Petworth · in person in Hove or online
Counselling and therapy for Petworth
In a town the size of Petworth, you may prefer to talk to someone who isn't part of local life. I offer one-to-one sessions for adults by secure video from your own home, or in person in the one room I work from, in Hove, about 48 minutes' drive away. Before anything is booked, we have a free 15-minute call.
The practical facts for Petworth
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Petworth by car
- About 48 minutes with clear roads (27.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Pulborough, change at Barnham for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – West Team, 01273 265967
- 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.
An estate town with no station
Petworth grew up beside Petworth House, and the 17th-century house with its Capability Brown park, now owned and run by the National Trust, still shapes the place.
Around it sit Byworth, Hampers Green and Egdean, and at the 2011 Census the parish had 3,027 residents. The town lost its passenger trains in 1955, so most journeys out start by car or bus, along the A272, the A283, or the A285 towards Chichester. Pulborough, about 4 miles east, is the closest station, and the town council names Haslemere to the north-west and Chichester to the south as the next nearest, each roughly 11 miles off. Petworth Primary School takes children up to Year 6, which puts families with older children on the road for secondary school as well. In a community this size, the people you might confide in are often the people you see at Leconfield Hall or at the school gate. That closeness can be a comfort, and it can also make it harder to say out loud that you are not coping.
Somewhere to put things down, outside the parish
You may come to a first session without a neat name for what's wrong. Perhaps you're worn out from caring for someone, low in a way that colours the whole day, anxious without a clear reason, grieving, or living in a relationship that has gone quiet. Sometimes it's a worry about your own drinking, or someone else's. You don't need to sort it into a category before we speak, because working that out together is part of what the first hour is for. I'll ask what an ordinary week in Petworth looks like for you, who you lean on, and what has shifted lately. By the end of that hour you should have a sense of whether talking with me feels right, or whether another door would help more first. For anxiety or low mood, the West Team of NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies is free. Where alcohol or drugs sit at the centre of things, DAWN, run by Change Grow Live, is the free local service, and if caring has taken over your life, Carers Support West Sussex is there for you as a carer. If one more trip would be the thing that stops you starting, we can begin online and decide about Hove later. I've worked as a counsellor and psychotherapist for more than 25 years, and I came to this work through a recovery of my own.
What you could talk through privately
Caring for someone at home
Looking after a partner or parent with little left over for yourself, and rarely an afternoon that is truly yours. Carers Support West Sussex supports carers in their own right, alongside anything we do.
Known as the one who copes
In a town this small, being the reliable one at Leconfield Hall or the primary school gate can make it hard to admit you're running on empty. A session out of sight of the parish is somewhere to say it.
Every outing starts by car
Petworth has had no passenger trains since 1955, so any appointment out of town means a drive first, or a lift to Pulborough station. That's why video often makes weekly sessions realistic from here.
Worry about drinking
Your own or someone close to you. We can talk about it frankly, and DAWN, the free drug and alcohol service, can support you alongside counselling. If it's a relative's drinking, West Sussex Wellbeing has support for family and friends.
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 Petworth
You don't have to choose between private and free help. NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies has a West Team covering Petworth, which you can contact yourself about anxiety or low mood. West Sussex Mind is the county's local Mind, and Carers Support West Sussex is there if you look after someone. Where alcohol or drugs are involved, the council's own service is West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN), and Build on Belief is a lived-experience recovery community.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – West Team01273 265967Free 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 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).
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 Petworth ask before starting
Is there a therapist I can see without leaving Petworth?
With me, yes, by secure video from home, so you don't need to travel at all. My only room is in Hove, about 48 minutes' drive away, and I don't see anyone in Petworth itself. Video sessions work on a laptop, tablet or phone, as long as you have a steady connection and a door you can close. We can check the link works during the free call, so the first proper session doesn't begin with technical worries.
Is there free counselling near Petworth?
Yes, if it's anxiety or low mood. Ring 01273 265967 to refer yourself to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, whose West Team covers Petworth. If you care for someone, Carers Support West Sussex offers support for you in your own right, and West Sussex Mind is another place to ask. When drink or drugs are the main worry, DAWN is free on 0330 128 1113, and Build on Belief is a recovery community run by people with lived experience.
If I live in Petworth, how quickly can we begin?
The free 15-minute call happens on the phone or on screen, which means nobody drives out of Petworth only to find we're not a good fit. If we go ahead, I'll tell you honestly which regular times I have. There's no GP letter to wait for, either. You could begin on video and decide later whether an occasional session in Hove is worth the drive.
I'm worried someone local will find out. How private is this?
What you tell me stays confidential, within the usual professional limits, such as a serious risk to your safety or someone else's, and I'll explain those on our first call. Private sessions don't go through your GP surgery, so nothing is shared with them unless you agree or safety requires it. By video there is no waiting room in town to be seen in, and nobody needs to know you have an appointment unless you choose to tell them.
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.
Start with fifteen minutes, from home
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.