Water-Related Trauma Therapy: Specialist Online Support
Compassionate, professional help for trauma, fear, and phobia linked to water.
If you’ve had a distressing or traumatic experience in, on, or near water, whether during diving, swimming, watersports, or even everyday activities like bathing, you are not alone. I offer specialist psychological therapy for people who are struggling with the emotional and psychological effects of water-related experiences.
I work with people affected by:
- Scuba diving incidents (e.g. panic underwater, rapid ascent, entanglement, running out of air, getting lost or swept in currents)
- Traumatic experiences while swimming or in open water
- Fear or phobia of drowning, water, or deep water (thalassophobia)
- Persistent anxiety or panic around showers, baths, or swimming pools
- Witnessing a water-related incident or rescue
A therapist who understands the water
My background is both clinical and aquatic. I am a UK-based clinical psychologist and scuba diving instructor with experience across diving, swimming, and water safety. Outside of clinical work, I enjoy open water swimming, kayaking, and other watersports myself. I combine evidence-based psychological therapy with a deep understanding of how water environments affect the body and mind.
Tailored online therapy using EMDR and ACT
I specialise in:
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): a gold-standard treatment for trauma and distressing memories
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): a practical approach that helps people relate differently to fear and anxiety and build meaningful change
All therapy is remote, meaning you can access support from anywhere.
Flexible therapy options
I offer:
- Standard weekly sessions
- Condensed therapy (intensive EMDR therapy): for those who prefer a shorter, focused approach
Therapy is always tailored to your goals, needs, and pace.
Who I work with
You do not need a formal diagnosis to benefit from therapy. I work with:
- Recreational and professional divers
- Swimmers and triathletes
- Watersports participants (kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing)
- Individuals with phobias linked to water, swimming pools, showers, or bathing
- People who have witnessed or been involved in a water-related accident
You’re not alone, and help is available
Recovering from water-related trauma is possible. With the right support, you can build confidence, reduce fear, and restore your relationship with water.
Book an appointment
Complimentary 15-min call
FREE
A short video call to find out how it works and whether this is the right fit for you. Tell me as much or as little as you like about your situation, and ask any questions.
Book free 15-min call60-minute session
REQUEST A TIME
Ready to book your first full appointment? Request a 60-minute session at a time that works for you.
Request 60-min call90-minute session
REQUEST A TIME
Prefer more time? A 90-minute first session gives us space to go through some techniques and make more of a start on EMDR.
Request 90-min callWhat does it cost?
£120
for a 1-hour session
Longer sessions are available too, and often work well for EMDR. A 90-minute session is £180.
How many sessions?
To give you an idea, after a water-related incident or when working on a specific issue, most people I see come for around 6 to 12 hours in total, spread out in whatever way suits them.
It’s also the case that some people find a single session helpful for talking things through.
- Packages: to support you in completing a full course of therapy, blocks of hours are offered at a discount, which increases with the number of hours booked. You can split the time into sessions of whatever length suits you.
- If you have private health insurance, you may be able to use it for your sessions. Insurers include AXA and BUPA.
Not sure what you’d need? Book a free 15-minute call and we can talk it through, with no obligation.
In their own words
Every testimonial is anonymous to respect client confidentiality.
Overcoming diving anxiety after a series of stressful dives
“I just wish more people knew about you and how briliiant the service is.”
What part of the contact with Laura/the service was most helpful?
“Lots of things! [Laura was] skillful in containing the scope of our work to the issues themselves; [Laura was] great at balancing empathy, encouragement, pace and practicality (that’s not easy!); [Laura works] very efficiently; I came away with simple statements and simple approaches, easy to reference; I learnt a lot! I’m back loving my diving, even more. When I came to you I felt I was losing it forever.”
Improving confidence and performance in diving skills before moving to advanced training
“I thought everything was great!”
What part of the contact with Laura/the service was most helpful?
“The EMDR coaching, both the software we used & Laura’s prompting/questions throughout. I felt physically & emotionally safe the entire time.”
Support following a diving accident
“I benefited from pretty much every aspect of it and would highly recommend it to my fellow divers and friends.”
“It was incredible to find a service like this, to be able to talk to someone who understood what I was going through and someone who also understood all of the ins and outs of diving. Laura is so easy to talk to, professional, kind and clearly cares a lot about what she does. I would have zero reservations about recommending Laura to my fellow club members and non-diving friends.”
Ready to talk, or still deciding?
Either way, book a free 15-minute call and we can talk it through, with no obligation.
Book your free 15-minute call
