Online Trauma Counselling · Reading

Online Trauma Counselling in Reading

Online trauma counselling for Reading, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Reading — from the centre and the university quarter to the streets around the Thames — with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, counsellor in Brighton & Hove, introducing his approach to therapy
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Reading

Trauma Counselling for Reading, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Reading: from the centre and the university quarter to Caversham, Tilehurst and Earley
Known for
The Thames, the Oracle and the Kennet
Region
London & South East (England)
Local NHS / support route
NHS Berkshire Talking Therapies
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Reading

Why people in Reading reach out

Reading sits at the heart of the Thames Valley tech corridor, and with that comes a particular kind of pressure: demanding jobs, a long daily commute into London or along the M4, and a cost of living that keeps the foot on the accelerator. It is easy here for the days to blur together and for stress to harden quietly into something heavier.

With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.

Reading is a Thames Valley tech and commercial hub - Microsoft's UK headquarters is at Thames Valley Park - and home to the University of Reading and the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The local picture

The local picture in Reading

These figures are local context from official sources — not a description of you — but they show the scale of what people in and around Reading are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The trauma counselling itself

Trauma counselling here is gentle and led by you, drawing on methods designed for trauma including the Human Givens Rewind Technique, so a difficult memory is returned to ordinary recall.

The approach is the same wherever you live, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full — the methods, what each session covers and fees — on the main trauma counselling page and on how I work.

How online sessions work

Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop — no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online trauma counselling in Reading can help

Intrusive memories

Support for flashbacks, nightmares and re-experiencing.

Hypervigilance

Help when your nervous system is stuck on high alert.

Numbness and avoidance

For when you cope by shutting down.

Trauma behind addiction

Healing the wound that drives the habit.

Sub-threshold trauma

Reaching the quieter, accumulated hurts.

Feeling safe again

Working always at a pace that is led by you.

Finding support in Reading

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Reading, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Berkshire Talking Therapies for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.

Private sessions with me usually mean you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout; I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Reading questions

Online Trauma Counselling in Reading: common questions

Can I get online trauma counselling if I live in Reading?

Yes. I work with people right across Reading, from the centre and the university quarter outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, by secure video — no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

Do I have to describe what happened in detail?

No. Methods like the Human Givens Rewind let us process a memory without you reliving it or even speaking the detail aloud.

Is it safe to do trauma work online?

Yes, when it is paced carefully. We go slowly, keep you grounded, and you stay in control of what we approach and when.

What if I get overwhelmed during a session?

We build in ways to settle and pause, and never move faster than feels safe. Being in your own space online can make that easier.

Online Trauma Counselling in Reading, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start — no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available online across London & South East: Slough, Oxford, Basingstoke, London. See all of London & South East.

Other online support from Reading: Addiction, Substance Use, Drinking, Anxiety, Depression, Relationship.