Steyning · in person in Hove or online
Counselling and therapy for Steyning
If you live in Steyning, Bramber or Upper Beeding and think talking to someone might help, even if you can't yet say what about, I offer one-to-one counselling. As a BACP-registered counsellor working on Western Road in Hove, I can see you in that room about 21 minutes' drive away, or by secure video from home.
The practical facts for Steyning
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Steyning by car
- About 21 minutes with clear roads (10.6 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – South Team, 01903 703540
- 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 small Downs town where faces are familiar
Steyning sits at the north end of the Adur gap, and with Bramber and Upper Beeding it makes one small built-up area at the river crossing.
That closeness has real comforts. The flip side is that a visit to a counsellor rarely goes unnoticed in a town where the stranger beside you in a cafe might turn out to know your mother, or to teach at Steyning Grammar School. The area's population is much older than England's as a whole: at the 2021 Census, about 32% of residents in Steyning and Upper Beeding were 65 or over, against about 18% across England. That can mean the worries you carry include looking after a parent, adjusting to retirement, or watching friends grow frail. Others work from a spare room all week and find the quiet that once felt peaceful has started to feel like isolation. A walk along the Downs Link can clear your head for an afternoon without touching what's underneath.
Not sure what you need? That's a fine place to begin
You don't need a neat label before you get in touch from Steyning. It may be enough to say you're sleeping badly, snapping at people they love, drinking a bit more in the evenings than they'd like, or feeling flat in a way that hasn't lifted. In a town as small as Steyning, it can help that the hour is spent with someone from outside it, who won't bump into you at the grammar school gates or Steyning Leisure Centre. A first session is mostly about the last few months as you've lived them, the part you'd most want to change, and whether working together feels right to us both. If you're a parent worried about a teenager at the grammar school, we can talk about how that sits with you, while your child's own support goes through the routes set up for young people. If you're caring for someone older, we can make space for the tiredness and the guilt that often come with it. I work in an integrative way, fitting the approach to the person in front of me, with more than 25 years behind it and my own recovery as part of what I bring.
What people in Steyning sometimes bring to counselling
Looking after someone getting older
Where so many neighbours are past retirement age, you may well be the one supporting a parent or partner, and the strain can build quietly. Carers Support West Sussex can help alongside our sessions.
Too much quiet at the desk
At the 2021 Census, 42.6% of working residents in Steyning and Upper Beeding worked mainly at or from home. Days without colleagues can let low mood or worry settle in unnoticed.
Worry about a teenager
With around 1,950 pupils, Steyning Grammar School shapes the week for a lot of households. Counselling can help with your own fear and frustration as a parent.
Wanting privacy in a small town
In a place this size, being seen at a local appointment can feel exposing. A room in Hove, or a video call from your own kitchen, keeps it your business.
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 Steyning
Free support sits close by. For anxiety or low mood, Steyning and Bramber are served by a South Team within NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, and you can ring it yourself on 01903 703540. Horsham District Wellbeing runs pre-booked Wellbeing Advisor appointments at Steyning Leisure Centre. Steyning Health Centre on Tanyard Lane was accepting new patients when checked in November 2026, and West Sussex Mind has a specialist worker there for children and young people, by GP referral.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – South Team01903 703540Free 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 organisationCarers Support West Sussex – support for carers of drug and alcohol users
- 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).
Private counselling with me can run alongside any of these; you do not have to choose one or the other.
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 Steyning ask before starting
Is face-to-face counselling realistic from Steyning or Bramber without a railway station?
Yes. Western Road in Hove is around 21 minutes away by car, and the route 2 bus from the Clock Tower goes through to Palmeira Square with no change. That's close enough for weekly sessions in person if you'd like them. If the bus times don't fit, or you'd rather stay home, we can use secure video instead, and switch between the two.
How soon could I have a first session if I'm in Steyning?
Book the free 15-minute call first, so we can both get a sense of whether this suits you. If it feels right, you then choose a weekly time from my open hours, and with Hove only around 21 minutes' drive away, that can be in the room or on video. In the meantime, if worry or a flat mood is pressing, 01903 703540 puts you through to the NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies team for this side of the county, no GP letter needed.
What free mental health help is there in Steyning itself?
Horsham District Wellbeing holds free, pre-booked one-to-one Wellbeing Advisor appointments and Wellbeing MOTs at Steyning Leisure Centre. Your GP at Steyning Health Centre is another starting point, and for a young person West Sussex Mind has a specialist worker based there, by GP referral. If you're grieving, the grief cafe at the parish church of St Andrew and St Cuthman is a free drop-in.
I'm worried someone in Steyning will find out I'm seeing a counsellor. Will they?
What you say in sessions stays between us, within the usual limits around safety that I'll explain at the start. Because the room is in Hove, you won't be walking into a building in the middle of Steyning, and on video nobody needs to know you're doing anything other than taking a call at home.
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 quiet first conversation, by bus, car or video
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.