Surbiton · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Surbiton
If something in your Surbiton life has started to weigh more than it should, and you'd like a counsellor to think it through with you, this page explains how it works. My one room is in Hove, 69 minutes away by car, so from Surbiton we'd normally talk over secure video. It's still me, giving you a full hour, and you don't have to leave your sofa.
The practical facts for Surbiton
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Surbiton by car
- About 69 minutes with clear roads (50.8 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Surbiton, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Kingston Talking Therapies, 020 3513 4440
- 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.
Twenty minutes to Waterloo, then the long evening
Surbiton grew up around its railway station in the 1840s, and the station still sets the rhythm of the place.
The council puts the fast trains to London Waterloo at around 20 minutes, so plenty of people in Alexandra, Berrylands or Surbiton Hill spend the working day in town and the evening back under the clock tower. Down by the Thames at Seething Wells the streets are quieter, with a Kingston University hall of residence among the houses. The town centre has a growing bar and cafe scene next to the older pubs, and weekends can fill up with hockey at Surbiton Hockey Club, tennis at the racket club or a walk across Fishponds. From the outside it looks like a settled, comfortable suburb. What that picture can hide is the person who holds it together on the platform each morning and then sits up at night with a worry nobody else knows about, or someone caring for a parent in Tolworth while working full time.
Bringing a vague unease, or a very clear reason
Some people arrive at a first session with an obvious cause: a marriage under strain, a death in the family, panic that came out of nowhere on a crowded train. Others bring something harder to put into words, a sense that the commuting, the mortgage and the routine have gone on autopilot and they no longer feel much about any of it. Either is a good enough reason to get in touch. In our early sessions we look at what has been building up for you, what tends to make it worse, and what has helped before. From there we agree on a focus, and I'll tell you honestly whether ongoing counselling with me suits what you need, or whether a free service in the borough, your GP or a specialist would serve you better, perhaps alongside our work. If drinking has crept into the evenings, we can look at that openly too. I work integratively, and my methods are described on the how I work page. I've practised for more than 25 years and I'm in recovery myself, which means very little you tell me will come as a shock.
Pressures that follow people home to Surbiton
The Waterloo line, twice a day
Fast trains from Surbiton make a London job possible, and the early starts and late returns can leave little room for sleep, friends or noticing how you actually feel.
Caring while holding down a job
Supporting a partner or parent alongside work can wear you down quietly. Kingston Carers' Network on Ewell Road, Tolworth, helps unpaid carers, and your own sessions can run alongside it.
Settled suburb, unsettled mind
Riverside streets and a busy social calendar can make it feel impossible to admit you're struggling, because everyone around you seems to be coping.
NHS care just up the road
Tolworth Hospital provides NHS specialist mental health care, reached through referral. Private counselling is a separate and more direct route, and you can contact me yourself with no referral.
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 Surbiton
Surbiton has free help close by, and any of it can sit alongside private sessions. For worry or a mood that stays low, you can approach Kingston Talking Therapies yourself, an NHS service of South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. Mind in Kingston runs evening drop-in cafes at Alfriston on Berrylands Road. Kingston Carers' Network supports unpaid carers, and Kingston Bereavement Support helps after a death. Drug and alcohol support comes through Kingston Wellbeing Service (KWS), run by Via.
- Free NHS talking therapyKingston Talking Therapies020 3513 4440Free 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 itKingston Wellbeing Service (KWS)0300 303 4614Run by Via. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationKingston Carers' Network
- Local organisationKingston Journey Recovery Hub
- Local organisationMind in Kingston Drop-In Cafés at Alfriston, Berrylands Road
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service is another option: text 80991. Local drop-in crisis support: Kingston Journey Recovery Hub (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 Surbiton ask before starting
Is it possible to sit with a counsellor in person from Surbiton?
Face to face means coming to Intergen House in Hove, around 69 minutes by car from Surbiton or a rail trip changing at Clapham Junction. Given that distance, weekly sessions from Surbiton usually happen over secure video, and anyone who values sitting in the same room can come down to Hove for an occasional session, perhaps a longer one to make the trip worthwhile.
Can I get free NHS counselling in Surbiton without seeing my GP?
Yes. Ring Kingston Talking Therapies on 020 3513 4440 to refer yourself for worry or a flat, low mood, and South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust provides it for the borough. Waiting times vary. Some people use the NHS service and private sessions with me at different points, and the free consultation is a good moment to weigh up which route suits you.
How soon can I see a counsellor from Surbiton?
First comes the free consultation, 15 minutes by phone or video at a time that fits around your commute. If we both feel it's right to carry on, I offer you the appointment times I have open and you choose one. If your train back from Waterloo often runs late, tell me, and we can look for a slot that your working week can actually hold.
Where can I get help tonight in Surbiton if I feel I can't cope?
Counselling is for ongoing support, so please use urgent help for a crisis. A text to 80991 reaches South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service, and Kingston Samaritans cover Surbiton day and night. If anyone's life is in danger, call 999. Further Kingston crisis lines are listed in the urgent help box.
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 Surbiton, on your terms
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.