Arlene Alexander-Price
Treatments · Hair Pulling

Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania)

Compassionate, evidence-based support for compulsive hair pulling — delivered by a BABCP accredited therapist and NMC registered mental health nurse, at a pace that respects where you are.

Understanding Hair Pulling

More common than the silence around it suggests. And genuinely treatable.

Hair pulling, also known as trichotillomania, is a compulsive habit that can be difficult to stop despite genuine attempts to do so. It often develops as a way of managing stress, anxiety or boredom, and can lead to noticeable hair loss that carries 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.

Explore the signs ↓
A calm therapy session in progress

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.

Signs & Symptoms

Signs You May Recognise

Hair pulling can take different forms — from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or elsewhere — but it shares a common thread: a repetitive behaviour that feels hard to control, often triggered by stress, boredom or intense focus.

It's a recognised Body-Focused Repetitive Disorder, and one that responds well to a structured, compassionate approach.

Select each one to read more — recognising the pattern is often the first step toward doing something about it.

Pulling hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or elsewhere, often for extended periods and sometimes without full awareness.

Thinning patches, bald spots or sparse eyebrows and eyelashes that result from repeated pulling.

The behaviour often increases during moments of anxiety, boredom or intense concentration, functioning as a way to regulate feeling.

Repeated efforts to reduce or stop pulling that haven't lasted, sometimes followed by frustration or a sense of losing control.

Significant time spent pulling, examining hair strands, or using styling, wigs or make-up to cover the effects.

Hiding the behaviour or its effects from others, and feeling embarrassed or ashamed, even though this pattern is common and treatable.

How It Works

What Treatment Involves

Three stages, kept simple and paced around you.

1

Initial Consultation

A first conversation to understand the pulling, its triggers, and confirm the right approach.

2

CBT-Led Sessions

Focused, up to 60-minute sessions, using habit reversal techniques to build awareness and alternatives.

3

Review & Sustain

Regular check-ins, ending with a clear plan to manage triggers and prevent relapse long-term.

You're Not Alone

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Clients supported at AAP Psychological Therapies since 2004 — many of them starting exactly where you are now.

When to Reach Out
  • Pulling that feels hard to stop
  • Noticeable hair loss or thinning
  • Behaviour increasing under stress or boredom
  • Shame or secrecy around the behaviour
  • Difficulty functioning day-to-day
  • Previous attempts to stop that haven't lasted

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.