBT therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful, and many try more than one kind of support over time.

If you’d like to check a clinician’s license, Hawaii licenses psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists and clinical social workers. Hawaii’s counselors use the title Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), where most states say LPC. Since July 2026, the state also licenses associates in psychology, counseling and marriage and family therapy, who work under supervision. You can look any of them up for free with the state’s public license search. Hypnotherapy, EFT and coaching aren’t licensed by the state and have 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?

Charities and groups in Hawaii

Hawaii has no charity or group just for hair pulling or skin picking. These organizations can still help, and most of them work across all the islands.

International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)

The main US home for support with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), the group of conditions that includes hair pulling and skin picking. Its Find Help directory lists hair pulling support groups, many of which meet online.

NAMI Hawaii

The Hawaii branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, with affiliates on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island. It runs free peer and family support groups, many of them online. They aren’t about hair pulling, but they’re a free place to talk.

Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi

A statewide nonprofit founded in 1942, with offices in Honolulu and on Maui. Its weekday help line helps people and families find mental health services across the islands.

Aloha United Way 211

A free, confidential service. Dial 2-1-1 or search online to find counseling and other services near you.

Hawaiʻi CARES 988

Hawaii’s own crisis line, answered by local counselors 24 hours a day. Call or text 988 from an 808 number, or call 808-832-3100 (toll-free 1-800-753-6879) from any phone.

Support groups in Hawaii

There’s no in-person hair pulling group in Hawaii right now. Most people who pull connect online, which also gets around the distance between islands.

OCD Support Group of Hawaii: a free monthly group in Honolulu, listed by the IOCDF. It focuses on OCD rather than hair pulling, but it’s the closest regular on-island group.
IOCDF hair pulling support groups: the IOCDF’s Find Help directory lists groups for people who pull, many meeting by video. Most run on mainland time, so check the start time in Hawaii time.
NAMI Hawaii groups: free peer and family groups for general mental health support, most of them online.

For parents: watching your child pull is its own kind of hard. The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.

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

Understanding hair pulling: the sensory side

For many people, pulling is tied to touch as much as feeling. Fingers go looking for a particular hair: one that feels coarse, kinked, wiry or out of place. Some people roll a hair between their fingers, run it along their lips or look closely at the root once it comes out. Others describe a tingle or itch in one spot that builds until a hair is pulled, and then eases.

Pulling often happens when the hands and mind are under-occupied. Reading, driving, scrolling a phone, watching TV and lying awake at night are common times. Many people don’t notice they’ve started until several hairs are already out. Others pull in a focused way, hunting for “the right one” in front of a mirror.

None of this is about vanity, attention or wanting to cause damage. Trichotillomania is a body-focused repetitive behavior, recognized in the DSM-5 and ICD-10 (F63.3). It usually starts around ages 10 to 13, though it can begin at any age. It isn’t a bad habit, self-harm or a lack of willpower. Knowing that the pull is partly about sensation can take some of the shame out of it. It also makes it easier to describe what happens to someone who understands.

About this page

Sources: PSYPACT Commission; Counseling Compact Commission; Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division; TherapyExplained and published Hawaii therapy fees (2026); International OCD Foundation; NAMI Hawaii; Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi; Aloha United Way 211; Hawaiʻi CARES 988; US Census Bureau.

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 Hawaii therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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About Hawaii

Hawaii is the only US state made up entirely of islands, and the only one in the tropics. Its eight main islands lie more than 2,000 miles from the mainland. About seven in ten residents live on Oʻahu, home to Honolulu, the state capital, as well as Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor and the North Shore.

Hawaiʻi Island, often called the Big Island, is larger than all the other islands combined. Hilo sits on its wet east side and Kailua-Kona on its dry west coast. Maui centers on Kahului and Wailuku, below the slopes of Haleakalā. Kauaʻi, the oldest of the main islands, runs from Līhuʻe to the sea cliffs of the Nā Pali Coast. Hawaiian is an official state language alongside English.

Attractions in Hawaii

People come to Hawaii for active volcanoes, the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and landscapes that shift from rainforest to alpine desert on a single island.

ʻIolani Palace

King Kalākaua completed this palace in downtown Honolulu in 1882, and it is the only official royal residence in the United States. It had electric lights before the White House. After the monarchy was overthrown, Queen Liliʻuokalani was confined to an upstairs room for about eight months in 1895. The restored palace opened as a museum in 1978.

Pearl Harbor National Memorial

On Oʻahu’s south shore, the white USS Arizona Memorial spans the sunken battleship, where 1,177 crew members died in the attack of December 7, 1941. Architect Alfred Preis designed it, and it was dedicated in 1962. Visitors reach it by boat from the visitor center, where exhibits cover the day of the attack.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Southwest of Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island, this park protects Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world’s most active volcanoes. It was created in 1916 and named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Trails and overlooks around Kīlauea’s summit look into its caldera, and Nāhuku, a lava tube, runs through the nearby rainforest.

Haleakalā National Park

Haleakalā rises to 10,023 feet above east Maui, and its summit area holds a vast basin of cinder cones. The ʻāhinahina, or Haleakalā silversword, grows on its slopes and nowhere else. First protected in 1916 with the Big Island volcanoes, it became its own national park in 1961. Its Kīpahulu District, on the coast near Hāna, holds the Pools of ʻOheʻo.

Waimea Canyon State Park

On Kauaʻi’s west side, Waimea Canyon runs about 14 miles long and up to 3,600 feet deep. Waimea means “reddish water,” after the red soil the river carries. Lookouts along the road that climbs from Waimea town show walls banded in red, orange and green. The road continues up to Kōkeʻe State Park.