Godalming · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Godalming
If you're in Godalming or Farncombe and want help with anxiety, low mood or a relationship that's struggling, I work by secure video, which is the practical way to do this from here. My room is in Hove, 68 minutes' drive away, so in-person sessions would be occasional at most. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor and psychotherapist.
The practical facts for Godalming
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Godalming by car
- About 68 minutes with clear roads (43.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Godalming, change at Havant for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Mind Matters Surrey, 0300 330 5450
- 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.
School gates, the Wey and the Waterloo line
Godalming sits where the River Wey meets the River Ock, with Farncombe to the north counted as part of the same town and served by its own station.
It is an independent school town. Charterhouse moved here from London in 1872, Godalming College has taken 16 to 19 year olds since it was founded in 1975, and Broadwater School and St Hilary's School are here too. South Western Railway trains run to London Waterloo via Guildford on the Portsmouth Direct line, so for some households the week is split between a commute and the school calendar. The town reaches out to Crownpits, Aaron's Hill and Frith Hill as well as the streets around the old centre, and the nearest A and E is about 4 miles away at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. Strain here rarely looks dramatic from outside: a parent holding a family together through exam years, a commuter who no longer enjoys the weekend, a couple who mostly talk about logistics. Any one of those is reason enough to talk to someone.
Anxiety, low mood and the school year in Godalming
With Charterhouse, St Hilary's, Broadwater School and Godalming College in the town, a parent's year here can follow the school calendar, and strain tends to arrive with it, in exam seasons and at the start of each term. If you also commute, the trains to London Waterloo via Guildford set the edges of the day, and anxiety can attach itself to that routine: a tight chest on the platform at Farncombe, or a bad Sunday night before the week begins. Low mood can sit underneath all of it without anyone noticing. In sessions we start with what is happening for you now and what keeps it going, at a pace that suits you. If it's your relationship that hurts, you can come alone or with your partner, sitting together at one screen at home, and a 90-minute session gives two people time to be heard. Video lets you fit the work around the morning train or the school run, without giving an afternoon to the road. I have more than 25 years of practice and lived experience of recovery.
What you could bring to a first session
Worry you can't switch off
Dread on the platform before the Waterloo train, overthinking ordinary events, or panic that seems to come from nowhere and has you avoiding things you used to do without a second thought.
Feeling low or empty
Losing interest, sleeping badly or not feeling like yourself for a long while. Mind Matters Surrey takes self-referrals for low mood too, and you can use both, one after the other or side by side.
Distance between you and your partner
When the week splits between the commute and the school calendar, partners can end up passing each other in the hallway. Sessions can be for one of you or for both, at one screen.
Parenting under pressure
Exam years at Godalming College or Broadwater School, worries about a teenager, or holding a family together while your own needs keep coming last. Video sessions can sit inside school hours, at your own kitchen table.
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 Godalming
Private sessions aren't the only option. Mind Matters Surrey, the NHS Talking Therapies provider, accepts self-referrals from Godalming and Farncombe when anxiety or depression is the main difficulty. Action for Carers Surrey supports people looking after someone. Godalming has no Safe Haven of its own, but one of the evening drop-ins is in nearby Guildford. The local organisations listed below include support for families and friends, and for grief.
- Free NHS talking therapyMind Matters Surrey0300 330 5450Free 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 iti-access0300 222 5932Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCatalyst Counselling: families, friends and carers (Catalyst Support)
- Local organisationCommunity Mental Health Recovery Service (CMHRS) Waverley, Berkeley HouseNHS secondary care community mental health team base.
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
Private counselling with me can run alongside any of these; you do not have to choose one or the other.
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 Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT Mental Health Crisis Helpline is on 0800 915 4644.
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 Godalming ask before starting
Can I have counselling for anxiety online from Godalming?
Yes, and from Godalming that's how most of the work with me would happen. Sessions run over secure video, so all you need is a private room, a laptop or phone and a reliable connection. We'd look at what triggers the anxiety and what keeps it going, and build things you can use between sessions. After the free call, I'll tell you honestly when we could start.
Is there free help for depression in Godalming?
Yes. Mind Matters Surrey offers NHS Talking Therapies at no cost when low mood or anxiety is the problem, with self-referral on 0300 330 5450. For adults aged 18 to 65 with severe or enduring difficulties, your GP can refer you to the Waverley community mental health team at Berkeley House. Private counselling is an option if you'd like to choose your therapist.
Would we ever need to come to Hove, as a couple or on my own?
No. You can do all of your sessions by video, and couples can sit together at one screen at home. The room is 68 minutes' drive away, or a train from Godalming station with one change, at Havant, so a visit only makes sense if you'd really value meeting in person, and then a longer session is usually the better use of the day.
Where can I go near Godalming if things feel unbearable tonight?
Please don't wait for a counselling session if you feel unsafe. The Surrey and Borders 24/7 mental health crisis helpline is on 0800 915 4644. The Guildford Safe Haven is a walk-in space for adults in Surrey, open 6pm to 11pm every day, and the nearest A and E is at the Royal Surrey County Hospital on Egerton Road. If your life is at risk right now, call 999.
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, free conversation
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.