Horsham · in person in Hove or online
Counselling and therapy for Horsham
I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor and psychotherapist, and I work with people in Horsham who want someone they can talk to properly, week after week. Sessions are one to one, in my room in Hove or by secure video, and a free 15-minute call comes before any of it.
The practical facts for Horsham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Horsham by car
- About 36 minutes with clear roads (23.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Horsham, change at Three Bridges for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team, 01403 620434
- 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.
Market-town calm, and the pressure underneath
Horsham is a market town built around the Carfax and the Causeway, with Horsham Park, the museum, and St Leonard's Forest when you need air.
It's a commuter town, with many residents working in London, at Gatwick or along the coast, and financial services and insurance are part of local working life, with RSA Insurance Group's registered office here. Collyer's is the sixth form college serving the town, and Christ's Hospital school is here too. You can still lie awake in Holbrook at three in the morning, or sit in the car outside the house in North Heath for ten minutes before going in. In West Sussex as a whole, 24.5% of adults had a high anxiety score in 2022/23, which is similar to the England figure of 23.8%. A figure for the whole county says nothing about how things are for you, and it's no reason to keep quiet if you're struggling.
Insurance desks, Gatwick shifts and sixth form exams
In the first session you decide how much of what's been happening to put into words, and I ask about the rest of your life too: sleep, work, the people around you, what helps. In Horsham, work may be a large part of that picture. Whether your desk is in insurance, at the RSPCA headquarters at Southwater or at Creative Assembly, or your day starts on a train to London or a drive to Gatwick, the job can end up setting the rhythm for the whole household. If you have a son or daughter at Collyer's or Christ's Hospital, their exams can quietly become everyone's exams. From there the work becomes more particular to you, perhaps untangling a habit of always saying yes, making sense of a loss, or working out why a settled life has started to feel flat. We review how it's going as we go, and you decide when you've had enough. It's worth weighing your options honestly, too, because Horsham has a low-cost counselling CIC and a free wellbeing hub, and private weekly sessions are one choice among several. I've done this work for over 25 years, and I know recovery from the inside as well.
Some reasons Horsham people get in touch
Pressure in insurance and finance
Financial services and insurance are part of Horsham's working life, and targets, reviews and long hours can leave you short-tempered, tired and dreading Sunday evenings.
Days bookended by the commute
An early train towards London Victoria or a shift out at Gatwick that starts the day before it's light and ends it late, with little left over for home.
Worrying about a teenager
Fear, conflict or helplessness as a son or daughter goes through sixth form at Collyer's, exams or a hard patch of their own.
A drinking habit creeping up
Evenings that seem to need a drink to end them. We can talk about it honestly, and Horsham District Wellbeing runs free alcohol reduction support as well.
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 Horsham
There are free and low-cost options in Horsham worth knowing about. Horsham and Crawley Counselling Group CIC is a not-for-profit offering counselling on a sliding fee scale. Horsham District Wellbeing is a free council service that includes alcohol reduction support. Horsham residents can also go straight to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, without a GP letter, and its North Team offers help with anxiety and low mood.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team01403 620434Free 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 itWest Sussex Drug & Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCarers Support West Sussex – support for carers of drug and alcohol users
- Local organisationWest Sussex Wellbeing – support for family and friends (council-run)
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 Horsham ask before starting
Would I have to travel out of Horsham to see you in a room?
Yes, if you want a room. My only one is in Hove, about 36 minutes' drive from Horsham, and by train you'd change at Three Bridges. So in practice it's either the drive down for sessions in person, or secure video from home, which can be easier to keep up week after week.
Does the NHS offer free counselling to Horsham residents?
It does for anxiety and low mood. In Horsham that's NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, and the North Team covering the town takes calls on 01403 620434, so you can refer yourself without seeing your GP first. Private counselling suits people who want to choose their counsellor or work in a more open-ended way.
Can I see a counsellor about my drinking if I live in Horsham?
Yes. We can talk about drinking honestly and without judgement, alongside whatever sits underneath it. For free specialist help as well, Horsham District Wellbeing offers alcohol reduction support, and Change Grow Live's DAWN service for the county is on 0330 128 1113.
How soon could I start counselling from Horsham, and what if I can't wait?
Begin by booking the free 15-minute call. You can tell me a little about what's going on, ask how I work, and I'll tell you honestly which times I have. If you'd like to look at other routes at the same time, the NHS talking therapies team for Horsham will see you without a GP referral when your worry is anxiety or low mood, and Horsham and Crawley Counselling Group CIC offers counselling on a sliding fee scale.
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 to a counsellor before you decide anything
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.