Eastbourne · in person in Hove or online
Depression counselling for Eastbourne
When life in Eastbourne has gone flat and getting through the week takes everything you have, depression counselling gives you a regular hour to be heard, with no need to cheer up first. Sessions run on secure video, or in person at Intergen House in Hove, about 45 minutes' drive away.
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 Eastbourne
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Eastbourne by car
- About 45 minutes with clear roads (27.2 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Eastbourne to Brighton; change there for Hove, one stop.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Health in Mind, 0300 0030 130
- 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.
Low mood after decades here, or with small children
Eastbourne has long-established retirement communities and, more and more, younger people and young families, and low mood shows up differently across that mix.
After decades in the town, it can arrive as a slow thinning of the week, with fewer calls and less reason to walk along the seafront, and meals skipped because cooking for one feels pointless. In a house with small children, it can hide inside a timetable where every hour is spoken for and none of it feels like yours. In both, the evenings tend to be the hardest part. For some the flatness follows a loss or a change at home. Others can't point to any cause, which often leaves them feeling they have no right to be low. In 2024/25, 17.4% of adult patients registered with East Sussex GP practices had depression recorded on file. That measures what doctors have written down, not a count of everyone who feels this way, and it isn't a statement about you.
Counselling that doesn't ask you to be cheerful
With depression, even reaching a first session can take more energy than you seem to have, so I keep things simple, and you don't have to find the right words for it. We might start with sleep, or with whatever still raises a flicker of interest, however slight, and build from there. Low mood often sits on top of other feelings, such as anger at someone you care for or guilt about wanting your old life back, and part of the work is making room for those safely. Flatness that settles in after a death can be grief that hasn't found anywhere to go, and we can give it somewhere. I'll ask about your safety, gently and directly, because that's part of taking depression seriously. If you start thinking about ending your life, the crisis numbers near the foot of this page are there for exactly that moment, and your GP needs to know too. Your GP looks after medication, and our counselling can carry on whatever you take.
How depression can arrive in Eastbourne
After a stroke changes home
When someone you love comes home from the stroke services at Eastbourne District General Hospital needing care, and your own days shrink to appointments, tablets and worry.
Getting through, feeling nothing
Still turning up for shifts at the hospital or Gardners Books, answering 'fine', then sitting in the car outside your house in Langney or Ratton because going in feels like too much.
Grief in a town of older friends
When friends from your street, your church or your club die one after another, and each loss lands on top of the last before you've had time to feel it.
When you can't wait for a session
Eastbourne and District Samaritans answers on 116 123, free, day and night. Its local branch is at The Haven on Bolton Road.
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 Eastbourne
Health in Mind, the NHS Talking Therapies service for East Sussex, accepts people who contact it directly about low mood. If you're looking after someone, Care for the Carers supports carers across East Sussex. Sussex Community Counselling (SCDA) sees people in Eastbourne at reduced prices, and Mind in Brighton and Hove runs East Sussex services. Private counselling can come before, alongside or after any of these.
- Free NHS talking therapyHealth in Mind0300 0030 130Free 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 itSTAR Drug and Alcohol Service (East Sussex STAR)0300 303 8160Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationEastbourne and District SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch.
- Local organisationMankindInformal peer support group for men, meeting weekly in.
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.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
What people in Eastbourne ask before starting
Can I get free counselling for depression in Eastbourne?
Yes, through Health in Mind, which delivers NHS Talking Therapies for low mood across East Sussex. You can phone it yourself on 0300 0030 130, with no GP visit needed. For a smaller fee, Sussex Community Counselling (SCDA) sees people in Eastbourne, and The Old Bank Wellbeing Trust offers bursaries to those on little or no income. Private sessions with me suit you if you'd like longer appointments or to choose who you see.
I've no energy at all. What's the least I have to do to start counselling in Eastbourne?
Very little. Book the free 15-minute call at whatever time of day you feel most yourself. You don't need a plan or a story ready, and it's fine to say you're not sure what's wrong. If we go ahead, your first proper session can happen from your own sofa on video, and we take things at the speed your energy allows.
I care for my husband at home. How can I fit depression counselling around that in Eastbourne?
Video is usually the way, because you don't have to leave him or arrange cover for a 45-minute drive to Hove. We can set sessions for when he rests, and keep the same time each week so it becomes protected. Care for the Carers, the East Sussex carers' charity, can help with the practical side, while our hour is about how you are.
What should I do if low mood turns into thoughts of suicide in Eastbourne?
Get help the same day; don't wait for our next session. If your life is in danger, ring 999 or go to the emergency department at Eastbourne District General Hospital. Samaritans are free on 116 123, and texting SUSSEX to 85258 reaches crisis support. On 11 November 2026 Staying Well Eastbourne said walk-ins were temporarily paused because of staffing, so call 0800 023 6475, option 1, before going. Use those numbers first, then tell me, and we can plan for your safety together.
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, at whatever speed you can manage
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.