Trichotillomania Support in Montana

Find a therapist in Montana 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 Missoula to Billings, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Montana.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Montana

Montana is the fourth-largest state, with just over a million people. Fifty-one of its 56 counties are federally designated shortage areas for mental health professionals. So the nearest person who understands hair pulling may be a long drive away. Helping you find them, in person or online, 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 explains how the person works, whether they see people in person, online or both, and what they charge. Each has a private contact form. New people join regularly, and online sessions open up the whole state. See who works online with people in Montana.

Open the full directory →

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Montana

Find a Therapist

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

Search the directory by town or city. In-person options are mostly in Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena and Kalispell. 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 anywhere in Montana?›

Yes. Online sessions work anywhere with a steady internet connection. Psychologists in other member states can work with you online. Most counselors and social workers need a Montana license. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches don’t. Choose Online in the search to see who works with people in Montana.

How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in Montana?›

Most private sessions in Montana cost $100 to $200, with Bozeman toward the top of that range. 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 Montana?›

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 Montana?›

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 Montana?›

Not in person right now, as far as we know. Most Montanans who pull connect through online groups, such as those listed by the International OCD Foundation. NAMI Montana also runs free general mental health groups in several cities. If you run a group, tell us and we’ll list it.

How common is hair pulling in Montana?›

About 1 in 50 people pull their hair, so more than 20,000 Montanans 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.

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, most options are in Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena and Kalispell. On the eastern plains and in small ranch towns, the nearest practitioner may be hundreds of miles away. Online sessions bring them to your kitchen table, even in the middle of a Montana winter.

Montana joined the agreement for psychologists in 2025. Psychologists licensed in other member states can now work with you online. Montana has also signed the matching agreement for counselors, but it isn’t up and running here yet. For now, most counselors and social workers need a Montana license to see you while you’re in the state. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by these rules.

If you have Montana Medicaid 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. Many try more than one kind of support over time.

If you’d like to check a clinician’s license, Montana has two boards. The Board of Psychologists licenses psychologists. The Board of Behavioral Health licenses counselors, social workers and marriage and family therapists. You can look up anyone licensed by either board for free with the state’s license search. Many other kinds of help, like hypnotherapy, EFT and coaching, aren’t licensed by the state. They have their own professional 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 Montana

Montana has no charity or group just for hair pulling or skin picking. These organizations can still help, and all of them work statewide or online.

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 Montana

The Montana branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Its local affiliates in Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula and Southwest Montana run free peer and family support groups. They aren’t about hair pulling, but they’re a free place to talk with people who understand.

Montana 211

A free, statewide line that connects you with local services, including counseling. Dial 2-1-1 or search the website. Five nonprofits answer it, each covering one region of the state.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 anytime if distress becomes a crisis. Two of the nonprofits that answer Montana 211 also answer 988 calls.

Support groups in Montana

We don’t know of a regular in-person trichotillomania group in Montana right now. Most Montanans who pull connect online.

IOCDF hair pulling support groups: the IOCDF’s Find Help directory lists groups for people who pull, many meeting by video. All of Montana runs on Mountain time, so check each group’s start time against yours.
My BFRB on HealthUnlocked: a free online community for people with BFRBs, linked from the IOCDF’s BFRB pages. You can post without using your real name.
NAMI Montana groups: free peer groups for general mental health support, in person in several Montana cities and 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 Montana group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

Understanding hair pulling: why it isn’t about willpower

Many people who pull have been told to “just stop.” Some have told themselves the same thing for years. In a state that prizes toughing things out, that message can feel even louder.

But hair pulling doesn’t run on willpower. It often starts with an urge or a sensation. It might be an itch at the scalp or a hair that feels coarse or out of place. It might be tension that builds with nowhere to go. Pulling brings a moment of relief. Then the urge often returns, sometimes stronger. Much of the time, people pull without noticing at all, while reading, driving or scrolling.

That’s why trying harder so rarely changes much, and why failing to stop can feel so crushing. The problem was never a lack of grit. Strong, disciplined people pull. Ranchers, nurses, teachers and students pull.

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, attention-seeking or self-harm. It isn’t a character flaw. Knowing that can make it easier to talk about it with someone who understands.

About this page

Sources: Montana Healthcare Foundation; Montana Board of Psychologists; PSYPACT Commission; Montana Board of Behavioral Health; Counseling Compact Commission; Montana Department of Labor & Industry; published 2026 Montana therapy cost data; International OCD Foundation; NAMI Montana; Montana 211; 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; 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 Montana therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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

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About Montana

Montana is the fourth-largest state by area, with about 1.1 million people. Billings, the largest city, sits on the Yellowstone River in the south-central plains. Missoula is home to the University of Montana, and Bozeman to Montana State University. Helena, the capital, grew up along Last Chance Gulch after a gold strike in 1864. Butte was built on copper mining, and Great Falls on the Missouri River.

The Rocky Mountains fill the west of the state. Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake lie in the northwest, near Kalispell. Three of Yellowstone National Park’s five entrances are in Montana, at Gardiner, West Yellowstone and Cooke City. East of the mountains, prairie and badlands stretch to the Dakota border.

Attractions in Montana

People come to Montana for its mountains and parks, and for history that runs from dinosaur beds to the Little Bighorn.

Glacier National Park

In northwest Montana, Congress set this park aside in 1910. Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses it for about 50 miles, from West Glacier to St. Mary. The road took 11 years to build and was finished in 1932. It crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, 6,646 feet up.

Museum of the Rockies

In Bozeman, this museum is part of Montana State University and a Smithsonian Affiliate. Its Siebel Dinosaur Complex holds one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in North America. Highlights include Montana’s T. rex and “Big Al,” the most complete Allosaurus known. The Taylor Planetarium is in the same building.

Montana State Capitol

In Helena, the capitol’s main section was finished in 1902, with sandstone and granite walls and a copper dome. The wings followed in 1912. Charles M. Russell’s Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians at Ross’ Hole hangs in the House chamber. At about 12 by 25 feet, it’s the largest painting he ever made.

C.M. Russell Museum

In Great Falls, this museum holds more than 3,000 works of Western art, including nearly 1,000 by Charles M. Russell. His 1900 home stands on the grounds. So does the log cabin studio he built from cedar telephone poles in 1903. The house and studio are a National Historic Landmark.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Near Crow Agency, on the Crow Reservation, this monument marks the battle of June 25 and 26, 1876. Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors defeated the 7th Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Custer. It was renamed from Custer Battlefield in 1991, and the Indian Memorial was dedicated in 2003.