Romsey · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Romsey
If life in Romsey has been weighing on you for months and you cannot quite say what would help, one-to-one counselling is a sensible first step. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor with one room, in Hove. From the Test Valley that is a long way, so we would normally meet by secure video, which is the same counselling without the drive, plus a visit to Hove whenever you want one.
The practical facts for Romsey
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Romsey by car
- About 91 minutes with clear roads (70.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire, 023 8038 3920
- 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 abbey town that is older, quieter and uneven
From a bench by the Abbey, Romsey looks entirely at ease.
The Abbey fills the centre, the River Test runs past the edge of town, and the New Forest begins a few miles to the west. Yet the town's own profile shows a more mixed picture. More than one resident in five is aged 70 or over, a higher share than the rest of Test Valley, and that can mean looking after an ageing parent or partner, or adjusting to retirement and the quiet that can come with it. Some streets to the south of the town sit among the 50% most deprived areas in England, while parts of the north and west are among the least deprived. Work here leans on retail, health and education, jobs that ask a lot of patience from the people doing them. None of that shows on a walk along the river, and it is easy to keep going without telling anyone how tired you are.
Coming to counselling without a label
You do not need a name for what is wrong before you get in touch. It may be something concrete: a death, a strained marriage, frightening illness in the family, or a job at Roke or Southampton Science Park now eating every evening. Others only know that sleep has gone, that small things make them furious, or that the wine they open at six has crept earlier. Each of those is a fair starting point. Over the first few sessions the two of us map what is weighing on you and what keeps it in place: caring for someone, the loss of a working identity after retirement, money worries, or something much older that has come back. From there we settle on where the work should begin. Where a different service would fit you better, I will tell you honestly and suggest where to turn. I work integratively, drawing on approaches including Internal Family Systems, and the how I work page explains more. My 25 years in practice sit alongside a recovery of my own, which means drinking, shame or family secrets will not shock me.
What people in Romsey often carry
Looking after Mum, Dad or a spouse
In a town where over a fifth of residents are 70 or older, caring for a relative can wear you down while nobody asks how you are coping.
Life after work stops
Retirement can bring freedom, and also a lost sense of purpose or a marriage suddenly spending every day together in the same house.
Demanding caring jobs
Retail, health and education employ more people in Romsey than anything else, and work that means serving or caring for others all day can leave little in reserve.
Illness in the family
When cancer touches your household, Romsey Cancer Support Centre at Jane Scarth House on The Hundred offers free support, and private sessions can run alongside.
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 Romsey
Free help in and near Romsey can sit alongside private sessions. Anxiety and low mood can be taken straight to NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire, without a referral. Andover Mind holds a Romsey wellbeing centre on Wednesdays at the Hampshire Carers Centre on Love Lane, and Carers Together runs a monthly Romsey Carers Café there. If drink or drugs are part of the picture, Inclusion Recovery Hampshire is the county service.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Hampshire023 8038 3920Free 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 itInclusion Recovery Hampshire0300 124 0103Free and confidential.
- Local organisationThe Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Hampshire (Hampshire Carers Support Service)
- Local organisationAndover Mind wellbeing centre, RomseyLocal Mind charity's Romsey wellbeing centre.
- Local organisationRomsey Cancer Support Centre (Jane Scarth House)Local charity, low-cost or fee-paying.
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 HANTS 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 Romsey ask before starting
Can I have counselling in person if I live in Romsey?
My only room is in Hove, roughly 91 minutes' drive from Romsey, so meeting in person means a long day out. Most weeks a secure video call from home makes far more sense, and nothing about the counselling itself changes. When sitting face to face feels important, an occasional Hove session can be booked, perhaps for the very first meeting.
How soon could a Romsey resident begin sessions?
We begin with a short call, free and with no obligation. Should we both feel it fits, I give you a choice from the slots genuinely free in my week, and nobody puts you on a list. You can also phone NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire on 023 8038 3920 and refer yourself for worry or low mood.
I care for my mum in Romsey and feel guilty for wanting help. Is counselling for me?
Yes. Carers often put themselves last, and resentment, grief and exhaustion can all sit beside love. Counselling gives you an hour that is only about you. Carers Together, based at the Hampshire Carers Centre on Love Lane, runs a free Carers Active Listening Line every day of the year, which can be a useful companion to our sessions.
Who can I call in the evening in Test Valley if I am struggling?
Andover Mind's North and Mid Hampshire Safe Haven takes calls from 6pm to 10pm every day of the year mainly for people in Test Valley and Basingstoke and Deane, so ringing it is the practical choice from Romsey. At any hour of day or night, a text saying HANTS to 85258 reaches the Shout service. If a life is at risk, call 999, and the urgent help box on this page has more contacts.
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.
A first conversation from the Test Valley
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.