Havant · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Havant
If you live in Havant, Leigh Park, Bedhampton or Langstone and want to see a counsellor, you have a real choice. My room in Hove is on a direct train line from Havant, so coming in person is realistic, or you can use secure video from home. You don't need to arrive with a clear reason; working out what is wrong can be the first piece of work we do together.
The practical facts for Havant
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Havant by car
- About 60 minutes with clear roads (41.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Havant to Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire, 023 8038 3920
- 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.
Where the coast line meets the London line
Havant station is a junction, where the West Coastway line along the Sussex coast meets the Portsmouth Direct line to London.
The town sits between Portsmouth, Waterlooville, Chichester and Hayling Island, with Leigh Park, the large post-war estate, to the north and Langstone Harbour close by. Havant and Waterlooville F.C. and St Faith's Church are part of the town's life as well. Havant Sixth Form College, part of the HSDC group, is in the town, and you might spend a Saturday at the Meridian Shopping Centre or on the paths in Staunton Country Park. Havant also has free mental health support close at hand, including a Mental Health Hub on the first floor of the Meridian, run by Havant and East Hants Mind, so private counselling is one choice among several. That hub came out of joint work between Havant Borough Council, the Meridian and the local Mind. If you commute, the same junction sends you towards London on one line and along the coast towards Hove on the other, which is part of why meeting in person is realistic from here.
Choosing private counselling when Havant has free options
Before choosing private work, look at what Havant already offers. Havant and East Hants Mind started the Instil Hope Counselling Service in September 2026, in person in South and East Hampshire and online. NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire accepts referrals straight from you for anxiety or low mood. If it is your teenager who is struggling, Off The Record in Leigh Park sees young people from 11 to 25 and supports parents too. Private counselling may suit you if you'd like to pick your own counsellor from outside Havant, want sessions of 90 or 120 minutes, or have finished an NHS course and want to go further. You may also want to keep this separate from anyone local. Because Havant has direct trains to Hove, some or all of your sessions can be in the room, with video for the weeks that don't allow the trip. If drinking or drug use worries you, we can look at it alongside everything else, and Inclusion Recovery Hampshire is the free local service. Across Hampshire, alcohol-related hospital admissions (narrow definition) stood at 410.0 per 100,000 in 2023/24, under England's 504.1, and a county figure says nothing about you. In the first session we map out what is happening for you now and which change would matter most to you. I've been doing this work for more than 25 years and have lived experience of recovery.
What might bring you to counselling from Havant
One train along the coast to Hove
Havant's direct trains to Hove make an in-person session realistic, perhaps fortnightly, with no change of train, and video in the weeks when work or the school run gets in the way.
After an NHS Talking Therapies course
You found the course run by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust useful for anxiety or low mood, but there's more to talk through and you'd like longer or more flexible sessions, perhaps 90 minutes.
When your teenager is at OTR
If your son or daughter is seeing Off The Record in Leigh Park, you may need somewhere of your own to talk about what it is stirring up for you. OTR supports parents as well, in Leigh Park.
Worried about the drinking at home
If you're unsure whether your drinking has become a problem, we can look at it together, and Inclusion workers join the Leigh Park Safe Haven on Mondays and Thursdays, so help is close to home.
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 Havant
Havant and East Hants Mind runs the Mental Health Hub in the Meridian and an evening Adults' Safe Haven at its Leigh Park Wellbeing Centre, and has started the Instil Hope Counselling Service. Off The Record (OTR South) supports young people aged 11 to 25, and families worried about a son or daughter can turn to Parent Support Link (PSL). For drinking or drugs, Inclusion Recovery Hampshire is the free local service. Private counselling with me can run alongside any of them.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Hampshire023 8038 3920Free 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 itInclusion Recovery Hampshire0300 124 0103Free and confidential.
- Local organisationThe Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Hampshire (Hampshire Carers Support Service)
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 HANTS to 85258. Local drop-in crisis support: Havant Adults' Safe Haven (Havant & East Hants Mind) (check opening times before you go).
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 Havant ask before starting
Are there free counselling services in Havant or Leigh Park?
There are several routes. For anxiety or low mood you can ring NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire yourself on 023 8038 3920, and it costs nothing. Havant and East Hants Mind launched the Instil Hope Counselling Service in September 2026, in person and online, so ask them about cost and waiting times. For young people aged 11 to 25, Off The Record in Leigh Park offers counselling. Private sessions with me are an option if you want to choose your counsellor yourself.
Can I come to your room in Hove by train from Havant?
Yes. Trains run direct from Havant to Hove, and Intergen House, where I see people, is on Western Road. Driving takes about 60 minutes. You could come in person every week or two, or mix the Hove room with video sessions from home. If you'd rather rest than drive afterwards, the train helps. If you live in Leigh Park, allow time to reach Havant station before the train. We can work out a rhythm that suits you on the free 15-minute call.
Where can I go in Havant if I'm in crisis in the evening?
The Adults' Safe Haven run by Havant and East Hants Mind opens every evening of the year for face-to-face support at the Wellbeing Centre in Leigh Park, and you don't need a referral to walk in. Staff from the Southern Health NHS FT Mental Health Crisis Team work there alongside the Mind team. It isn't open around the clock, so you can also text HANTS to 85258 or call Samaritans on 116 123. If your life is in danger, call 999.
Can you help if I'm worried about my drinking, living in Havant?
Yes, we can talk about it openly and without judgement, alongside whatever else is going on. Anything medical about your drinking is a conversation for your GP. Inclusion Recovery Hampshire, on 0300 124 0103, is the free drug and alcohol service, and its workers also join the Safe Haven on Mondays and Thursdays. Starting with Inclusion and seeing me later also works. If it's a partner's or parent's drinking that worries you, sessions can be about how it affects you.
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.
Choose the way that suits you from Havant
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.