Hammersmith · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Hammersmith
When Hammersmith life begins to weigh on you in a way you can't quite name, an open first talk with a counsellor is a good place to start. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor with one room, in Hove, about 94 minutes' drive from W6. Hammersmith sessions would usually run on secure video from your home, with no commute, and you can ask for a Hove visit at any point.
The practical facts for Hammersmith
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Hammersmith by car
- About 94 minutes with clear roads (61.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Hammersmith and Fulham Talking Therapies, 0300 123 1156
- 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.
Under the flyover and along King Street
Hammersmith Broadway is built for passing through, with two Underground stations, a bus station and the A4 flyover carrying commuter traffic over the junction.
Plenty of people stay put, though. The town-centre ward is young, with a median age of 31, and 30% of its households are single adults under 66, so a lot of evenings on King Street end in a flat with one person in it. The same ward holds big employers such as L'Oreal, Walt Disney and the council, and also the Queen Caroline Estate, one of the areas the council names among its pockets of deprivation. Since Hammersmith Bridge closed in August 2020, even the way over to Barnes has changed. None of this makes anyone unwell. It does shape what people here carry around, and how easy it is to keep carrying it, between the Lyric, the office and home, without anyone noticing.
When you can't yet name what's wrong
General counselling suits the person who knows something is off but couldn't put it on a form. Perhaps sleep has thinned out, you've stopped replying to friends, or the dread that used to arrive on Sunday night now turns up on Saturday. Perhaps it's a parent's illness, a relationship that ended, a move to London that never quite settled, or a habit with drink you'd like to look at quietly. Our early sessions are for sorting out, side by side, which strands weigh most and why they hold on. Some of that may be about the present: a demanding job at one of the big Hammersmith employers, long days on a screen at home, money. Some of it may be much older. Once the picture is clearer, we agree what our sessions should focus on, and if a different service would fit you more closely, I'll name it and explain how to reach it. I work integratively, drawing on approaches such as Internal Family Systems, with fuller detail on my how I work page. I've spent 25 years and more in this work, with recovery in my own past, so whatever you bring, from shame to anger to drinking you've never said out loud, you'll be speaking to someone steady.
What a Hammersmith week can leave you with
Office, canteen and sofa
In 2021, 49% of people in the town-centre ward worked mainly from home, and a small flat can blur the job into every other part of life.
Alone near a busy Broadway
It's possible to live beside the Eventim Apollo crowds and the King Street traffic and still go a whole week without a real conversation.
Comfort and hardship side by side
Brook Green and Brackenbury Village sit close to estates the council lists as deprived, and money worry can be hard to admit on either side.
A free borough route as well
You can ring Hammersmith and Fulham Talking Therapies yourself on 0300 123 1156 for anxiety or low mood, and it can run in parallel with our private work.
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 Hammersmith
Our sessions can run beside free and low-cost local help. Hammersmith and Fulham Talking Therapies, from West London NHS Trust, lets you ask for help with anxiety or low mood without seeing a GP first. West London Mind offers community support, the West London Centre for Counselling has a low-cost service, and HELP Counselling sees people on sliding-scale fees in Brackenbury Village. For men who'd rather talk with other men, Andy's Man Club Hammersmith meets on Monday evenings.
- Free NHS talking therapyHammersmith and Fulham Talking Therapies0300 123 1156Free 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 itTurning Point Hammersmith & Fulham020 8740 6815Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCarers Network (Hammersmith & Fulham hub)
- Local organisationBuild on Belief (BOB), Acorn Hall Weekend ServiceRecovery community.
- Local organisationOutside Edge Theatre Company (recovery through drama)
- Local organisationEaling, Hammersmith & Hounslow Samaritans
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 West London NHS Trust 24-hour mental health crisis line is on 0800 328 4444.
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 Hammersmith ask before starting
Is it possible to meet you in person from Hammersmith, or only online?
In person, we'd meet at Intergen House in Hove, roughly 94 minutes' drive from Hammersmith, or the District line to Victoria and then a train south. For weekly sessions, secure video is the sensible choice: the same counsellor at the same hour, without the trip. If sitting in one room matters to you, an occasional session in Hove, including a longer 90 or 120-minute one, can be arranged.
I live near Hammersmith Broadway. How quickly can sessions begin?
Everything begins with a free consultation lasting 15 minutes, by phone or video. If we both want to continue, you'll see the slots I can actually offer that week and pick whichever suits, rather than joining a waiting list. Because we'd meet online, an early morning or lunchtime slot can fit around a working day near the Broadway or at home.
Is there free or cheaper counselling in Hammersmith and Fulham?
There is. Hammersmith and Fulham Talking Therapies is the borough's NHS service, and if anxiety or low mood is wearing you down you can phone 0300 123 1156 to refer yourself. The West London Centre for Counselling runs a low-cost service with closely supervised counsellors in the final stages of training, and HELP Counselling sets fees on a sliding scale. Weekly video sessions with me can carry on in parallel with whichever of these you choose.
What if I can't get any privacy for video sessions in a shared W6 flat?
It's a fair worry where housemates are close by or walls are thin. Headphones help a lot, and a quiet room at work, a parked car or an hour when the flat is empty can all serve. We can talk through what's realistic on the first call, and if privacy at home stays difficult, an occasional session in Hove is always possible.
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.
One short conversation, wherever you are in W6
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.