Hailsham · in person in Hove or online
Counselling and therapy for Hailsham
Living in Hailsham with a sense that things haven't sat right for months is reason enough to start counselling, even before you can name what it is. I'm Bradley, a BACP-registered counsellor. Sessions happen either in person at Intergen House in Hove, around 38 minutes away by car, or on secure video from your Hailsham home.
The practical facts for Hailsham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Hailsham by car
- About 38 minutes with clear roads (25.2 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Polegate 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.
Growing town, shift patterns and money worries
Hailsham is the largest inland town in East Sussex, and it keeps getting bigger: the Town Council puts the mid-2024 population at 23,768, up from 23,411 at the 2021 Census.
New streets bring new neighbours, and if you moved here recently, the friends who once knew how you were doing may now be in another town. Work here can mean the rope factory on Diplocks Way, the Station Road estate, the council offices on Vicarage Lane, or the hourly Metrobus 500 to Gatwick that runs through the night for shift workers. Strange hours can leave you sleeping badly and feeling out of step with home. Money can press too, and the foodbank and Citizens Advice both work from the town. A walk along the Cuckoo Trail or round Common Pond can clear your head for an afternoon, though the heavy feeling is often still there the next morning.
Starting therapy without a label for it
Plenty of people reach a first session saying only that they haven't felt like themselves for months. That is enough to begin. In the opening weeks we work out together what is weighing on you, whether it is a loss, a relationship, a job that has taken over, something old that has resurfaced, or a mix you can't untangle on your own. Some people in a market town like Hailsham feel they ought to manage quietly, because everyone seems to know everyone, and a counsellor who lives outside the town can feel safer to open up to. My approach is integrative, so I draw on several methods, Human Givens among them, and choose what fits you rather than following a fixed programme. Sessions run at your pace, and you decide what we talk about. More than 25 years of counselling, plus a recovery of my own, means whatever a Hailsham week has piled up can be said plainly here. If drinking has crept into the picture, we can talk about that too.
What people in Hailsham might bring to counselling
Nights on the Gatwick bus
The Metrobus 500 runs to Gatwick every hour, day and night. If your shifts depend on it, broken sleep and missed family time can wear you down.
New to a growing town
Hailsham has grown by about 1.2% a year. If you moved here for a new home or a new job, you may not yet have people nearby to talk to.
Bills that keep you awake
Worry about rent, debt or food can sit behind low mood. Wealden (Hailsham) Citizens Advice helps with the money side while counselling helps with the strain.
Raising a relative's child
If you're bringing up a grandchild or a niece, the Hailsham Kinship Carers Support Group offers peers, and our sessions give you room for your own feelings.
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 Hailsham
Free help in Hailsham can sit alongside private counselling. UOK Wellbeing Service from Southdown runs a walk-in welcome session in the town for adults, with no appointment needed. Sussex Community Counselling offers low-cost face-to-face sessions in Hailsham, and when worry or a lasting flatness is what you most want help with, Health in Mind takes self-referrals for NHS Talking Therapies from Hailsham.
- 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 organisationBereavement Support Group (Hailsham Parish Church)
- Local organisationHailsham Kinship Carers Support Group
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 Hailsham ask before starting
How quickly can I see a counsellor if I live in Hailsham?
We begin with the free 15-minute call, booked at a time that works for you. If we agree to carry on, I'll give you the times I have free and you pick one that suits. While you decide, you could phone Health in Mind on 0300 0030 130, the NHS Talking Therapies route in East Sussex, which you can contact without seeing your GP.
Who else offers counselling or wellbeing support in Hailsham itself?
Sussex Community Counselling, a low-cost charity, holds in-person sessions in Hailsham, and the UOK Wellbeing Service from Southdown runs a walk-in welcome session in the town for adults 18 and over. Health in Mind is the free NHS option for anxiety and low mood. Private sessions with me can be a choice if you'd like a set weekly time.
Without a car in Hailsham, can I still come to the Hove room?
Yes. The room is on Western Road in Hove. Without a car, the Regency 28 bus runs from Hailsham to Brighton, or you can head to Polegate and take the direct train to Brighton, then go on to Hove. If that trip is too long to make each week, video works well, and you can come in person when it suits.
What if I can't explain what's wrong in the first session?
That's very common and it's fine. You might just say you've felt flat, tense or not yourself since moving to Hailsham, or since work changed. I'll ask gentle questions, and we'll find the thread together over the first few sessions. Nothing has to be explained neatly before you start.
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.
Talk it through first, from home in Hailsham
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.