Ashford, Surrey · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Ashford, Surrey
Ashford is 64.3 miles by road from the one counselling room I work from, which is in Hove, so from here regular sessions with me happen by secure video. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor and psychotherapist, and we can talk while you sit at home in Ashford Common, Shortwood Common or anywhere else you can close a door.
The practical facts for Ashford, Surrey
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Ashford, Surrey by car
- About 77 minutes with clear roads (64.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Ashford (Surrey), change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Mind Matters Surrey, 0300 330 5450
- 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.
Heathrow rotas and the line to Waterloo
Heathrow is about 2.5 miles north of Ashford, and a great deal of local work is tied to the airport, which means a lot of shift work and early starts.
When a rota breaks your sleep into pieces, there is less left for patience at home or for seeing friends, and little time to notice how you really are. Other residents take the South Western Railway train to Waterloo or work in the Thames Valley, and come home with not much in reserve. Ashford Hospital on London Road keeps its own hours. HMP Bronzefield, a privately run women's prison, is in the town as well, so Ashford includes families and staff touched by the justice system, and some of them take home what that asks of them. Between the reservoirs and the green-belt commons the streets can look quiet and ordinary, and you can live that ordinary-looking life while feeling worn down.
Counselling in Ashford around a Heathrow rota
You don't need to have it worked out before the first session. You might get in touch about sleep that never recovers between shifts, a temper at home you don't like in yourself, grief, or a weight that has no name yet. If your week runs on a Heathrow rota, we look for session times that fit the pattern you actually work, and at what the early starts cost you away from the job. If you work at HMP Bronzefield, or someone you love is held there, you may be carrying things that are hard to say to friends or family in Ashford, and talking to someone from outside the town can take some of that pressure off. If you work at Ashford Hospital, your shifts are spent attending to other people, and an hour where the attention is on you can feel unfamiliar at first. For anyone on the Waterloo line or commuting into the Thames Valley, video means the session adds no travel to the trip you already make. I've practised for over 25 years and I have lived experience of recovery, which is part of why I try never to judge. As a counsellor and psychotherapist, I start from what you tell me in your own words, with no label attached.
Things you might want to talk about
Heathrow rotas and broken sleep
Early starts and changing airport rotas that leave you tired, short-tempered and too drained for the people you care about.
When someone close is in prison
Visits, calls and the strain of waiting when someone you love is held at HMP Bronzefield, or your own work there following you home at night.
Looking after patients all day
Long shifts on the wards or in the offices at Ashford Hospital on London Road, holding other people's worst days with little room left for your own.
Drinking after a late shift
A drink to come down after a late Heathrow shift that has turned into several. We can look at it honestly, at your speed, and i-access is the free Surrey service if you want more.
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 Ashford
Private sessions can sit alongside free help. For anxiety and low mood, Mind Matters Surrey takes self-referrals and costs nothing, as Surrey's NHS Talking Therapies service. Spelthorne Mental Health Association runs The Grange Day Centre in Fordbridge Park for adults aged 18 to 65, through a professional referral. If you're grieving, Cruse Bereavement Support has a national helpline and local Surrey branches, including Cruse Bereavement Support - Surrey North Area.
- Free NHS talking therapyMind Matters Surrey0300 330 5450Free 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 iti-access0300 222 5932Free and confidential.
- Local organisationAction for Carers Surrey
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.
Locally, the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT Mental Health Crisis Helpline is on 0800 915 4644.
If you drink heavily every day, or take drugs such as benzodiazepines or GHB daily, do not stop suddenly without medical advice. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Your GP or the local drug and alcohol service can arrange medically assisted withdrawal. Call 999 or go to A&E if someone in withdrawal is shaking visibly, unusually restless or agitated, confused, seeing or hearing things that are not there, or has a fit. For milder symptoms, such as a slight tremor or sweating, contact your GP or NHS 111 the same day (NHS guidance). Counselling works alongside medical support, not instead of it.
What people in Ashford, Surrey ask before starting
Is there any way to have face-to-face sessions from Ashford?
Yes, but only in Hove, because that's where my one room is. From Ashford that's about 77 minutes in the car, and rail passengers have to change at Clapham Junction, so regular sessions usually work better by secure video. If you'd like to meet face to face now and then, booking a longer session in Hove can make the trip worth it.
Is there free counselling in Spelthorne?
Yes. For anxiety and low mood the NHS option is Mind Matters Surrey, on 0300 330 5450, where you can refer yourself without paying anything. Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides it. Spelthorne Mental Health Association also runs The Grange Day Centre in Fordbridge Park, by professional referral. You can use free help instead of private counselling, alongside it, or one after the other.
How do I start counselling from Ashford if I work Heathrow shifts?
No GP referral is involved. Book the free 15-minute call and tell me how your rota works, and I'll tell you plainly if I have a space or how long the wait is likely to be, and whether there are times that suit us both. Because video needs no drive to Hove, a session takes only the hour itself and somewhere private.
Who can I contact in Surrey if things feel unmanageable at night?
Please don't wait for a session if you're in crisis. If you're struggling to keep yourself safe, the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Helpline is on 0800 915 4644. Surrey's Safe Haven drop-ins open from 6pm to 11pm every day, though none is in Spelthorne, and there is an online Safe Haven as well. In an emergency, call 999, and NHS 111 can also help.
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.
Book a free call between shifts
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.