Farnham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Depression counselling for Farnham
When you are low, even reading about counselling can feel like too much, so I'll keep this simple. If you live in Farnham and life has gone grey or heavy, or nothing reaches you the way it used to, we can talk weekly by secure video. You can come with very little to say.
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 Farnham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Farnham by car
- About 84 minutes with clear roads (69.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Farnham, change at Guildford and Gatwick Airport for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Mind Matters Surrey, 0300 330 5450
- 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.
When the town carries on without you
Depression can shrink a Farnham week to almost nothing.
The walk in Farnham Park you used to love gets put off again, and an evening at the Maltings starts to feel like more than you can manage. Low mood here can follow retirement after years of Waterloo trains, when the structure goes and the days stretch. It can follow a death, or a long stint of caring for a parent in Hale or Wrecclesham. It can also arrive with no clear reason at all, which is often the hardest kind to explain. Across Surrey, GP records listed depression for 13.0% of registered adults in 2024/25 (England: 14.3% in 2024/25). That counts what GPs have recorded, not how many people are really depressed, and it says nothing about you.
Sessions shaped around what you can manage
Depression drains the energy you would need to deal with it, so the work begins wherever you are. Early on we might talk about very ordinary things: what time you get up, whether you are eating, which messages have gone unanswered and why. Those details show where the heaviness sits and what still gives you even a flicker of interest. Over time we look at what the low may be bound up with, such as grief that never had its time or the exhaustion of carrying other people. Human Givens thinking asks which basic needs, such as connection, purpose or rest, have gone unmet, and naming them can turn a vague despair into something you can work on. I'll ask directly about self-harm and thoughts of suicide, early on and again later, without alarm. If those thoughts are there, we plan together how you stay safe, and the urgent help on this page is available at any hour. If you take or are considering medication, that stays a matter for you and your GP, and our sessions can sit beside it.
Ways low mood settles into a Farnham life
After the last commute
Retiring from years of early trains to Waterloo can leave a gap where the structure used to be, and the quiet that was meant to be a reward can feel empty.
Grief that went numb
When someone has died and the sharp pain has given way to flatness, Cruse Bereavement Support - South West Surrey can help, and counselling can run beside it.
Worn down by caring
Months of looking after a partner or parent can hollow you out. Action for Carers Surrey supports carers, and a weekly session gives you time that isn't about anyone else's needs.
Being with people again
If conversation feels out of reach, Creative Response runs therapeutic community art sessions for adults, a gentler way back into company that doesn't depend on talking.
Free and low-cost support for Farnham
You can use free help and private sessions at the same time. Mind Matters Surrey, the local NHS Talking Therapies service, accepts self-referrals for low mood on 0300 330 5450. PeerTalk Farnham holds a peer support group on Thursday evenings. If you are 25 or younger, Headroom Charity counsels people aged 11 to 25 free of charge. If depression has been severe for a long time, ask your GP about the Community Mental Health Recovery Service, which has a Farnham clinic.
- Free NHS talking therapyMind Matters Surrey0300 330 5450Free 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 iti-access0300 222 5932Free and confidential.
- Local organisationAction for Carers Surrey
- Local organisationCreative ResponseLocal mental health charity: therapeutic community art.
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.
Locally, the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT Mental Health Crisis Helpline is on 0800 915 4644.
What people in Farnham ask before starting
Can I refer myself for depression help in Farnham, or do I need my GP?
Mind Matters Surrey, the free NHS service for low mood across Waverley, takes referrals directly from you on 0300 330 5450. If you are struggling to eat, sleep or get through the day, please see your GP as well. Private counselling with me needs no referral at all, and it can begin after a free call, while you wait for anything else.
I'm too low to talk much. Is there any point booking from Farnham?
Yes. You don't need to be articulate, and long pauses are fine. From Farnham we'd meet by video, so there's no drive to talk yourself out of, and you can join from the sofa or even from bed. If you can't face a session, a short message is enough, and we'll look gently at what got in the way next time.
Is there a depression support group in Farnham?
PeerTalk Farnham runs a volunteer-facilitated group for people living with depression, anxiety and other emotional distress, on Thursdays from 7.30 to 9pm. It is peer support rather than therapy, and being in a room with others who understand can ease the isolation. It can sit alongside one-to-one counselling.
What should I do if I've had thoughts of ending my life?
Please tell someone today. In Surrey, the Surrey and Borders 24/7 crisis line is 0800 915 4644, and Samaritans answer at any hour on 116 123. If you are in danger now, phone 999, or get to the emergency department at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley. In counselling we can talk about those thoughts openly, and you won't be judged for having them.
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 short, quiet call when you're ready
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.