Crawley · in person in Hove or online
Depression counselling for Crawley
When life in Crawley has gone grey and heavy, and you've stopped caring about things that used to matter, I offer depression counselling one to one, in my room in Hove or over secure video. You don't need energy to begin. A free 15-minute call is enough, and we go at the pace you can manage.
If you are thinking about ending your life, call 999 or the Samaritans free on 116 123, day or night. More urgent help is on this page.
The practical facts for Crawley
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Crawley by car
- About 32 minutes with clear roads (22.2 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Three Bridges to Brighton; change there for Hove, one stop.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team, 01403 620434
- 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.
Sleeping through the daylight, waking in the dark
Low mood can creep up when your hours run against everyone else's.
If you work nights at Gatwick, through the winter you may wake as the light goes and finish your shift before it comes back, so whole weeks pass with little sun and less company. Days off start to vanish into the sofa. Visits to K2 Crawley drop away, then the call to a friend, then the walk you used to look forward to, and nobody notices because nobody sees your week. For others it's grief that has gone flat rather than sharp: a parent who died abroad when you couldn't get there in time, or a marriage that ended in the Forge Wood house you once chose together. GP records across West Sussex showed depression recorded for 14.5% of registered adults in 2024/25, and the England figure that year was 14.3%. Those are cases written down by GP practices, not a count of people struggling quietly, and they can't describe you.
Beginning with the smallest true thing about your week
Depression drains the very energy you'd need to tackle it, so I won't ask for big changes at the start. First we look at the plain facts of your week: when you sleep and for how long, what you eat, who you speak to, and what has quietly fallen away. For a shift worker that means looking at daylight and sleep together, because a rota can take both at once. Then we look at what the low mood might be carrying. It may be grief that never had room, a job that ended, years of looking after someone else, or a life that no longer fits the person you've become. A solution-focused question is useful here: we notice the slightly lighter hours and what was different about them, so the next step grows out of a day you actually had. If you take antidepressants, any change to them is a decision for you and your GP. And if thoughts of suicide or self-harm are part of this, please say so. I'll ask about them calmly and directly, and we'll plan together for the harder nights.
Low mood in a town that never switches off
Months of night shifts
Working nights at an airport open 24 hours a day can mean waking in the dark all winter. We look at light, rest and company as part of the work.
Grief from a long way off
When a parent dies abroad and you couldn't travel in time, the grief can turn flat and private. Sessions give it the room that daily life in Crawley hasn't.
If you start to feel unsafe
Crawley Staying Well, run by Waythrough on Whitworth Road, is open daily from 3pm to midnight. At any hour you can text SUSSEX to 85258, or call 999 in an emergency.
Low mood help on the NHS
Ring 01403 620434 to reach the Talking Therapies North Team about low mood without a GP appointment. Private sessions can run alongside or follow on.
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 Crawley
For low mood, the free NHS route from Crawley is NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, whose North Team covers the town and will hear from you without a GP referral. Crawley Wellbeing is a free council-run service, and Mind in Brighton and Hove – West Sussex services offers further support. If you're caring for someone whose depression has taken over the household, Carers Support West Sussex offers help to you as well.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – North Team01403 620434Free 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.
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.
What people in Crawley ask before starting
I can hardly get out of bed some days. What's the least I need to do to start counselling from Crawley?
Very little. A one-line message asking for the free call is enough. On the call I'll ask a few gentle questions about how long things have felt like this and what times might work, and you'll hear from me plainly which week we could begin. You don't need a GP letter or a label first, and you won't have to explain everything at once.
Will the NHS Talking Therapies team for Crawley see me for depression, and how do I reach them?
Low mood is part of what they offer, and the North Team takes self-referrals on 01403 620434, with no GP appointment needed. If things feel severe, or ending your life has crossed your mind, your GP should know too, so they can look at the whole picture. Private counselling can come first, follow on, or run at the same time.
When I'm this low, is it better to travel to Hove from Crawley or talk by video?
Either works, and you can switch. The trip from Crawley, about 32 minutes by car, gets you out of the house and into daylight, which counts for something on grey weeks. On video, a bad morning needn't cost you the hour. We'll agree a usual arrangement, and you can change it without having to explain why.
I've had thoughts of ending my life. Is it safe to talk about that in sessions?
Yes. You can say it plainly, and I won't panic or judge you. We'll talk about what the thoughts are like and make a plan together for the times they get stronger. If you're in danger now, call 999. In Crawley, Staying Well is open daily from 3pm to midnight, and you can text SUSSEX to 85258.
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.
One small step: a short call, at your pace
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.