Clapham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Anxiety counselling for Clapham
If anxiety has started making the decisions in Clapham, from the route you take to how long you lie awake replaying a meeting, we can work on it together by secure video. Nobody needs to have put a name to it first, and you don't need a referral to book.
The practical facts for Clapham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Clapham by car
- About 84 minutes with clear roads (50.0 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Clapham High Street, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Lambeth Talking Therapies, 020 3228 6747
- Fees
- £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90, £120 for 120. The first 15-minute call is free.
- Registration
- BACP registered member, no. 109340 (check the register); UKCP student member in advanced psychotherapy training.
Five stations and never quite still
The Northern line stops at Clapham North, Clapham Common and Clapham South, the Overground's Windrush line calls at Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road, and Clapham Junction, often described as the busiest station in Europe by number of trains, is in neighbouring Battersea.
On a settled day that's convenient. On an anxious one it can mean bracing from the moment you leave the flat: the crush at the doors, a platform change announced at the last second, a train that stops in the tunnel. Add pressure at work, rent and bills, and friends who seem effortlessly sociable while family is a long way off. None of this causes anxiety on its own. It gives an alarm that's already set too sensitive plenty to go off at, and by the evening you can be exhausted from a day where nothing actually went wrong.
Getting to know the alarm, then turning it down
We start by mapping how anxiety works in you: what sets it off, where you feel it in your body, and what you've been doing to get relief. That might be walking to Clapham High Street to avoid the Underground, leaving drinks before anyone notices you've gone quiet, or rewriting an email six times. Those habits help in the moment and can shrink your life over time, so we look at them with curiosity and without blame. Then we practise ways to settle your body that work wherever you are, whether that's on a platform or in bed at two in the morning, until reaching for them feels familiar. If the worry is about work or being judged, we look at the standards you hold yourself to and where they began. If one frightening event sits underneath, the Rewind Technique is one way of working with it. Any steps between sessions are yours to choose, at a pace you can bear. New physical symptoms are for your GP to check first, and counselling can carry on alongside.
Where the alarm tends to go off in Clapham
Changing trains at Clapham Junction
Crowds, tannoy announcements and a dash between platforms at Clapham Junction in Battersea, and the dread that starts building on the walk there.
A full carriage on the Windrush line
Standing pressed in between Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road, and the urge to get off a stop early just to breathe.
Self-referral for Lambeth addresses
Lambeth Talking Therapies takes self-referrals for anxiety on 020 3228 6747, with no GP appointment needed, if you live on the Lambeth side of Clapham.
Somewhere to go between sessions
South East London Mind runs mental health services in Lambeth that you can use in the days between our appointments.
Free and low-cost support for Clapham
If your address is in Lambeth, Lambeth Talking Therapies is the free NHS route for anxiety and you can refer yourself. South East London Mind runs services in Lambeth too. On the Wandsworth side of the Common a different NHS service applies, so ask your GP. The Awareness Centre in Clapham offers low-cost therapy with trainees. Working with me privately fits alongside whichever of these you use.
- Free NHS talking therapyLambeth Talking Therapies020 3228 6747Free NHS talking therapy for anxiety, low mood and related difficulties. You can refer yourself, with no GP referral needed.
- If drinking or drug use is part of itLambeth Drug and Alcohol Service020 3228 1500Free and confidential.
- Local organisationLambeth Single Point of Access
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
If someone at home is hurting, threatening or controlling you, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 2000 247.
If you need urgent help now
If you need help right now, please don't wait for a session.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service (SLaM) is another option: WhatsApp 0303 330 1511 or text 80991.
What people in Clapham ask before starting
Can I refer myself for anxiety help in Clapham without a GP?
If you live in Lambeth, yes. Lambeth Talking Therapies accepts self-referrals on 020 3228 6747 or online, at no cost, though there may be a wait. Part of Clapham is in Wandsworth, which has its own service, so check your borough first. Booking with me needs no referral either, and you can use one while you wait for the other.
I panic at Clapham Junction. Would I have to travel to Hove for anxiety counselling?
No. Hove is 84 minutes from Clapham by car, and the rail route goes through the very interchange you'd rather avoid, so we'd meet by secure video. That means starting from somewhere you already feel safe. If you decide later that travelling to Hove is a goal you'd like to work towards, we can build up to it gradually, but it's never a requirement.
My heart pounds on the Northern line every morning. Should I see my GP or a counsellor?
Start with your GP if the symptoms are new or you're worried about your heart, because physical causes should be ruled out first. Once they have been, counselling can help with the fear itself: the racing thoughts, the scanning for exits, the relief of getting out at Clapham South and the dread of doing it all again tomorrow.
How soon could anxiety counselling from Clapham begin?
Book the free 15-minute call, or send a message if the call itself feels like a lot. You can tell me as much or as little as you like, and I'll say honestly when a regular weekly time is free. If it feels right, we agree a first session, usually at a time that avoids your busiest stretch of the day.
How much do sessions cost, and is the first call free?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, the same in person in Hove or by video. The first 15-minute call is free, with no obligation to book. There is no NHS referral needed to see me privately.
Take the first small step from where you are
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.