Crawley · in person in Hove or online
Anxiety counselling for Crawley
If anxiety in Crawley has you dreading the morning train or lying awake for weeks before a flight, I offer anxiety counselling one to one. We meet in my room in Hove or by secure video, and we work with your body as much as your thoughts, after a free 15-minute call.
The practical facts for Crawley
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Crawley by car
- About 32 minutes with clear roads (22.2 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Three Bridges to Brighton; change there for Hove, one stop.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team, 01403 620434
- 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.
Crowds, platforms and departure boards
Trains from Crawley station run up to London Victoria by way of Gatwick Airport, and for a commuter with anxiety that can mean standing in a carriage, watching the doors and counting the stops.
Over 43 million passengers travelled through Gatwick in 2024, so if your job is in the terminal, crowds aren't something you can quietly avoid. Crawley is a diverse town, and for anyone with family abroad, a flight home can be the trip that matters most all year and the one that keeps you awake for weeks beforehand. Others feel it somewhere less visible: the knot before a review meeting on Manor Royal, a worry about bills that loops at 3am, or a dread of being asked a question in front of everyone. Across West Sussex, 24.5% of adults gave a high anxiety score in 2022/23, a level similar to England's 23.8%. That's a county-wide survey figure, and it can't tell you anything about your own nerves.
What we do when the alarm goes off too often
Anxiety is an alarm system doing its job far too often. We begin by mapping yours: when it rises, where you feel it, and what you've started doing to keep it quiet. Standing by the train doors, booking the aisle seat, taking a later service, asking someone else to do the airport run. Those moves bring relief at the time and also teach the alarm that it was right. So the early sessions are practical. You learn to slow your breathing and loosen the grip in your chest in ways you can use on a platform at Three Bridges or at a check-in desk, and we practise them in sessions so they're easier to reach for. Human Givens work gives us a clear way to see which basic needs, such as sleep, security or a sense of control, are going unmet, since an unmet need can keep the alarm switched on. Then, at your pace, we plan small steps back towards what you've been avoiding. If your heart races or you feel faint, your GP can check you over, and any medication is something you decide with them.
Where anxiety can show up in Crawley
Trains towards Victoria
If the service from Crawley through Gatwick to London Victoria leaves you scanning for exits, we work on the fear of being trapped, one stop at a time.
Working in a busy terminal
If your shift at Gatwick puts you among crowds of travellers, stepping away isn't always possible. We work on staying steady in the middle of it.
Afraid to fly home
In a diverse town beside an airport that never shuts, a fear of flying can keep you from family abroad. We work towards the trip gently, at your pace.
Self-referral to the North Team
Crawley falls to the North Team at NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, which works with anxiety and lets you refer yourself, so you can join their list and see me too.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free and low-cost support for Crawley
For free NHS help with anxiety, NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies has a North Team you can contact directly, without seeing a GP first. Mind in Brighton and Hove – West Sussex services offers further support, and Crawley Wellbeing, from the county and borough councils, is free. If anxiety tips into crisis in the evening, Crawley Staying Well is open from 3pm until midnight.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team01403 620434Free 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 itWest Sussex Drug & Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
Private counselling with me can run alongside any of these; you do not have to choose one or the other.
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.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
What people in Crawley ask before starting
Should I self-refer to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies or see a private anxiety counsellor in Crawley?
Both are open to you, and one can follow the other. You can call the North Team yourself on 01403 620434, with no GP needed, and ask what they offer and how long the wait is. Seeing me privately means choosing who you work with and having longer sessions if you want them. If an NHS place comes up while we're working, we can talk about how the two would fit.
I'm scared of flying but my family live abroad. Can anxiety counselling help before a trip from Gatwick?
It's a good reason to start. We'd look at what happens in your body as the date gets closer, what the fear tells you will happen, and what you do to cope, such as checking, avoiding or needing someone beside you. Then we'd plan small steps, perhaps starting with simply visiting the terminal. If you can, begin a few months before you need to travel rather than the week before.
Panic on the train worries me. Can we start anxiety counselling by video from Crawley?
Yes. We can work on secure video for as long as you like, and sessions follow the same shape on screen as in the room. Later, if you want to, the direct train from Three Bridges to Brighton can become a step we plan together. That would always be your decision, never a condition of carrying on.
How long before I could start anxiety counselling if I'm in Crawley?
The first step is the free 15-minute call, which you can book whenever you're ready. If we agree to go ahead, I'll tell you honestly which times I have, including any that might suit a Gatwick rota or a commute to London. No referral is needed.
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.
Bring the anxiety as it is to a short first call
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.