Counselling and Therapy · Ditchling

Counselling and Therapy in Ditchling

Counselling and Therapy for Ditchling and the surrounding area, in person or online. Ditchling is a beautiful Downs village beneath Ditchling Beacon, long associated with artists and craftspeople. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.

In person in HoveOnline tooFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor near Ditchling at his Hove room, introducing his approach to counselling and therapy
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Ditchling

Counselling and Therapy for Ditchling, at a glance

Known for
Ditchling Beacon, the village pond and the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft
Area
Lewes & Mid Sussex, East/West Sussex
Getting to the Hove room
From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office.
Local NHS / support route
NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies
Format
In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.

Ditchling sits beneath Ditchling Beacon on the South Downs and has a long artistic heritage reflected in the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft.

Life in Ditchling

Counselling and Therapy for people in Ditchling

Ditchling is one of the loveliest villages on the northern Downs, its crossroads gathered around St Margaret's Church, the timber-framed Wings Place and the pond, with Ditchling Beacon rising steeply above. Long a home for artists and craftspeople, its heritage lives on in the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft, and the surrounding lanes and downland draw walkers all year. It is a small, close village where people know one another well, and that closeness can make privacy feel important when something is troubling you. A confidential counselling room over or around the Downs in Hove offers a quiet, separate space to talk, and online sessions bring the same support to your door.

Ditchling Beaconthe Ditchling Museum of Art and CraftSt Margaret's Churchthe village pond

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Ditchling

The village crossroadsSouth StreetWest StreetEast End LaneLewes RoadBeacon RoadCommon Lane

Wherever you are in Ditchling, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Ditchling

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Ditchling are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The counselling and therapy itself

Counselling and therapy here is one steady starting point for whatever you are carrying, anxiety, low mood, addiction, relationships or the past, integrative and led by you, so we begin with what matters most and shape the work around you.

The approach is the same wherever you come from, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods, what each session covers and fees, on the main counselling and therapy page and on how I work.

Sessions in person or online

Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.

From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes by car over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove room, the nearest stations being at Hassocks or Burgess Hill for the train to Hove. There is parking near the room. When the journey feels like more than you want to manage, the same sessions are available online by secure video from home.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How counselling and therapy in Ditchling can help

Anxiety and worry

When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.

Low mood and depression

For the flatness, exhaustion and loss of interest that drain the colour from things.

Addiction and habits

Alcohol, drugs, gambling or behaviours that have stopped feeling like a choice.

Relationships

Conflict, distance and trust, as a couple or on your own.

Trauma and the past

When something you have been through still shapes your present.

Life feeling stuck

For the big transitions, losses and crossroads that leave you unsure which way to turn.

Counselling and Therapy in Ditchling

Why people in Ditchling come for counselling and therapy

In a small, close village like Ditchling, long a home for artists and craftspeople, quietly struggling can feel harder when everyone knows one another. Counselling and therapy offers a confidential space for whatever you are carrying, from anxiety and low mood to stress or feeling stuck, with nothing needing a name before you begin. The room is a quiet, separate place over or around the Downs in Hove, around twenty minutes away, and the same sessions run online by secure video whenever the journey feels like more than you want.

A free, unhurried first step

Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.

Book a free 15-minute call

Finding support in Ditchling

My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Ditchling, you can refer yourself directly to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.

Seeing me privately usually means you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout, working at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Ditchling questions

Counselling and Therapy in Ditchling: common questions

Where do Ditchling sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?

In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Ditchling or blend the two.

I'm not sure exactly what's wrong, can I still come?

Absolutely. You do not need a label or a clear problem to begin. We start with whatever is weighing on you most and find the thread together; if something more specific would help, I will say so.

What's the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

Counselling tends to focus on what is happening now and can be shorter; psychotherapy goes deeper into long-standing patterns and usually runs longer. We can start with counselling and go deeper if it helps.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed number. Some people come for a handful of sessions, others for longer; we review together regularly rather than committing you to an open-ended course.

How do I get to your counselling room from Ditchling?

By car it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to Hove. The village has no station of its own; the nearest are Hassocks and Burgess Hill, both a short drive away, with direct trains to Hove. Online sessions are there too.

Does Ditchling have a station for reaching your Hove counselling room?

Not in the village itself. After a free fifteen-minute call, the nearest stations are Hassocks and Burgess Hill, both a short drive away, with direct trains to Hove. By car the whole trip is around twenty minutes over the Downs. When travelling in is inconvenient, counselling runs online.

How much is counselling, and can I get it free on the NHS in Ditchling?

Fees are £80 for an hour, £100 for ninety minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free fifteen-minute consultation. Free NHS talking therapies are available via your GP or self-referral, though waits can be long, so many Ditchling clients prefer starting privately without a delay.

Will I have privacy from Ditchling, and do you work evenings there?

Yes. In a small village where people know one another well, many clients value a room over the Downs in Hove, quietly separate from the crossroads and pond. Online sessions by secure video keep it even more private. Evening appointments are available to fit around work and family.

Does Ditchling have a station for getting to Hove?

Not in the village itself; the nearest stations are Hassocks and Burgess Hill, both a short drive away, with direct trains to Hove. By car the whole trip is around twenty minutes over the Downs. Many Ditchling clients also value online video sessions when travelling in is inconvenient.

Counselling and Therapy in Ditchling, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available nearby: Hassocks, Lewes, Burgess Hill. See all areas I cover.

All counselling & therapy in Ditchling: Addiction · Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Psychotherapy.

Prefer to meet remotely? The same counselling and therapy is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.