Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors Therapists in Cheltenham, England

I offer support for body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), including hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking (excoriation), nail biting, and other repetitive, compulsive behaviours focused on the body. These patterns can feel difficult to control and are often accompanied by shame, frustration, anxiety, or a sense of being “stuck” in cycles that are hard to break. My approach is grounded in psychoanalytic and relational psychotherapy, offering a compassionate and non-judgemental space to explore both the behaviour itself and the emotional, relational, and unconscious processes that may underpin it. Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, we may also explore what these behaviours communicate, regulate, or help manage on an emotional level. I work in a trauma-informed way, recognising that BFRBs can be linked to anxiety, stress, emotional regulation difficulties, perfectionism, or past experiences of trauma or emotional neglect. Therapy can support you in developing greater awareness of triggers and patterns, while also reducing self-criticism and shame. I also integrate somatic awareness to help you notice body-based cues and nervous system states that may precede or accompany these behaviours, supporting greater regulation and choice over time. Psychoeducation may be used to deepen understanding of compulsive and habitual processes, and where appropriate, I may incorporate EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques / tapping) to support emotional regulation and urge reduction. Therapy is collaborative and paced according to your needs, supporting you to develop greater self-understanding, emotional resilience, and more compassionate ways of relating to yourself and your body.

We will create a plan to overcome repetitive behaviours

Sometimes people experiencing Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours report feeling very stressed, but sometime they aren't aware of feeling stressed. Either way, these behaviours might be impacting on day-to-day life. I provide Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which is the recommended psychological therapy for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours, anxiety problems and depression.

Cheltenham is a Gloucestershire spa town known for its Regency architecture, the Cheltenham Festival horse racing meeting, a major literary festival, and as the home of GCHQ—the British intelligence and signals agency that employs thousands of highly vetted specialists in the area. The presence of GCHQ creates a distinctive and largely invisible mental health dynamic, as intelligence professionals face security restrictions that limit what they can discuss in therapy, and the stress of classified work and high-security employment creates specific confidentiality considerations for practitioners. Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health services, and a well-developed private therapy sector serves the relatively affluent Cheltenham population. Common therapy concerns include high-security employment stress and confidentiality challenges, anxiety and relationship difficulties in a professional community under significant institutional pressure, and the more general concerns of an affluent market town with a strong sense of its own identity.

Gender ID

100%

Female

Session Type

	67%	In Person and Online
	33%	Online Only

Top Treatment Approaches

67%	Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
67%	Behavioral Therapy
67%	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
67%	Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
67%	Gottman Method Couples Therapy
67%	Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
67%	Somatic Therapy

Ages Served

100%	Adult
67%	Senior
67%	Young Adult
33%	Teen

Client Focus

67%	LGBTQ+
67%	Men
67%	Women
33%	Asian
33%	Black / African American

Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors therapists in Cheltenham, England

Ruth Mark-Roland Psychotherapy

Kat Pachana-Pereira

Alison Edwards Therapy & Supervision