Maidstone · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Maidstone
I work from one room, in Hove, about 78 minutes' drive from Maidstone. So if you live in Maidstone and want a counsellor, we would normally meet by secure video at a time that fits around your work, with the Hove room there for an occasional longer session.
The practical facts for Maidstone
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Maidstone by car
- About 78 minutes with clear roads (64.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Maidstone East, change at London Victoria for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- 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.
A county town where work and home overlap
Maidstone is Kent's county town and its largest, and public administration is a major local employer.
County Hall on Sandling Road is the headquarters of Kent County Council. Maidstone Hospital on Hermitage Lane is run by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, and MidKent College and University Centre Maidstone are both on Tonbridge Road. Fremlin Walk and The Mall make it a retail centre, and leisure, the night-time economy included, is a key part of how the town earns its living. That mix can make it awkward to look for help close to home. If you work for the council, the hospital or the college, the person in a local waiting room could be a colleague, a patient or one of your students. You might prefer to talk with someone who has no link to any of it. By video you can do that from a quiet room in Bearsted, Allington or Shepway, and nobody sees you arrive.
What we might work on, given how Maidstone works
You don't need a tidy explanation before you get in touch. It is enough that something has stopped being manageable, whether that is worry, a low mood that has lasted months, grief or drinking that has crept up. We start with what hurts now and keep the work tied to your actual week in Maidstone. If that week centres on County Hall, decisions made on Sandling Road reach people across Kent and can be hard to set down in the evening. A clinical or support role at Maidstone Hospital can leave little room to take in what you saw on the ward. At MidKent College or University Centre Maidstone, study may be stacked on top of paid work and family. If your working life is tied to Invicta Park Barracks or HM Prison Maidstone, you may feel that admitting strain is not part of the job. Across Kent, the recorded prevalence of depression among adults registered with a GP was 17.1% in 2024/25, a county figure that tells you nothing about your own life. You decide what you bring and how fast we go.
Where Maidstone life might press on you
Decisions made at County Hall
Work at Kent County Council's headquarters on Sandling Road can mean taking other people's problems home with you at the end of the day.
Working on Hermitage Lane
A role at Maidstone Hospital that leaves you running on reserves, with no space to take in what the week asked of you.
Studying on Tonbridge Road
A course at MidKent College or University Centre Maidstone stacked on top of paid work and family, until something has to give and you can't tell what.
Late nights in the town centre
Leisure, including the night-time economy, is a key part of how Maidstone earns its living. Whether you work in it or unwind in it, drinking can creep up without you noticing.
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 Maidstone
Counselling with me can sit alongside free and low-cost help in Maidstone. For worry or a flat mood, NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway hears from you directly. Mid Kent Mind runs drop-ins and groups from its Wellbeing Centre at 23 College Road, open Monday to Friday, for everyday rather than urgent support. If you need to talk to someone urgently, the Release the Pressure helpline for Kent is on 0800 107 0160, and Live Well Kent and Medway offers wider wellbeing support.
- 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 itWest Kent community drug and alcohol service (Change, Grow, Live)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live (CGL). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationImago - Kent Carers Support (West Kent adult carers service)
- Local organisationMid Kent Mind Affordable Counselling
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. Local drop-in crisis support: Kent and Medway Safe Havens (Mental Health Matters) (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 Maidstone ask before starting
How quickly can I start counselling if I'm in Maidstone?
The first step is the free 15-minute call, and after that we look for a first session time that suits you. Because sessions from Maidstone are normally by video, there's no travel to plan around, which can make an evening or a lunch break workable. I'll be straight with you about how soon a slot is free, so you can decide whether to wait or look elsewhere.
Is there cheaper or free counselling in Maidstone?
Yes. The free NHS option for worry and low mood across the county is Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, which takes calls from people contacting it themselves on 0333 091 0414. Mid Kent Mind runs Affordable Counselling for adults registered with a GP who need a low to medium level of support, at its Maidstone Wellbeing Centre, online or by phone. It isn't open to anyone already seeing another counsellor, and you refer yourself through its online form.
Can I see you face to face rather than online?
You can, in Hove. It's about 78 minutes' drive from Maidstone, or a train from Maidstone East changing at London Victoria, so I'd suggest visiting occasionally rather than weekly, and booking 90 or 120 minutes to make the trip worthwhile. For regular weekly counselling, video from home is far easier to keep up.
I searched for rehab near Maidstone. Is that what you offer?
What I offer is one-to-one counselling, and the residential side sits with local services. The Kenward Trust at Yalding, in Maidstone borough, offers residential rehabilitation, and its Street Reach team works in Maidstone town centre. For drink or drugs, Change Grow Live runs the free West Kent community drug and alcohol service, reached on 0330 128 1113. Counselling with me can come before, alongside or after that kind of support.
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 me 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.