Twickenham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Counselling and therapy for Twickenham
If you're in Twickenham and want to talk to a therapist about something that has been building for a while, you can do it from home. I'm a counsellor and psychotherapist working mostly by secure video, with one room in Hove for occasional face-to-face sessions. It's well over an hour away, so I'll be honest about that from the start.
The practical facts for Twickenham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Twickenham by car
- About 83 minutes with clear roads (56.9 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Twickenham, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Richmond Talking Therapies (NHS Richmond Wellbeing Service), 020 3513 4455
- 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.
Match days, university terms and the river
Twickenham's year has its own rhythm. Twickenham Stadium, home of the Rugby Football Union, draws big crowds to the town every year. St Mary's University in Strawberry Hill gives the town a student population, and term time has its own pressures. Meanwhile South Western Railway runs frequent trains to London Waterloo via Richmond, which makes this a commuter town for central London. Then there's the quieter Twickenham of the riverside, Marble Hill, York House and Orleans House, and the streets around Twickenham Green and Heathfield. You can live somewhere lovely and still feel low or lonely. Whether you're a student, a commuter, someone working a long match-day shift or just someone who would rather not see a counsellor round the corner, you can talk by video with a counsellor from outside the borough.
What counselling from Twickenham can look like
You don't need your reason worked out before you get in touch. It might be anxiety, low mood, pressure at work or university, a relationship ending, a loss, or alcohol taking up more of your weekends than you meant. Match days at the stadium shape local work and drinking culture, so if you work those days, or spend them celebrating, it can be hard to see where the fun stops and the habit starts. If that sounds familiar, adults in the borough can go to WithYou Richmond for drug and alcohol support, and our sessions can run alongside whatever they offer. If you study at St Mary's, this may be your first long stretch away from home, with nobody close by who knows you well. If you're on the Waterloo trains via Richmond, the tiredness of long days can follow you into the evening. You may also be weighing up where to begin. Richmond Borough Mind's ARC service gives free short-term support from Twickenham itself, and Richmond Talking Therapies covers anxiety and low mood on the NHS. Private counselling gives you a counsellor you choose, with no set number of sessions.
Things worth bringing to a first session
First year, far from home
Homesickness, money worries and deadlines at St Mary's, with nobody nearby who knows you well yet.
When the crowds have gone
Crowds, noise and long shifts on game days, then a strange flatness once the town goes quiet again.
Commuting on empty
Early trains via Richmond, late returns, and evenings when you're too tired to enjoy the life you're working for.
Looking after someone in Twickenham
Looking after a partner, parent or child can leave little room for you. Richmond Carers Centre supports carers, and counselling gives you an hour that belongs to you.
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 Twickenham
Free and charity support is close by. Richmond Borough Mind, which has its head office in Twickenham, runs ARC, free short-term emotional wellbeing support you can refer yourself to. On hard evenings the Twickenham Recovery Hub near Twickenham Green is an out-of-hours crisis café you can drop into. Richmond Carers Centre supports people looking after someone else.
- Free NHS talking therapyRichmond Talking Therapies (NHS Richmond Wellbeing Service)020 3513 4455Free 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 itWithYou Richmond020 3228 3020Run by We Are With You (WithYou). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationJourney Recovery Hub, Twickenham
- Local organisationARC – Active Resilience in the Community (Richmond Borough Mind)Free short-term emotional wellbeing support, self-referral,.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service is another option: text 80991 or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511. Local drop-in crisis support: Journey Recovery Hub, Twickenham (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 Twickenham ask before starting
Are there free counselling options in Twickenham?
Richmond Talking Therapies costs nothing on the NHS and focuses on anxiety and low mood, with a self-referral line on 020 3513 4455. Richmond Borough Mind's ARC service offers free short-term emotional wellbeing support and runs from Twickenham. Private counselling gives you more say over who you see and how long you keep going.
I'm a student at St Mary's. How quickly could I start?
Book the free 15-minute call whenever suits you. If we both feel it fits, we agree a first session at a time that works around lectures and placements, and you can join by video from your room or anywhere private. If you'd like a free option first, Richmond Borough Mind's ARC service is worth knowing about.
Can I see a counsellor face to face from Twickenham?
With me, face to face means the room in Hove, about 83 minutes by car, or a rail trip that involves changing at Clapham Junction. That works for the odd session, but for weekly counselling video is the more realistic option from Twickenham, and it saves you a long round trip.
What if I'm struggling tonight in Twickenham?
Please don't wait for a counselling slot. The Twickenham Recovery Hub, run by Richmond Borough Mind near Twickenham Green, is an out-of-hours crisis café about a ten-minute walk from Strawberry Hill station. You can text 80991, or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511, for the South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service at any hour. In an emergency, call 999.
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, at no cost
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.