Counselling and Therapy · Patcham

Counselling and Therapy in Patcham

Counselling and Therapy for Patcham and the surrounding area, in person or online. Patcham is a village-rooted suburb in the north of Brighton, close to the A23 and the edge of the Downs. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.

In person in HoveOnline tooFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor near Patcham at his Hove room, introducing his approach to counselling and therapy
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Patcham

Counselling and Therapy for Patcham, at a glance

Known for
All Saints Church, Patcham Place and Ladies Mile
Area
Brighton & Hove, East/West Sussex
Getting to the Hove room
From Patcham it is roughly fifteen minutes down the A23 and London Road into the city, then west to the Hove office.
Local NHS / support route
the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service
Format
In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.

Life in Patcham

Why people in Patcham get in touch

Plenty of people arrive with no name for what has gone wrong. In the quiet avenues off Vale Avenue and Mackie Avenue, life can look entirely fine from the pavement while something underneath has been slipping for months. Sleep goes first, often. Then the appetite for company. You still get to work down the A23, still walk up towards Ladies Mile Nature Reserve at the weekend, and still cannot say what has changed. Patcham's steadiness makes that harder to notice, because there is no crisis to point at and no obvious moment when it began. Counselling and therapy is the door for exactly that: you do not need a diagnosis or a tidy explanation to start. Across the city, 26.7% of adults reported high anxiety in 2022/23.

All Saints ChurchPatcham PlaceLadies Mile Nature Reservethe Patcham dovecote

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Patcham

Old PatchamLadies MileCarden AvenueOld London RoadVale AvenueMackie AvenueBraypool

Wherever you are in Patcham, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Patcham

Official figures for Patcham, for context rather than as a description of you.

Reviewed June 2026.

What actually happens in counselling and therapy?

Counselling and therapy here is one steady starting point for whatever you are carrying, anxiety, low mood, addiction, relationships or the past, integrative and led by you, so we begin with what matters most and shape the work around you.

Rather than say the same thing on every page, the substance lives on the full counselling and therapy page, with how sessions run and what they cost for the practical questions and professional standards and registration for registration and ethics.

What does a session actually involve?

Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.

The journey in is short. Fifteen minutes or so from Braypool and Old Patcham down the A23, then across to Hove, where the sessions happen in a private room. Most people start weekly at the same time, which gives the week a fixed point to lean on. Online by secure video is there for the weeks when the drive is too much, and plenty of people mix the two rather than choosing once and for all.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

What does counselling and therapy help with?

Anxiety and worry

When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.

Low mood and depression

For the flatness, exhaustion and loss of interest that drain the colour from things.

Addiction and habits

Alcohol, drugs, gambling or behaviours that have stopped feeling like a choice.

Relationships

Conflict, distance and trust, as a couple or on your own.

Trauma and the past

When something you have been through still shapes your present.

Life feeling stuck

For the big transitions, losses and crossroads that leave you unsure which way to turn.

Counselling and Therapy in Patcham

Why people in Patcham come for counselling and therapy

This is the place to start when you are not sure what you are starting. No label is needed, and you do not have to arrive with the problem already sorted into a shape. Most of this work is shorter to medium term, often somewhere between six and twenty sessions, and it stays close to the present: what this week has actually been like, what you are avoiding, what would count as a better Tuesday. People come with a job that has soured, a bereavement they thought they had absorbed, a low hum of dread with no clear source. Some find a few months is enough and stop there. Others discover, once the immediate pressure eases, that they want to go further, and that conversation can happen when it arises. Self-referral to the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service is free and open to you at the same time, and Sussex Mental Healthline answers round the clock if a night ever gets frightening.

A free, unhurried first step

Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.

Book a free 15-minute call

Finding support in Patcham

My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Patcham, you can refer yourself directly to the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.

Seeing me privately usually means you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout, working at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Patcham questions

Counselling and Therapy in Patcham: common questions

Where do Patcham sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?

In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Patcham it is roughly fifteen minutes down the A23 and London Road into the city, then west to the Hove office. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Patcham or blend the two.

I cannot put into words what is wrong. Is that a reason not to book?

It is one of the better reasons to book. Explaining is the work, not the entry requirement. You bring the fog and we look at it together, week by week, until the shape of it becomes clearer. Nobody is asked to summarise their life in the first ten minutes.

How many sessions does this usually take?

Nobody can promise a number, but this kind of work is usually shorter than open-ended therapy. Six sessions is often enough to shift one specific thing. Twelve to twenty gives room for something broader. You review it as you go and stop when it stops being useful.

What are the fees, and is anything free at the start?

There is a free 15-minute consultation, by phone or video, so you can hear how it would work before committing. After that it is £80 / 60 min, with £100 / 90 min and £120 / 120 min available when a longer stretch suits. Payment is per session.

Can I self-refer to the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service instead?

Yes, and for many people that is the sensible first call, since it is free and does not need a GP referral. It works best for clearly defined anxiety and low mood over a set number of sessions. Private work suits people who want to begin sooner or stay longer.

Would this be online or in person for someone up here in Old Patcham?

Either. In person means the room in Hove, which is fifteen minutes or so down the road. Online means secure video from your own home, which some people prefer in winter or when childcare is tight. You can switch between them without starting over.

Is it a long trip from Patcham to your counselling room?

Not especially. It is around fifteen minutes by car down the A23 and London Road into Brighton, then west to Hove, and buses follow much the same route. If crossing the city feels like too much, many Patcham clients prefer to meet online by secure video from home.

How do I get to your Hove room from Patcham for counselling?

Book a free fifteen-minute call, then head south into the city. From Patcham it is around fifteen minutes by car down the A23 and London Road, then west to Hove, with buses on the London Road corridor connecting the same way. Prefer to stay put? The same counselling runs online.

How much is counselling, and can I get it free on the NHS in Patcham?

Fees are £80 for an hour, £100 for ninety minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free fifteen-minute consultation. Free NHS talking therapies are available via your GP or self-referral, but waiting lists can be long, so many Patcham clients prefer starting privately without delay.

Is online counselling as private as coming in, and do you work evenings for Patcham?

Yes. In a close village corner like Patcham, some clients particularly value online sessions by secure video, entirely private from home, while others welcome the distance a room down in Hove gives. Both are equally confidential, evening appointments are available, and you can blend the two.

Counselling and Therapy in Patcham, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available nearby: Preston Park, Hangleton, Brighton. See all areas I cover.

Related work in Patcham: anxiety counselling, depression counselling and psychotherapy.

You may also find it useful to read about how change actually sticks and where to start when you cannot name it.

Prefer to meet remotely? The same counselling and therapy is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.