Bexleyheath · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Bexleyheath
If you're in Bexleyheath and want to talk to a counsellor, I can work with you by secure video. My only room is in Hove, about 76 minutes' drive from Bexleyheath, so online sessions are the realistic weekly option. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor and psychotherapist with over 25 years' practice and lived experience of recovery.
The practical facts for Bexleyheath
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Bexleyheath by car
- About 76 minutes with clear roads (63.2 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Bexleyheath, change at London Victoria for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Bexley Talking Therapies, 020 8303 8932 (option 1)
- 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.
Suburban streets with central London on the timetable
Bexleyheath is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Bexley, the town around the Broadway and the Clock Tower, with the Civic Offices on Watling Street, the old Roman road it grew along.
It was once in Kent and is now one of 35 major centres in the London Plan. From Bexleyheath station, Southeastern trains run to Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, so your day may begin and end on a platform. Around all that are the quieter parts: Danson Park, Red House, William Morris's former home on the western edge of Bexleyheath, and the streets of Barnehurst and West Heath. Suburban life can look settled from the outside, and that can make it harder to admit when things aren't. Counselling by video lets you talk from your own home with someone who has no connection to your road, your school gate or your office.
What we would work on, and what you might weigh up
We can talk about whatever is weighing on you. That might be anxiety, low mood, a loss you haven't had room to grieve, the strain of caring or drinking that takes up too much space. We begin by understanding your situation in your own words, then decide together what to focus on. From Bexleyheath, part of the decision is which kind of help to choose. NHS Bexley Talking Therapies is delivered by Mind in Bexley, whose head office is in the town, and for anxiety or low mood it may be the right first call. Private counselling is a different arrangement: you choose who you see, how often and for how long, and the person you talk to works in Hove, nowhere near the Broadway. If you work at the Civic Offices on Watling Street, that distance can matter, because the people you meet locally may be the people you serve. A commute through Victoria, Charing Cross or Cannon Street can leave only an evening hour, and a video session fits it. Bexley's alcohol-specific hospital admissions stood at 483.1 per 100,000 in 2023/24, under England's 611.7, though a borough number doesn't make your own worry any smaller.
Starting points for a first conversation
Dread on the platform
The trains from Bexleyheath station to Victoria, Charing Cross or Cannon Street have become something you brace for, and the worry is starting to make your world smaller.
Working where you live
If your job is at the Civic Offices on Watling Street, local help can mean sitting in a waiting room with the residents you serve the rest of the week.
Caring for someone
Looking after a parent, partner or child while your own needs slide down the list. Carers' Support in Bexley and the Mind in Bexley Carers Service can help alongside our work.
Drinking that has taken over
We can talk about it at your pace, with no lecture. The Pier Road Project also runs peer mentors and SMART Recovery groups in the borough if you want them.
Free and low-cost support for Bexleyheath
Free help in Bexley is worth knowing about alongside private sessions. NHS Bexley Talking Therapies, delivered by Mind in Bexley, takes self-referrals for anxiety and low mood. Counselling Matters Bexley is a low-cost counselling charity with an office in Belvedere, Cruse Bereavement Support covers Bexley and Bromley, and worries about drinking or drugs are the Pier Road Project's work, with support for families and friends too.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Bexley Talking Therapies020 8303 8932 (option 1)Free 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 itThe Pier Road Project (Bexley Drug and Alcohol Service)01322 357940Free and confidential.
- Local organisationMind in Bexley Carers Service
- Local organisationPier Road Project service user groups, peer mentors and SMART Recovery groups
- Local organisationCarers' Support (Bexley)
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 WhatsApp Service () is another option: WhatsApp 0303 330 1511. Local drop-in crisis support: Bexley Crisis Cafe (Mind in Bexley) (check opening times before you go).
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 Bexleyheath ask before starting
Can I get counselling free on the NHS in Bexleyheath?
Yes, for anxiety and low mood. NHS Bexley Talking Therapies is delivered by Mind in Bexley, and you can refer yourself on 020 8303 8932, option 1. Counselling Matters Bexley also offers low-cost counselling. Seeing me privately puts the choices with you: who you talk to, how often you meet, how long you carry on, and a counsellor with no link to the borough.
Would I have to travel to Hove from Bexleyheath?
No. Every session can be by video, and from Bexleyheath that usually makes sense, since Hove is about 76 minutes by car and the train involves swapping at London Victoria. Should you want a face-to-face session once or twice, booking 90 or 120 minutes at Intergen House makes the long trip feel more worthwhile.
What if I need help tonight in Bexleyheath?
Mind in Bexley runs the Bexley Crisis Cafe, an evening drop-in at 2a Devonshire Road, about a 12-minute walk from Bexleyheath station and on several bus routes. The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis WhatsApp service is on 0303 330 1511, and the Bexley and Dartford Samaritans branch, in Bexleyheath itself, is there to listen. If you're in immediate danger, call 999. Counselling with me is the steady weekly support for afterwards.
I'm nervous about starting counselling from Bexleyheath. What actually happens?
First comes a free 15-minute call, so you can hear my voice and ask anything. If you decide to go ahead, we book a video session and you join from somewhere private at home. The first hour is mostly about getting to know what's troubling you. You decide how much to say, and you can slow down or stop at any point.
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.
When you're ready, a short call is the first step
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.