Lewisham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Lewisham
For anyone in Lewisham who wants a counsellor and doesn't know where to begin: I see adults one to one by secure video, and my only room is in Hove, on the south coast. You can start with a free short call, say as little as you want, and decide afterwards.
The practical facts for Lewisham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Lewisham by car
- About 85 minutes with clear roads (65.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Lewisham, change at London Bridge for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Lewisham Talking Therapies, 020 3228 1350
- 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 trains, the market and the hospital meet
Lewisham station is a busy interchange, with Southeastern trains to Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Victoria and the DLR towards Canary Wharf and Bank, and the town centre beside it has a large shopping centre and a street market.
University Hospital Lewisham sits on Lewisham High Street, and Goldsmiths in nearby New Cross brings students and university staff into the borough. Away from the interchange, Ladywell, Hither Green, Lee Green, St Johns and Catford each keep their own pace. A place this busy can make it oddly easy to feel unseen, moving through crowds all day and going home with nobody to tell how things really are. If that sounds familiar, you can talk about it here at whatever speed you need.
Where private counselling fits among Lewisham's options
From Lewisham there are several ways into counselling, and it helps to know where private work sits among them. Lewisham Talking Therapies is free for anxiety and depression and takes self-referrals. The Quaggy Community Counselling Service at Orchard Hill is a low-cost charity for adults living in Lewisham or Greenwich. SEL Mind Connect offers advisers and peer groups, but you reach it through your GP, the wider team at your surgery, South London and Maudsley, or Talking Therapies. With me you book directly, choose a regular time, and keep going for as long as it's useful. You might want to talk about anxiety that won't settle, sleep that has fallen apart, a death, a relationship under strain, or drinking or drug use that worries you more than you've told anyone. At the start I mostly listen, and then we work out together what you want to be different, in small and specific terms. If you work shifts at University Hospital Lewisham, we can look for a slot that sits with your rota. If you're studying at Goldsmiths, or on the DLR to Canary Wharf every morning, video means the hour doesn't cost you a trip across London. Over 25 years of practice sit behind this, along with my own experience of recovery, though anything about medication is one for your GP.
Some of what you can talk about
Shift work and broken sleep
Nights and weekends at the hospital or anywhere else, a body clock that never settles, and a mood that slides with it.
Studying and money worries
Pressure at Goldsmiths or on any course, rent, part-time work, and the feeling of being behind everyone else.
Worry on the morning interchange
Racing thoughts on a crowded Lewisham platform, the DLR or the train to Cannon Street, and a tight chest before you've reached your desk.
Drink or drugs on your mind
Using more than you planned, or keeping it hidden. You can say it out loud here, and New Direction is Lewisham's free specialist recovery service if you want that too.
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 Lewisham
Other free help in Lewisham can sit alongside counselling. The Lewisham Outreach Service works with people in the community, and Carers Lewisham supports family and friends, including those worried about someone's drinking or drug use. For drugs or alcohol, the free route is New Direction, which Change Grow Live operates for the borough, and Waythrough Lewisham PCRS runs aftercare and recovery groups. The Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark Samaritans branch is in New Cross.
- Free NHS talking therapyLewisham Talking Therapies020 3228 1350Free 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 itNew Direction drug and alcohol recovery service (Lewisham)020 8314 5566Run by Change Grow Live (CGL). Free and confidential.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service (SLaM) is another option: WhatsApp 0303 330 1511 or text 80991.
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 Lewisham ask before starting
Is there free or cheap counselling in Lewisham?
Yes. Lewisham Talking Therapies, run by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, is free for anxiety and depression, and you can refer yourself on 020 3228 1350. The Quaggy Community Counselling Service at Orchard Hill is a low-cost charity open to adults in Lewisham or Greenwich. Seeing me privately is the option if you'd rather pick your counsellor yourself and keep a fixed weekly time.
Is meeting in person ever possible from Lewisham, or is it video only?
Occasionally, yes, but not easily every week. From Lewisham the Hove room is roughly 85 minutes on the road, and the rail route goes via London Bridge, where you change. In practice, nearly all our work would happen over secure video. You could come to Hove once near the start, or for a longer session now and then, and that is entirely your choice.
Is there a waiting list before I can start counselling from Lewisham?
You don't need a referral. You book the free 15-minute call, we talk about what's going on and whether I seem like the right person for you, and if it suits us both we set a first session. I can't promise a start date on this page, but on that call I'll tell you honestly what times I have, including around hospital shifts or a commute.
I'm worried about my drinking but scared of being judged. Is counselling right for me in Lewisham?
It can be. Having been through recovery myself, I won't be shocked, and we can talk about drinking alongside whatever else is going on. If you'd also like free specialist support, you can call New Direction, the borough's Change Grow Live drug and alcohol service, on 020 8314 5566.
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.
Ask your questions first, then decide
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.