Dartford · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Dartford
If you're in Dartford and looking for a counsellor or therapist, I'm a BACP-registered counsellor with one room, in Hove, around 78 minutes' drive away, so from Dartford we would almost always meet by secure video. Sessions are 60, 90 or 120 minutes, and the first conversation is a free 15-minute call.
The practical facts for Dartford
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Dartford by car
- About 78 minutes with clear roads (64.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Dartford, change at London Bridge for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, 0333 091 0414
- 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.
Life on the London fringe, at the Kent end of the crossing
Dartford sits right on the edge: beside the London Borough of Bexley, in fare zone 8, at the Kent end of the Dartford Crossing.
It is principally a commuter town for Greater London, so the working day may belong to London while the evenings and weekends belong to Dartford. Dartford station is a major North Kent interchange, with Southeastern and Thameslink trains. Closer to home, Bluewater at Greenhithe is one of the area's biggest retail employers, and Darent Valley Hospital on Darenth Wood Road is the town's main hospital. Whether you live in Temple Hill, Wilmington or near Central Park, the hours left over for yourself can be few, and they tend to go on catching up. Counselling by video fits into those hours instead of adding another trip to them.
What counselling with me involves from Dartford
You might come because of one thing you can name, such as a panic attack on a packed train, a bereavement or a marriage that is struggling, or because life has gone grey and you can't say why, and either one is reason enough to call. In the first sessions I'm mostly listening, getting a sense of your history, what keeps you going and where things snag. From Dartford, some of that can come down to living between two places. Your weekdays may run to the Southeastern or Thameslink timetable, while the evenings belong to a household in Wilmington or The Brent. If you work weekends at Bluewater or shifts at Darent Valley Hospital, your hours may not line up with a partner's. A student at NKC Dartford College may be working out who they are while holding down a job. In Kent, the share of adults reporting a high anxiety score was 20.0% in 2022/23, below the England figure of 23.8%, but a county figure says nothing about how heavy your own worry feels. After more than 25 years in practice, and with recovery in my own past, there's little you could tell me about drinking, drugs or anything else that would shock me.
What you can bring, from small to serious
The commute that drains you
Early trains from Dartford station and long days in London that leave nothing in reserve for the people you come home to.
Shifts that never line up
Weekends at Bluewater or shifts at Darent Valley Hospital, while family life carries on without you and the tiredness turns into something heavier.
Not wanting to wait months
North Kent Mind's affordable counselling has a waiting list of four to six months. Private sessions may be able to start sooner, depending on my availability, or run while you're on the list.
Drink or drugs creeping up
Using more to cope with the week. You can say it plainly here, and Change Grow Live's free West Kent team, reached on 0330 128 1113, is the free specialist route.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. "Similar to England" means the difference is not statistically significant. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free and low-cost support for Dartford
North Kent Mind is based at The Almshouses on West Hill in Dartford and runs low-cost counselling, including an affordable service with trainee and newly qualified counsellors and a Fast Track service with qualified counsellors, as well as wellbeing groups. If anxiety or low mood is the main thing, you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway without going through a GP. For evenings that feel unmanageable, Dartford Safe Haven on Hythe Street is open 6pm to 11pm every day.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway0333 091 0414Free 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 Kent community drug and alcohol service (Change, Grow, Live)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live (CGL). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationImago - Kent Carers Support (West Kent adult carers service)
- Local organisationNorth Kent Mind Counselling & Therapy Services
- Local organisationBexley & Dartford SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch, 35 Glynde Road, Bexleyheath DA7 4EU.
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 Release the Pressure Helpline - Kent is on 0800 107 0160. Local drop-in crisis support: Kent and Medway Safe Havens (Mental Health Matters); Dartford Safe Haven (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 Dartford ask before starting
Do you have a counselling room in Dartford?
No. I see people face to face in one place only, Intergen House in Hove, roughly 78 minutes from Dartford by car, and the train involves a change at London Bridge. That's why I'd normally suggest secure video for people in Dartford, which lets you have sessions from home or work. If meeting in person matters to you, you can come to Hove now and then, ideally for a longer session.
Where can I find free NHS counselling near Dartford, or cheaper sessions at North Kent Mind?
For anxiety and low mood, NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway is free, and you can refer yourself on 0333 091 0414. North Kent Mind on West Hill runs affordable counselling in person with trainee and newly qualified counsellors, with a waiting list of four to six months, and a Fast Track service with qualified counsellors. Seeing me privately means the choice of counsellor is yours, and so are how often we meet and when you decide to stop.
How soon could I start if I'm in Dartford?
Book the free 15-minute call and we'll talk about what's going on and what you'd like from counselling. Should it feel right to both of us, we book a first video session there and then, and you'll get a plain answer about which times I still have open. If you commute into London, an early or later slot that sits either side of the train is worth asking about.
My partner and I are struggling as well. Can you see couples from Dartford?
Yes. Couples can work with me by video, sitting together at home in Dartford, and a 90-minute session leaves room for both of you to speak. If you'd also like a local option, Relationships Medway and North Kent, formerly Relate Medway and North Kent, is the local relationship charity.
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 short call before anything else
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.