Hastings · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Hastings
If you live in Hastings or St Leonards and want to see a counsellor, I'm a BACP-registered counsellor, in UKCP psychotherapy training as a student member, and my one room is in Hove. That is a little over an hour's drive from you, so from Hastings we would usually work by secure video, at a time that fits your week.
The practical facts for Hastings
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Hastings by car
- About 67 minutes with clear roads (40.1 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Hastings 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 with no fast road out
Hastings is the most populous area in Britain with no direct dual-carriageway link to the motorway network, so getting anywhere else takes some planning.
It is a seaside resort, a historic Cinque Port and a working fishing port, with Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet based at the Stade. Your week might mean work on the Stade, shifts at the Conquest Hospital on The Ridge, a job in Priory Meadow, or a walk in Alexandra Park to clear your head. You may have grown up in Ore or Hollington, or moved to St Leonards from somewhere else. What is on your mind can be hard to raise with someone local, especially someone you might pass in the Old Town at the weekend, and a counsellor from outside the town can make that first conversation easier to have.
Hastings routes to counselling, and where private work fits
Before you choose private work, it is worth knowing what each Hastings route offers. Health in Mind is how East Sussex delivers NHS Talking Therapies, and you can put yourself forward to it for anxiety or low mood. Counselling Plus Community, now at 66 London Road in St Leonards, gives Hastings and Rother residents aged 16 and over a free assessment and affordable sessions. The Seaview Project Wellbeing Centre is an open drop-in where you need no appointment. In 2022/23, 24.1% of East Sussex adults reported a high anxiety score, statistically in line with England's 23.8%. Private sessions with me are for when you want to choose your counsellor, need a longer session of 90 or 120 minutes, or need times that move with a rota at the Conquest Hospital or a Southeastern commute to Charing Cross via Tonbridge. Because the room is over an hour away, we would plan on video from the start. You can bring anything, including grief or drinking that worries you, and in the first sessions we work out together what matters most to you. I have more than 25 years of practice behind me, and my own recovery is part of why I chose this work. If something needs your GP, I'll say so plainly.
What Hastings life can put on your shoulders
Shifts at the Conquest
If your hours at the Conquest Hospital on The Ridge run through nights and weekends, video sessions can follow your rota rather than a fixed weekly slot.
Working days on the Stade
If your working day is on the beach at the Stade, a video session from home later on spares you most of an afternoon spent driving west to Hove.
No fast road to Hove
Hastings has no direct dual-carriageway link to the motorway network and the drive to Hove takes about 67 minutes, so video is usually the practical way to meet from here.
Drinking, and where STAR fits
If alcohol or drugs have crept up, we can look at that honestly. STAR Drug and Alcohol Service is the free East Sussex route if you also want specialist support.
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 Hastings
Private counselling is one option among several in Hastings. Health in Mind runs free NHS Talking Therapies across East Sussex, and Counselling Plus Community offers affordable counselling to Hastings and Rother residents. The Seaview Project, in St Leonards, runs an open-access drop-in where you need no appointment. For drinking or drugs, STAR Drug and Alcohol Service is the free East Sussex service. On a hard evening, Staying Well Hastings is a walk-in you can use.
- 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 organisationHastings and Rother SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch.
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.
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 Hastings ask before starting
Can I get counselling in Hastings or St Leonards for free, or for less?
Yes. Health in Mind, which provides NHS Talking Therapies in East Sussex at no cost, takes calls from people referring themselves on 0300 0030 130. Counselling Plus Community is an affordable counselling charity for Hastings and Rother residents aged 16 and over, with a free assessment. It is at 66 London Road in St Leonards.
Is video counselling from Hastings as good as being in the room?
Video counselling can work well, and from Hastings it saves you more than two hours of driving there and back. What matters most is whether you feel safe enough to talk honestly, and that can build over a screen too. You'll need somewhere private, and if home is busy, a parked car can do.
What can I do in Hastings if I'm struggling in the evening?
Staying Well Hastings is an out-of-hours mental health walk-in at Carisbrooke House, Stockleigh Road, open weekdays 5pm to 10.30pm and weekends 3pm to 10.30pm. You can also text SUSSEX to 85258 or call Samaritans free on 116 123. If you're in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A and E at the Conquest Hospital.
Can I begin counselling from Hastings without a GP referral?
Yes. You don't need a referral from your GP to get in touch, and how soon we start depends on which times you need, so on the free call we check what is available and pick a first session. If you're also thinking about Health in Mind or a free assessment at Counselling Plus Community, tell me, and we can talk about how the routes might fit together.
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.
Have a first conversation from Hastings
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.