Dover · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Dover
Perhaps something has been weighing on you in Dover for a while and you would like to talk it through with someone outside your own circle. As a counsellor and psychotherapist registered with BACP, I'd see you from the Kent coast on secure video, at a regular hour, from your own home. The Hove room remains open to you for an occasional visit.
The practical facts for Dover
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Dover by car
- About 121 minutes with clear roads (104.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- 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.
A port town that keeps the Channel moving
Dover sits in the valley of the River Dour, with the castle on one side, the Western Heights on the other and the busiest international ferry port in the UK at its foot.
The district council says the local economy is closely tied to the Port of Dover, so for a lot of households the rhythm of the harbour sets the rhythm of home. Life here can also be uneven. The council's own profile puts the district's highest deprivation in the town's urban areas, and in April 2023 unemployment in Town and Castle ward stood at 8.6%, against 3.9% across the district. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, which can mean an ageing parent to look after, or a partner whose health is changing. None of that tells you what you are carrying, only that the pressures in Dover are real and close to home, whether you live in Maxton, Charlton or up at Temple Ewell.
A first conversation when you can't yet name it
General counselling is for the times when you sense that something is wrong but would struggle to fill in a form about it. You might be stuck in a low patch since a job ended, or tense in a way that has crept into how you speak to the people you love. It could be the strain of caring for someone at home, a loss you have not had space to grieve, or evenings where a drink has become the only way to switch off. Any of these is a reasonable place to begin. Our first hours go on what weighs on you, what feeds it and what you'd want changed, before we decide together where the attention goes. My approach combines several methods, set out on the how I work page. I have more than 25 years of experience and a recovery of my own behind me, which means whatever you bring, including shame or drinking, will be met calmly. If it turns out that a different kind of help would suit you better, such as your GP or a specialist local service, I will say so plainly and help you find it.
Strains that come with Dover life
Living by the harbour's clock
When the Port of Dover shapes local work, shifts and household routines can bend around it, leaving little regular time for yourself or for each other.
Out of work in a busy town
In April 2023 unemployment was 7% in Tower Hamlets and 6.3% in St Radigunds, well above the district rate, and losing work can shake confidence and sleep.
A parent who needs you more
With 24% of the district aged 65 or over, caring for a parent is common; Carers' Support East Kent offers unpaid carers free emotional support.
Health that limits your days
Over a fifth of district residents, 21.0%, have a health problem or disability limiting daily life, and counselling by video can fit around appointments and fatigue.
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 Dover
Private sessions can run alongside free help in the district. NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway (Vita Health Group in partnership with With You) accepts self-referrals about anxiety or low mood. Dover Counselling Centre (DCC) in Whitfield supports individuals and families across Dover District, and South Kent Mind offers low-cost counselling. Wider community help across the county comes through Live Well Kent and Medway.
- 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 itEast Kent community drug and alcohol service (The Forward Trust)0300 123 1186Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCarers' Support East Kent (Dover District and Thanet)
- Local organisationAge UK South Kent Coast
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.
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 Dover ask before starting
Coming from Dover, could we ever meet in the same room?
My counselling room is in Hove, about 121 minutes' drive from Dover, so regular sessions from here take place over secure video. You see and hear the same counsellor, from your own home, without a long drive. A longer Hove session can be arranged from time to time, and it can be our first meeting if you'd rather start in person.
From Dover, how soon could my first proper session be?
The first step is the short free consultation by phone or video. Should we agree to carry on after it, I offer you the session times I genuinely have open and you pick one, so you are not placed on a long list. For anxiety or low mood, the NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway team takes direct self-referrals on 0333 091 0414 as well.
Is there free counselling in Dover District?
Dover Counselling Centre (DCC), a local charity at Horizon House in Whitfield, supports people across the district with anxiety, depression, bereavement, relationship difficulties and trauma, including remote counselling. South Kent Mind covers Dover too and offers low-cost counselling in person, by phone or by video. Either can sit alongside private sessions, or be your first port of call.
Who can I call in Kent if things get too much tonight?
Rethink Mental Illness runs Kent's Release the Pressure Helpline on 0800 107 0160; Samaritans can be reached round the clock on 116 123. If anyone's life is in danger right now, call 999. The urgent help box on this page lists the other crisis contacts, and counselling with me can carry on alongside them once things are steadier.
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.
A short first call from the Kent coast
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.