I offer online therapy for PTSD and complex PTSD to adults anywhere in the UK. I’m a Clinical Psychologist with 25+ years in mental health, 15+ as a Clinical Psychologist, and I’m trained in EMDR and IFS.
My trauma work includes time treating people with PTSD at the Traumatic Stress Service at Springfield Hospital in Tooting, London.
What is PTSD?
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can develop after something frightening or overwhelming, such as an assault, an accident, a sudden loss or a threat to your life. The memory doesn’t settle like other memories. It may come back as flashbacks, nightmares or a body that stays on high alert. Many people start avoiding places, people or feelings that remind them of what happened.
This isn’t weakness. It’s your nervous system still trying to protect you.
Common signs of PTSD
PTSD looks different for everyone. The signs usually fall into four groups:
Reliving it
Flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive images or sounds, and strong body reactions to reminders, like a racing heart or feeling sick.
Avoiding it
Staying away from places, people or conversations linked to what happened. Keeping busy so you don’t have to think. Feeling numb.
Feeling on edge
Being jumpy or easily startled, irritable, struggling to sleep or concentrate, and always scanning for danger.
Changes in how you see yourself
Guilt, shame or blame that won’t shift, feeling cut off from others, and losing interest in things you used to enjoy.
If signs like these last more than a month and get in the way of your life, it’s worth talking to someone.
What can cause PTSD?
PTSD can follow any experience that felt frightening, overwhelming or out of your control. Examples include:
- A serious road accident
- Physical or sexual assault
- A traumatic birth, miscarriage or medical emergency
- The sudden or violent death of someone close
- Witnessing violence or serious harm
- A fire, flood or other disaster
- Trauma at work, for example in healthcare or the emergency services
Two people can go through the same event and react very differently. That says nothing about strength. It often depends on what else was happening in your life and what support you had.
What is complex PTSD?
Complex PTSD often comes from trauma that happened again and again, or went on for a long time, often in childhood or in close relationships. It has many layers, and it can be hard to spot. There often isn’t one single event that helps you make sense of how you feel.
Alongside the signs of PTSD, people often describe:
- Feeling ‘not good enough’ at their core
- Finding relationships hard to trust or hold onto
- Strong emotions that feel too big, or feeling numb
- Feeling disconnected from themselves, sometimes called dissociation
What can lead to complex PTSD?
Complex PTSD usually grows from experiences that went on over time, where getting away didn’t feel possible. Examples include:
- Abuse or neglect in childhood, including emotional neglect
- Growing up around domestic violence
- Growing up with a parent’s addiction or mental illness
- Being constantly criticised, or feeling you had to earn love
- Growing up where your feelings had no space, sometimes passed down through generations
- Long-term domestic abuse or coercive control as an adult
- Long-term bullying or discrimination
PTSD and complex PTSD: what’s the difference?
Complex PTSD is included in the World Health Organization’s diagnostic manual, ICD-11, which came into effect in 2022.
When trauma hides behind a capable life
Not everyone with PTSD looks unwell. Many people I work with hold demanding jobs, care for families and seem to cope. The signs show up quietly:
- Never fully switching off
- Overworking, or needing to be in control
- Feeling numb, or snapping at the people you love
- A constant sense of not being good enough
Coping well on the outside and struggling on the inside can both be true at the same time. If this sounds familiar, it’s worth taking seriously.
How online PTSD therapy works with me
- Assessment first. We talk about what’s happening for you now, what you’d like to change, and whether EMDR is right for you.
- Preparation. We build ways to steady yourself before any memory work.
- EMDR processing. EMDR helps the brain process stuck memories so they may feel less raw. NICE recommends EMDR and trauma-focused CBT for adults with PTSD.
- IFS where it helps. IFS can help with the parts of you that carry shame or keep you on guard.
- Reclaiming your life. The aim isn’t only to process the past. It’s to reclaim the parts of life that trauma took or put on hold, like rest, closeness, confidence and joy. This matters whether PTSD followed one event, several events, or grew over many years.
- Sessions are by secure video, so you can be somewhere you feel safe.
Wondering what it feels like? Read is EMDR difficult?
EMDR intensive or weekly therapy for PTSD?
An EMDR intensive gives you several hours of focused therapy over a short period, instead of one hour a week for months. For many people with PTSD, this means less time spent opening up and closing down each week.
I have limited one-to-one weekly spaces, so most new clients start with an intensive.
Is online therapy safe for PTSD?
Early research suggests online EMDR can work as well as in-person EMDR for many people. Safety is planned in from the start: a grounding plan, checking where you’ll be, and what we’ll do if you feel overwhelmed. There’s more in my guide to online EMDR safety.
Questions people ask
Can PTSD be treated online?
Yes. EMDR and trauma-focused therapy can be delivered by secure video. Research suggests outcomes for many people are similar to in-person therapy.
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis?
No. We’ll talk about what you’re experiencing in the free call and at assessment.
How long does PTSD therapy take?
It depends on what happened and how long you’ve carried it. A single-event trauma may need fewer sessions than complex PTSD. We’ll talk about this honestly at assessment.
Do you work with people in London and Surrey?
Yes. I work online, so I see adults across the UK, including London and Surrey.
Can PTSD start years after the trauma?
Yes. Symptoms can appear months or even years later, sometimes after a new stress, a loss or a reminder of what happened. This is sometimes called delayed-onset PTSD, and it’s more common than people think.
How much does private PTSD therapy cost in the UK?
It varies by therapist and format. Weekly sessions are paid per session, while an EMDR intensive is one fee for several hours of therapy. My current fees are on the EMDR intensives page, and we can talk costs through in the free call.
What if I’m in crisis?
Therapy isn’t an emergency service. If you’re at risk now, call 999, NHS 111 (option 2 for mental health) or Samaritans on 116 123.
When you’re ready
If something happened that your body hasn’t been able to put down, you don’t have to keep carrying it alone. Book a free call and we’ll talk about what might help.
Book a free EMDR Intensive Clarity Call
Written and reviewed by Dr Gurpreet Kaur, Clinical Psychologist (HCPC registered). Last reviewed November 2026.
Free guide
Is an EMDR intensive right for me?
Not ready to book yet? Get my free 10-minute self-check. A gentle way to think through whether focused trauma therapy could suit you right now, sent to your inbox.