Salisbury · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Salisbury
Perhaps life in Salisbury has felt heavier lately and you couldn't say exactly why; that is reason enough to read on. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor, and my one room is in Hove, close to two hours' drive away. From Salisbury, then, our usual meeting place is a secure video call: the same sessions with the same counsellor, from your own home.
The practical facts for Salisbury
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Salisbury by car
- About 111 minutes with clear roads (84.6 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Wiltshire Talking Therapies, 01380 715150
- 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 cathedral city that south Wiltshire leans on
Salisbury sits where the Avon, Nadder and Bourne meet, beneath a cathedral spire 123 metres tall, and the villages and small towns of rural south Wiltshire rely on the city for some of their services.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays the charter market spreads out around the Poultry Cross. Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the District Hospital on Odstock Road, has a 5,500-strong workforce, and Dstl, part of the Ministry of Defence, has its headquarters out at Porton Down. From the outside it can look calm and settled. The council's 2024 needs assessment for the Salisbury community area records comparatively high rates of depression and of poor or very poor mental health, and the Salisbury Area Board now lists supporting positive mental health and wellbeing among its priorities. None of that says anything about you in particular. It does suggest that, behind the view of the Close, feeling low or unsettled is an ordinary part of life here and worth talking about.
Beginning when you only know something is off
Nobody expects a label or a neat summary from you before that first contact. Some people arrive with something specific, such as a parent moving into care, a redundancy, or a rota at the hospital that has slowly worn them down. Others only know that they've stopped enjoying things, or that a short temper or an extra glass of wine has crept into their evenings. Either is a fair starting point. Over the opening weeks the two of us sort through the strands, noticing which ones pull hardest and why they keep tightening. For one person that turns out to be caring for an ageing relative, for another the weight of a job tied to defence or the NHS, and for someone else a loss that never quite settled. Once the picture is clearer, we agree what our sessions should focus on, and if a GP, a group or another service would add something, I'll say so plainly and we can plan around it. The how I work page explains the blend of methods I bring to Salisbury clients. I've practised for over 25 years and have my own recovery behind me, so you can say things as they are.
Strains that come with living around the Close and the Plain
Shifts at Odstock Road
Working at Salisbury District Hospital can mean nights, weekends and looking after other people all day, with little energy left over for whatever is worrying you.
Life near Salisbury Plain
Military communities on the Plain live with absences, postings and moves, and a partner or veteran may carry things that feel hard to raise at home.
Coming in from the villages
Salisbury is the service centre for much of rural south Wiltshire, so if you live beyond the city, video spares you yet another long drive in.
Somewhere to go this evening
Riverside Sanctuary on Watt Road, run by ALABARÉ, is a free walk-in space for anyone aged 16 or over, with its doors open each evening between 4pm and 11pm, all year round.
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 Salisbury
Private sessions can sit beside free help in and around the city. Salisbury adults can contact NHS Wiltshire Talking Therapies themselves about anxiety or low mood. Wiltshire Mind offers support across the county, Elizabeth House Social Centre on Nelson Road runs day activities for people recovering from mental illness, and Our Community Cafe at Salisbury Baptist Church offers company and signposting every Tuesday.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Wiltshire Talking Therapies01380 715150Free 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 itConnect Wiltshire0300 555 0157Free and confidential.
- Local organisationSalisbury Hospice bereavement support service
- Local organisationSalisbury District Hospital Bereavement Team
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: Riverside Sanctuary, Place of Calm (ALABARÉ) (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 Salisbury ask before starting
Is there a way to meet a counsellor in person from Salisbury?
Intergen House, where I see people, is on the coast in Hove, nearly two hours' drive from Salisbury, so in-person sessions mean a long trip east. Secure video is the usual arrangement from Salisbury, giving you the same hour of counselling without the travel. Should a face-to-face hour feel important, we can book the odd Hove appointment, perhaps a longer 90-minute one, and make the trip worth it.
How soon can I start counselling from Salisbury, and is there an NHS option?
Following the brief consultation call, and if we'd both like to carry on, you choose a weekly slot from my current openings rather than waiting on a list. For anxiety or low mood, NHS Wiltshire Talking Therapies takes direct calls on 01380 715150, and a few Salisbury clients keep that running beside our sessions.
Where can I go in Salisbury tonight if I feel overwhelmed?
Riverside Sanctuary, run by ALABARÉ at 2 Watt Road, is a free and confidential walk-in space for anyone 16 or over, open 4pm to 11pm every day; follow the signs to the rear of the building. Samaritans of Salisbury and District volunteers are among those answering 116 123 at any hour. Ring 999 straight away if someone in Salisbury is at immediate risk.
Does video counselling feel as real as sitting in a room?
A video session with me runs just like a room session: the same length, the same counsellor and the same confidentiality. You need a private space where you won't be overheard, a steady connection, and headphones if the house is busy. You may even find it easier to open up from your own sofa, and nobody in a small city sees you walk through a counsellor's door.
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.
Begin from Bemerton Heath, Harnham or anywhere in Salisbury
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.