Dartford · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Depression counselling for Dartford
If you're in Dartford and life has gone flat, or grief has turned into a numbness that won't lift, depression counselling gives you a place to say so honestly. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor, and from Dartford we'd meet by secure video, so getting help doesn't mean a long trip on a day you can barely leave the house.
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 Dartford
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Dartford by car
- About 78 minutes with clear roads (64.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Dartford, change at London Bridge for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, 0333 091 0414
- 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.
Going through the motions between Dartford and London
Low mood in Dartford can look a lot like coping.
You catch the same train, get through the day's work, come home and sit in front of a screen until it's late enough to go to bed. Weekends go on errands and sleep. Central Park might be close by, and it's been months since you walked in it. Friends drift, because cancelling feels easier than explaining. Sometimes it follows a clear loss, a bereavement, a redundancy or a relationship ending. Sometimes there's no reason you can point to, which can make it harder to say out loud. Men in particular can be told to get on with it, and may not recognise low mood in themselves until it has gone on a long time. Kent GP records list depression for 17.1% of registered adults in 2024/25 (England: 14.3% in 2024/25), which measures what has been recorded, not how many people are actually depressed.
Working with the flatness, a little at a time
We begin with how things are now, without you needing to explain or justify it: how you're sleeping and eating, who you still see, what has quietly stopped, and whether there are any moments, however brief, when the weight eases. We also look at what keeps the low in place. That might be a harsh inner voice, a week with no shape outside work, or grief that has never been given room. Steps stay small and fit the life you actually have, perhaps a walk round Central Park on a Sunday, one reply to a friend, or turning up to a North Kent Mind group once. I sometimes use solution-focused questions to notice what is already helping, even slightly, and build from there. If you're on antidepressants or wondering about them, raise it with your GP; our sessions carry on whatever you decide about medication. If you've had thoughts of suicide or of hurting yourself, I'd want to know. We can talk about them openly, and I won't be thrown by them. If you need someone right now, the urgent help numbers are further down this page.
Where low mood can take hold in Dartford
Men who don't say it
If you're more likely to snap or go quiet than admit you're low, North Kent Mind runs a men's group as part of its wellbeing services, which can sit alongside counselling with me.
Grief that went numb
A death that left you flat rather than tearful. Cruse Bereavement Support's national helpline is there between sessions, and in our hour the loss gets the room it needs.
Worn down by caring
Looking after a partner or parent at home can empty you slowly. Imago's Kent Carers Support helps adult carers in West Kent, and our hour is about you.
Dark at both ends of the day
In winter, a London commute from Dartford can mean leaving and coming home in the dark. If your mood sinks with the season, say so when we first talk.
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 Dartford
For low mood, the free NHS option is run by NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway, with no GP letter required. North Kent Mind's groups, run from West Hill, cover managing depression and building self-esteem. Bexley and Dartford Samaritans, whose branch is in Bexleyheath, offer face-to-face as well as phone support. Private sessions can run beside any of these.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway0333 091 0414Free 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 Kent community drug and alcohol service (Change, Grow, Live)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live (CGL). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationImago - Kent Carers Support (West Kent adult carers service)
- Local organisationNorth Kent Mind Counselling & Therapy Services
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.
Locally, the Release the Pressure Helpline - Kent is on 0800 107 0160. Local drop-in crisis support: Kent and Medway Safe Havens (Mental Health Matters); Dartford Safe Haven (check opening times before you go).
What people in Dartford ask before starting
Can I refer myself for low mood in Dartford without going to my GP?
Yes. Self-referral is open: NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway covers low mood and depression, costs nothing and answers on 0333 091 0414, though there can be a wait. Private counselling might fit better if you'd like to pick who you see, have longer sessions or begin sooner, and nothing stops you using both.
Nothing terrible has happened, I just feel flat. Is depression counselling from Dartford still for me?
Yes. Low mood doesn't need a clear cause to be real, and not knowing why can make it harder to bear. We'd look at how long it has been there, what has dropped away and what your weeks are like now. No referral or label is needed to begin; booking the free 15-minute call is enough.
Is it worth coming to Hove in person from Dartford, or is video enough for depression?
Video is enough, and from Dartford it's the practical choice, with Hove about 78 minutes' drive away. On heavy weeks it means you can join without dressing up or travelling, and the work is the same. If you'd ever like a session in the room, it can be arranged, but nothing about the counselling depends on it.
What if thoughts of suicide get worse while I wait to start counselling in Dartford?
Don't hold on for our first session. Call 999 if you might act on them, or ring NHS 111 and pick the mental health option. Samaritans pick up on 116 123, free, day and night, and Kent's Release the Pressure helpline is on 0800 107 0160. In the evenings, Dartford Safe Haven on Hythe Street welcomes adults who walk in.
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 short call, on a day you can manage it
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.