Compassionate, evidence-based support for compulsive habits — including skin picking and hair pulling — delivered by a BABCP accredited therapist and NMC registered mental health nurse, at a pace that respects where you are.
Body-Focused Repetitive Disorders (BFRDs) are a group of compulsive habits — most commonly skin picking and hair pulling — that can be difficult to stop despite genuine attempts to do so. They often develop as a way of managing stress, anxiety or boredom, and can carry a lot of private shame.
Treatment is led personally by Arlene Alexander-Price — an NMC registered mental health nurse since 2004 and a BABCP accredited therapist of close to two decades' standing — most often through CBT and habit reversal techniques, without judgement.
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A calm, confidential space — treatment paced around you, not the other way round.
Approach
CBT, Habit Reversal
Session
Up to 60 Minutes
Format
In Person or Virtual
From
£70 per Session
Low Cost rate available for those receiving qualifying state benefits — see full Prices.
BFRDs take different forms, but they share a common thread: a repetitive behaviour that feels hard to control, often triggered by stress, boredom or intense focus, and often followed by shame or a wish to hide it.
Skin picking and hair pulling are the most widely recognised forms, each with their own dedicated support pages linked below — but the same compassionate, evidence-based approach applies to related habits too.
Select each one to read more — recognising the pattern is often the first step toward doing something about it.
Repeatedly picking at skin, scabs or perceived imperfections, often to the point of causing marks or damage. See our dedicated Skin Picking page for more detail.
Repeatedly pulling out hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or elsewhere, often leading to noticeable hair loss. See our dedicated Hair Pulling page for more detail.
Persistent biting of nails, cuticles or the inside of the cheek, often below conscious awareness until damage is noticed.
The behaviour often increases during moments of stress, anxiety, boredom or intense concentration, functioning as a way to regulate feeling.
Scarring, bald patches, damaged nails or skin that can affect confidence and how comfortable you feel in social situations.
Hiding the behaviour or its effects from others, and feeling embarrassed or ashamed, even though these patterns are common and treatable.
Three stages, kept simple and paced around you.
A first conversation to understand the behaviour and its triggers, and confirm the right approach.
Focused, up to 60-minute sessions, using habit reversal techniques to build awareness and alternatives.
Regular check-ins, ending with a clear plan to manage triggers and prevent relapse long-term.
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Clients supported at AAP Psychological Therapies since 2004 — many of them starting exactly where you are now.
This is not a crisis service. If you need urgent support, please contact your GP, NHS 111, or the Samaritans on 116 123. In an emergency, call 999.
