Eastbourne · in person in Hove or online
Counselling and therapy for Eastbourne
This is for anyone in Eastbourne, from Meads to Langney, who feels it may be time to talk to a counsellor. I see people in one room, in Hove, about 45 minutes away by car, and by secure video. From this far along the coast, video often makes weekly sessions easier, with Hove there for an occasional longer meeting.
The practical facts for Eastbourne
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Eastbourne by car
- About 45 minutes with clear roads (27.2 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Eastbourne to Brighton; change there for Hove, one stop.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Health in Mind, 0300 0030 130
- 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 town of retirees, young families and visitors
Eastbourne has long been known as somewhere people retire to, and that's still part of it, but the average age has been falling as younger people and young families move in.
So one street might hold someone settling into retirement, a couple with a new baby and a household working hospitality hours along the seafront. Tourism brings in a large and growing share of the town's income, and Eastbourne District General Hospital on Kings Drive, with its 24-hour emergency department, is a significant public-sector employer. There are language schools too, with students arriving mostly from Europe. Each of those lives can carry its own pressures, such as loneliness after a move or a loss, the exhaustion of small children, the strain of nights on a ward, or irregular hours that leave little room for anything else. You don't have to wait for a crisis before talking about any of them.
Counselling around Eastbourne's shifts, moves and retirements
Counselling is a regular, private hour, or longer, where you can say what you haven't said elsewhere and have someone think it through with you. From Eastbourne, what brings you might follow the town's working life. If you work at Eastbourne District General Hospital, you might prefer a counsellor outside Eastbourne altogether, so there's no chance of meeting colleagues or patients in Old Town or on the seafront. If tourism work gives you irregular hours, we look for a regular slot you can keep, and video lets a session fit between shifts without the 45-minute drive. If you moved here with young children, or retired here and found the days emptier than you pictured, the work may begin with that loneliness before anything else. It might equally be a bereavement, or a drink at the end of every day that has started to feel necessary. County figures are the closest available for Eastbourne: 24.1% of East Sussex adults had a high anxiety score in 2022/23, in line with England's 23.8%. We start with where you are and what you'd like to change. I bring more than 25 years of practice and my own experience of recovery.
Where counselling might start for you
Shift work catching up
Nights, earlies and lates at the hospital or in a hotel, and a body and mood that no longer recover between them.
A new town, few people
Moving to Eastbourne for a fresh start and finding it lonelier than you expected, especially with a young family.
Retirement, then the quiet
Retiring to Eastbourne, or staying on after a partner has died, and finding the days longer and emptier than you ever pictured.
Far from home at a language school
A spell studying at one of the town's language schools, away from family and your first language, when homesickness or worry starts to take over.
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 Eastbourne
Free and low-cost options in Eastbourne are worth knowing about alongside private work. The Old Bank Wellbeing Trust on Brassey Avenue offers counselling with a bursary scheme for people on low or no income, Sussex Community Counselling (SCDA) has low-cost sessions in the town, and Health in Mind accepts self-referrals when worry or low mood is the main concern. Mind in Brighton and Hove also runs services in East Sussex. Mankind meets weekly in Eastbourne for men who want peer support.
- Free NHS talking therapyHealth in Mind0300 0030 130Free 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 itSTAR Drug and Alcohol Service (East Sussex STAR)0300 303 8160Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCoastal Routes Recovery
- Local organisationCare for the Carers
- Local organisationEastbourne and District SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch.
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 Eastbourne ask before starting
Can I see you face to face in Eastbourne?
Not in the town itself, I'm afraid. The only room I work from is on Western Road in Hove, roughly 45 minutes from Eastbourne by car, or a direct train to Brighton and on to Hove from there. If face to face matters to you, coming to Hove for a longer session every so often is a good compromise, with video sessions in between.
Where can I find free or cheaper counselling in Eastbourne?
If anxiety or low mood is the main thing, you can phone Health in Mind, which provides free NHS Talking Therapies across the county, on 0300 0030 130 and refer yourself. The Old Bank Wellbeing Trust on Brassey Avenue has a bursary scheme, on 01323 502827, and Sussex Community Counselling (SCDA) offers low-cost sessions in Eastbourne on 01273 519108.
I'm struggling tonight. Where can I go in Eastbourne?
If you're in danger, call 999 or go to the 24-hour emergency department at Eastbourne District General Hospital. Staying Well Eastbourne is an out-of-hours crisis service at the Eastbourne Wellbeing Centre on Wharf Road, on 0800 023 6475 option 1, but its provider has said walk-ins are temporarily paused, so phone before going. Samaritans are on 116 123, free, day and night.
How soon can I start counselling from Eastbourne?
It begins with the free 15-minute call, at a time that suits you. We talk briefly about what's happening and what you're hoping for, and I'll tell you honestly when I have space. If it feels like a fit on both sides, the first session can be on video, which may let you start sooner than waiting for a week when you can travel to Hove.
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 quiet conversation
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.