Rochester · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Rochester
If you live in Rochester, Strood or Borstal and want to talk to a counsellor, I work with adults by secure video. My only room is in Hove, well over an hour's drive away, so from the Medway Towns the work almost always happens on screen, at a regular weekly time we agree between us.
The practical facts for Rochester
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Rochester by car
- About 84 minutes with clear roads (69.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Rochester, change at London Bridge 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.
Old stones above the river, ordinary life beneath
Rochester sits at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway.
Its cathedral has been a place of Christian worship since AD 604 and stands at the centre of the old town, the castle is looked after by English Heritage, and the town is known for its links to Charles Dickens. The Guildhall, Eastgate House, Restoration House and the Huguenot Museum are here too. Rochester lost its city status in 1998, and for everyday purposes it runs into Strood, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham, an urban area of about 250,000 people. So the hospital you'd go to is Medway Maritime in Gillingham, and local services are often in Chatham, Gillingham or Strood. From the station on Corporation Street there are High Speed 1 trains to St Pancras as well as services to Victoria. Feeling low in a town known for its cathedral and for Dickens can be lonely, especially if you think you ought to be enjoying where you live.
When low mood settles in and won't shift
In Medway, the recorded prevalence of depression among adults registered with a GP was 18.1% in 2024/25. A figure like that says nothing about you personally, and you don't need a label to come to counselling. You might feel flat and tired most days, or stuck after a loss or a job ending. Part of what you'd weigh up from Rochester is how the free and low-cost routes fit together. NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway takes self-referrals, and North Kent Mind's Affordable counselling is in person, with a wait that can run to four to six months. Private sessions are an option if you'd rather choose your counsellor and agree a start date directly. Life here also shapes when sessions can happen. If you commute to St Pancras or Victoria, a session can sit early or after you're home. If you work at Medway Maritime Hospital, The King's School or Rochester Grammar School for Girls, we can plan around the rota or the school term. We would start with what your days actually look like. My own recovery is part of what I bring, along with more than 25 years in practice. If you take medication, any change to it stays a conversation with your GP.
Where it might be hurting
Flat in a famous old town
The cathedral and the castle are part of the town you live in, and you walk past both feeling nothing much, which can be lonely in its own way.
Facing a long wait
You've heard North Kent Mind's Affordable counselling can mean a four to six month wait, and you want to know what your other options are in the meantime.
Long days up the line
The high-speed train to St Pancras and back, long hours in London, and evenings in Rochester with nothing left for yourself or the people at home.
Evenings that end with a drink
When drinking has become how you switch off, we can talk about what it does for you. The Medway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service is the free local route.
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 Rochester
Private counselling can sit alongside free help across Medway. North Kent Mind offers low-cost counselling and a 12-week men's peer support group, and the Samaritans branch in Strood covers Rochester. The Medway Safe Haven at Medway Maritime Hospital offers walk-in support day and night without a referral, and the Gillingham Safe Haven on Richmond Road opens from 6pm to 11pm. For worries about drink or drugs, there is the Medway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service.
- 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 itMedway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service0300 123 1560Free and confidential.
- Local organisationOpen RoadRecovery community.
- Local organisationSamaritans of Medway, Gravesham and SwaleLocal Samaritans branch, Priory Road, Strood, Rochester ME2.
- Local organisationNorth Kent Mind Counselling & Therapy Services
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.
Local drop-in crisis support: Medway Safe Haven; Gillingham Safe Haven (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 Rochester ask before starting
Can I have counselling face to face in Rochester?
No. I have no room anywhere in the Medway Towns. My one room is in Hove, about 84 minutes away by car, or a rail trip that doubles back through London Bridge, so I'd almost always see you by secure video. If you'd want to be in the room sometimes, a longer session in Hove can be planned once in a while, but I wouldn't suggest making that trip every week.
Where can I find free counselling near Rochester?
NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway is a free service for anxiety and depression that accepts direct referrals from you on 0333 091 0414. North Kent Mind runs a low-cost Affordable service with trainee and newly qualified counsellors, which can have a wait of four to six months, and a Fast Track service with qualified counsellors. Private sessions with me are another route, where the choice of counsellor is yours.
I'm in Rochester and having a really bad night. Where can I go?
If you're in danger, call 999. Otherwise the Medway Safe Haven at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham is open 24/7 for adults, with no referral needed, and Samaritans answer on 116 123 at any hour. Counselling with me is ongoing support rather than an emergency service, and we can talk once things feel steadier.
Will video counselling feel too distant from Rochester?
It might feel odd for the first few minutes, and you can tell me if it does. You'll need somewhere private where you won't be overheard, and a spare room or a parked car is fine. Without the trip to Hove, you can keep a weekly time even on a day when you've been up and down to London on the high-speed train.
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 it over first, from anywhere in Medway
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.