Trichotillomania Support in Missouri

Find a therapist in Missouri 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 St. Louis to Kansas City, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Missouri.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Missouri

Missouri was one of the first states to join the agreement that lets psychologists work online across state lines. But online reach doesn’t help if the person on the other end has never heard of hair pulling. Finding someone who understands it is the hard part, and it’s the reason this directory exists.

The directory includes therapists, counselors, psychologists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners, and BFRB coaches. Every listing explains 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 Ozarks or the farm country of northern Missouri, you can see who works online across Missouri. New people join regularly.

Open the full directory →

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Missouri

Find a Therapist

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

Search the directory by your city or town, or choose Online to see people who work with clients anywhere in Missouri. Every listing shows how the person works, whether they see people in person or online, what they charge, and has a private contact form.

Can I have sessions online from anywhere in Missouri?›

Yes. Anyone licensed in Missouri can see you online wherever you live in the state. Missouri was also one of the first states to join an agreement that lets many licensed psychologists in other states work with you online. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by those rules.

How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in Missouri?›

Private sessions in Missouri usually cost $100–$200, with around $120–$150 typical. St. Louis County suburbs such as Clayton and Ladue tend to sit at the higher end. Every listing shows its own prices, and many people offer a free first call.

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

Missourians who pull work with therapists, counselors, psychologists, occupational therapists, hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners, and BFRB coaches. Different people find different things helpful. What everyone listed here shares is that they understand hair pulling.

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

No. You can contact anyone listed in the directory directly, without a doctor’s note and without a diagnosis. Just say you pull your hair and want someone who understands trichotillomania.

My child pulls their hair. What do I do first?›

Stay steady and don’t tell them off; pressure and punishment reliably make pulling worse. Read The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania to understand what your child is going through, then look for someone whose listing says they work with children and teens.

Are there trichotillomania support groups in Missouri?›

We haven’t found an in-person hair pulling group in Missouri right now. Online BFRB groups listed by the International OCD Foundation are open to Missourians, and NAMI Missouri runs general peer groups in person and online. If you run one, tell us and we’ll list it for free.

How common is hair pulling in Missouri?›

Trichotillomania affects about 1 in 50 people, which means tens of thousands of Missourians. It usually starts around ages 10–13 but can begin at any age. Most people who pull have never knowingly met another person who does. Read our complete guide to trichotillomania.

How to get in touch with a therapist

You can contact anyone listed here directly, today. You don’t need a doctor’s note, and you don’t need a diagnosis. Use the private contact form on their listing, and say what it is: “I pull my hair. I’m looking for someone who understands trichotillomania.”

In Missouri, most people who understand hair pulling practice in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, about 250 miles apart, with smaller groups in Springfield and Columbia. In the Ozarks, the nearest city can be hours away. Online sessions mean you can work with someone who gets it from home, wherever you live in the state.

Both big metro areas cross state lines, so many nearby clinicians are licensed in Kansas or Illinois. A licensed clinician needs the right to practice in Missouri to see you while you’re in Missouri. Psychologists in many states can do this through the online agreement Missouri joined in 2020. A similar agreement for counselors has passed in Missouri but isn’t up and running here yet. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by these rules.

MO HealthNet (the state’s Medicaid program), insurance through work or your local community mental health center can also connect you with someone. That route exists, but it often takes longer and you usually can’t choose a person who understands hair pulling.

How to choose who to work with

People who pull find help from many directions: therapists, counselors, psychologists, hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP practitioners, occupational therapists and coaches. Different people find different things helpful.

If you’d like to check a licensed clinician, use the free MOPRO License Search from the Missouri Division of Professional Registration. It covers psychologists, professional counselors (LPC), clinical social workers (LCSW) and marriage and family therapists. Many other kinds of help, like hypnotherapy, EFT, NLP and coaching, 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?

Charities and groups in Missouri

Missouri has no charity just for hair pulling or skin picking. It does have a statewide OCD organization that covers related conditions, plus statewide mental health support.

International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)

The main US home for BFRB support (BFRB stands for body-focused repetitive behavior, the group that includes hair pulling and skin picking). It runs online events and keeps a directory of support groups, including online groups for people who pull.

OCD Missouri

The official Missouri affiliate of the IOCDF. It raises awareness of OCD and related conditions, and has hosted an OCD awareness walk and a mini-conference in St. Louis. It doesn’t offer therapy itself.

