Billingshurst · in person in Hove or online
Counselling and therapy for Billingshurst
If you live in Billingshurst or one of the hamlets around it and you want someone to talk to, whether about worry, a loss, a strained home life or something you can't yet put into words, I offer one-to-one counselling. Sessions run in person on Western Road in Hove, or over secure video from a quiet corner of your Weald home.
The practical facts for Billingshurst
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Billingshurst by car
- About 40 minutes with clear roads (25.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- 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.
A village that keeps getting bigger around you
Billingshurst sits where the A29 crosses the A272, out in the Weald between Horsham and Pulborough.
It is still called a village, yet the parish has grown from 6,531 people in 2001 to 9,127 at the 2021 census, and 550 more homes were approved for the eastern side in 2016. Growth like that changes a place quietly. Some households have been here for generations and watch the fields fill in; others arrived recently and haven't yet found their people. With The Weald School as the village's secondary school and sixth form, and the GP surgery on Roman Way, a lot of family life is lived within a short walk. For commuters, the day often begins on the platform at Station Road, with trains towards Gatwick and London Victoria. In a place this size it can feel hard to talk about how you're really doing without someone you know hearing of it.
Unsure what's wrong, and wondering where to begin
Getting in touch from Billingshurst asks for no tidy name for whatever feels off. You might be sleeping badly, snapping at the people you love, or feeling flat for months with no obvious reason. That's a good enough place to start. Our early sessions are about mapping, side by side, what has been pressing on you and which changes could lighten it. For some it's the long day of a commute that leaves little of you at the end of it. For others it's caring for a parent, settling into a new estate where you don't know anyone yet, or an old hurt that a quieter life has brought back to the surface. Feeling wound up is common enough: in the 2022/23 wellbeing survey, 24.5% of West Sussex adults scored their anxiety as high, a share similar to England's 23.8%. I take an integrative approach, which means fitting the work to you rather than to a fixed method. I've practised for more than 25 years, I'm a BACP registered member, and I came into this field through recovery of my own. You set the pace, and nothing has to be said before you're ready to say it.
Things people in Billingshurst bring to counselling
New to a growing village
With 550 new homes approved on the eastern side, you may have moved to Billingshurst recently and still be waiting for it to feel like home.
Days that start at Station Road
Trains to Gatwick and London Victoria twice an hour can mean early starts and late returns, with little left for yourself or your family.
Teenagers at The Weald School
Worry about a son or daughter through exams and the sixth form years, and how that pressure ripples through the whole household.
Caring out in the Weald
Looking after a partner or parent in a rural spot, where help can feel far away. Carers Support West Sussex can support you alongside our sessions.
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 Billingshurst
There are free services near Billingshurst that can sit alongside private counselling. Horsham District Wellbeing holds a monthly outreach clinic at Billingshurst Surgery, with pre-booked one-to-one appointments with a Wellbeing Advisor. Through its North Team, NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies lets Billingshurst residents refer themselves for anxiety or low mood. Mind in Brighton and Hove also runs West Sussex services, and Carers Support West Sussex helps people who look after someone.
- 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.
- Local organisationWest Sussex Wellbeing – support for family and friends (council-run)
- Local organisationSamaritans of Horsham and CrawleySamaritans branch at 21 Denne Road, Horsham RH12 1JE.
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.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
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 Billingshurst ask before starting
Is face-to-face counselling realistic from Billingshurst without a direct train?
It is, with the room on Western Road in Hove. That's around 40 minutes' drive from Billingshurst, while the train means a change at Barnham, Ford or Three Bridges. Where a Weald winter turns that drive into a chore, sessions can move onto secure video, or swing between Hove and a screen at home.
Is there free counselling or wellbeing support in Billingshurst itself?
Horsham District Wellbeing, a free council-run service, holds a monthly outreach clinic at Billingshurst Surgery on Roman Way, on Wednesdays from 3pm to 5pm, with pre-booked Wellbeing Advisor appointments and Wellbeing MOTs. For anxiety or low mood, a direct call from Billingshurst to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies on 01403 620434 skips the GP step.
If I get in touch from Billingshurst this week, how soon could sessions begin?
Step one is a free 15-minute phone conversation: share as much or as little about life in Billingshurst as you want, and put any questions to me. Should it feel right on both sides, I'll list my open slots in Hove or on video, and you choose one that fits around Station Road trains or school runs.
I'd rather nobody in the village knew I was having therapy. Is that possible?
It is. Because the room is in Hove and sessions can also happen on video from home, nobody in Billingshurst needs to see you arrive anywhere. What you say stays between us, within the usual limits around safety, which I'll explain clearly at the start.
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.
Start with a short, private conversation
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.