Herne Bay · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Herne Bay
Perhaps something in your life in Herne Bay has felt heavy for a while, without a clear name yet, and you'd like somewhere unhurried to begin. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor, and my only room is in Hove, close to two hours away by car. That makes secure video our usual meeting place from Herne Bay, with one counsellor at a fixed weekly time while you stay at home in CT6.
The practical facts for Herne Bay
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Herne Bay by car
- About 111 minutes with clear roads (94.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, 0333 091 0414
- 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.
Between the Clock Tower and the Canterbury bus
Herne Bay sits on the north Kent coast, on the Thames Estuary, a separate town with fields between it and Canterbury.
Plenty of people here take the bus to Canterbury each morning to work or to shop, and others catch the Southeastern train towards Victoria or St Pancras. Many have come here to retire, drawn by the seafront, the pier and the walk out towards Reculver. It can look like a settled, unhurried place, and often it is. But a quiet town can make a private worry louder. You might be caring for a parent in Eddington, adjusting to retirement in Beltinge after a working life elsewhere, or running between a Canterbury job and a family in Greenhill with no gap to think. Out of season, when the bandstand is empty and the evenings draw in, it's easy to keep telling yourself you'll sort it out next month.
When you know something is wrong but not what
A neat explanation isn't needed before you get in touch. Some people arrive with a clear event behind them: a death, a marriage ending, worrying health news, or redundancy late in a career. Others simply notice they've stopped enjoying the things that used to steady them, that sleep has gone, or that a glass of wine each evening has crept into most of the bottle. Any of those is enough. Our opening sessions sort out what weighs most and what holds it there, perhaps looking after an ageing parent in Eddington, the isolation some feel after settling on the north Kent coast, or a habit far older than your time in Herne Bay. From there we settle on a focus, and if East Kent Mind, your GP or another service would serve you better, whether as well as our sessions or in place of them, I'll say so plainly. I've spent 25+ years counselling and have come through recovery myself, which tends to make it easier to say the unvarnished version out loud. The detail of my methods sits on the how I work page.
What a Herne Bay life can put on you
Retiring to the seaside
Herne Bay is a popular place to retire, and leaving work, friends and old routines behind can stir up feelings that take a while to name.
Caring for an older relative
With an older-than-average population, many people here are looking after a parent or partner. Age UK Herne Bay and Whitstable runs a dementia care unit and drop-in cafes.
Working in Canterbury, living here
The daily trip to Canterbury for work fills the day, and by the time you're home in Studd Hill or Hampton there's little left for yourself.
Talking with other men locally
East Kent Mind runs Men's Talk at its Herne Bay Umbrella, a free peer space that can sit comfortably alongside one-to-one sessions with me.
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 Herne Bay
Free help in and around Herne Bay can run alongside private counselling. NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway (Vita Health Group in partnership with With You) takes calls straight from Herne Bay residents about anxiety or a persistently low mood. East Kent Mind - Herne Bay Umbrella on William Street offers one-to-one support, Men's Talk and Wellbeing Walks from the Clock Tower. If you care for someone with mental health problems, the Rethink Canterbury and Coastal Carers' Support Group includes Herne Bay.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway0333 091 0414Free 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 itEast Kent community drug and alcohol service (The Forward Trust)0300 123 1186Free and confidential.
- Local organisationRethink Canterbury and Coastal 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.
Locally, the Release the Pressure Helpline - Kent is on 0800 107 0160.
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 Herne Bay ask before starting
Could I ever meet you in person if I live in Herne Bay?
My counselling room sits in Hove, about 111 minutes' drive from Herne Bay, and further still by rail via Victoria. For regular sessions, secure video is far kinder on your week, and it is still the same one-to-one hour with me. If meeting in person once in a while matters to you, we can plan a session in Hove.
Can I get free talking therapy on the NHS while living in Herne Bay?
Yes. When worry or a flat, heavy mood is what's troubling you, you can ring 0333 091 0414 yourself, with no GP letter, to reach NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, though waits vary. Some people use it while also seeing me privately, or come to me while they wait. Your GP can also talk through other options with you.
I've retired to Herne Bay and feel lost. Is that worth counselling?
It is. Leaving a career, moving to the coast and being away from old friends can bring grief, restlessness or a low mood that surprises you, even when the move was your choice. We can look at what you've lost, what you want this stage of life to hold, and what is getting in the way. Over video, all of this can be talked through from your own sitting room.
Who can I call in Herne Bay if things feel too much tonight?
In Kent, the Release the Pressure helpline on 0800 107 0160 answers calls about how you're feeling, and Samaritans are on 116 123 at any hour. Where a life is at immediate risk, ring 999. Further Kent crisis contacts, for Herne Bay and beyond, are gathered in the urgent help box on this page.
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.
A first conversation from Herne Bay
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.