NAMI Missouri

The Jefferson City-based state organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, working with local affiliates from Greater Kansas City to Springfield. Its free peer groups and family classes aren’t about hair pulling. They’re open to anyone living with a mental health condition and the people close to them.

Missouri 988

Missouri’s part of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Seven 988 centers answer calls, texts and chats from every county in the state, including the City of St. Louis. If you’re struggling, call or text 988 any time, day or night. It’s free and confidential.

Support groups in Missouri

We haven’t found an in-person group just for hair pulling anywhere in Missouri right now. Most Missourians who want to meet others who pull do it online:

Online BFRB groups: the IOCDF support group directory lists groups for adults who pull or pick that are open to people anywhere in the US.
NAMI Connection groups: free peer-led groups for adults with any mental health condition. NAMI Missouri and its affiliates run them in person and online, including virtual groups open statewide.
NAMI Hope Center, Springfield: NAMI Southwest Missouri runs free drop-in peer support groups downtown every day. They’re for any mental health condition, not hair pulling alone.

For parents: The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.

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

Hair pulling’s wider family

Trichotillomania belongs to a larger group called body-focused repetitive behaviors, or BFRBs. The group also includes skin picking (dermatillomania), nail biting, cheek biting and lip chewing. What links them is the target. Each one is aimed at your own hair, skin or nails, in a way that looks a little like grooming gone too far.

Many people who pull also pick or bite. Some pull for years, then find picking takes over for a while, or the other way round. Others move between eyebrows, scalp and lashes. This can feel confusing, as if you’re collecting problems. In fact it’s common. The behaviors share the same pattern of urge, action and brief relief.

BFRBs are not self-harm. People aren’t trying to hurt themselves, even when the result leaves a mark. They aren’t a bad habit or a lack of willpower either. Researchers group them together because they seem to work in similar ways in the body and brain.

Knowing about the wider family can take some of the shame out of it. If you pull and pick, you don’t have two unrelated secrets. You have two sides of the same thing, and it’s one that many other people share.

About this page

Sources: Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (PSYPACT); Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors and the Counseling Compact Commission; Missouri Division of Professional Registration and MOPRO License Search; SimplePractice therapy rate data; published Missouri therapy cost data (2024–2026); International OCD Foundation (including its support group directory); OCD Missouri; NAMI Missouri; NAMI Southwest Missouri; Missouri Department of Mental Health and Missouri 988; U.S. 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 Missouri therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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About Missouri

Missouri is the Show-Me State, with Jefferson City as its capital and Kansas City as its largest city. The Missouri River crosses the state from west to east and meets the Mississippi just north of St. Louis. Across the south, the Ozark hills hold springs, caves and the Mark Twain National Forest.

St. Louis anchors the east. The Hill is its Italian-American neighborhood, and Soulard is known for its brick rowhouses and Soulard Market. Kansas City sits on the western border, where the 18th & Vine district is known for jazz. Springfield is the largest city in the Ozarks, and Columbia is home to the University of Missouri. Branson, near the Arkansas line, is known for its live music theaters.

Attractions in Missouri

Missouri’s landmarks run from river towns on the Mississippi to the lakes and bluffs of the Ozarks.

Gateway Arch, St. Louis

Eero Saarinen’s 630-foot stainless steel arch won a national design competition in 1947–48. Building began in 1963 and finished on October 28, 1965. A tram carries visitors to the top. Two blocks west, the Old Courthouse hosted the first two trials in the Dred Scott case, in 1847 and 1850.

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City

The museum opened on December 11, 1933, and general admission is free. Steven Holl’s Bloch Building, opened in 2007, lights its galleries through five glass boxes set into the lawn. Four giant Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen stand on the grounds.

Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City

Built from 1913 to 1917 on a bluff above the Missouri River, it replaced a capitol destroyed by fire in 1911. In the House Lounge, Thomas Hart Benton’s 1936 mural shows everyday Missouri life, from frontier days to the city. The Missouri State Museum is on the ground floor.

Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, Hannibal

Samuel Clemens lived in this house on the Mississippi from 1844 to 1853. The town became St. Petersburg in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The home has been open as a museum since 1912. The museum gallery holds 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings for Twain’s books.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Camdenton

Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder began a European-style stone castle here in 1905. His sons finished it in 1922, and a fire gutted it in 1942. Its ruins stand on a bluff above the Lake of the Ozarks. Trails lead to a spring, sinkholes, caves and a natural bridge.