Tonbridge · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Depression counselling for Tonbridge
When everything in Tonbridge has started to feel like effort, and the things you used to love no longer quite reach you, depression counselling is a place to say so plainly. We meet over secure video, so a session asks nothing of your energy beyond sitting down at a screen.
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 Tonbridge
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Tonbridge by car
- About 70 minutes with clear roads (43.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- 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.
The town carries on, and you watch it
Depression can go oddly unseen in a busy market town.
Trains keep leaving for London and the Medway keeps sliding past the castle while you go through the motions and feel very little. For some it settles in after a loss, once the cards stop arriving and everyone assumes you're coping. For others it grows out of caring: months of appointments at Pembury and nights listening out for a parent or partner, until nothing is left over for you. Sometimes there's no reason you can name, only a heaviness that arrived one winter and stayed. Across Kent, depression was on the GP record of 17.1% of registered adults in 2024/25 (the England figure for the same year was 14.3%). Those figures reflect what GP practices record rather than how widespread depression really is, and they say nothing about you.
Counselling that asks very little at first
Depression saps the energy it takes to reach out, so early sessions ask little of you. We start by noticing what the low is like day to day: sleep, appetite, the worst hours, and what has slipped away without your choosing. After that we explore what might be keeping it in place. It could be grief that hasn't had room, exhaustion from caring, a harsh inner voice that greets every mistake, or a life that has shrunk to work and sleep. We choose changes you could manage even on a heavy day, such as replying to one message or getting outside for ten minutes, and notice what happens without judging it. If grief sits underneath, the person you lost gets their place in the conversation. If you're caring for someone, the hour is about you. Any question about medication is for your GP, and counselling can continue while you take it. You could also use free NHS therapy, alongside this or instead of it. If you notice thoughts of hurting yourself, or a wish not to be here, please tell me. I'll ask about them calmly, and the section titled If you need urgent help now gives the numbers to ring straight away.
Some of what can sit under low mood here
Grief after the funeral
When the visitors stop and the house goes quiet, grief can harden into flatness. Between our sessions, you can also ring the Cruse Bereavement Support national helpline.
Worn down by caring
Appointments, medication rounds and broken nights can empty you. Imago's Kent Carers Support works with adult carers across West Kent, and our hour is kept for you.
If money is part of the weight
West Kent Mind's affordable adult counselling, up to 24 weekly sessions in Sevenoaks or online, may suit you if money worries sit alongside everything else.
When life has shrunk to home
Live Well Kent and Medway is one place to look for wellbeing support in the county, so the week holds something besides work and the sofa.
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 Tonbridge
Low mood is within what NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway offers free, and self-referral by phone, on 0333 091 0414, doesn't involve your GP. Kent and Medway Safe Havens are another place to turn when things feel unmanageable, and if you're struggling to stay safe, Release the Pressure answers on 0800 107 0160. Seeing me privately doesn't stop you using any of them.
- 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 organisationWest Kent MindMental health charity.
- Local organisationImago - Kent Carers Support (West Kent adult carers service)
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 Release the Pressure Helpline - Kent is on 0800 107 0160. Local drop-in crisis support: Kent and Medway Safe Havens (Mental Health Matters) (check opening times before you go).
What people in Tonbridge ask before starting
Do I need a GP referral for depression counselling from Tonbridge?
Seeing me needs no referral. A GP appointment is still worthwhile, because a doctor can check for physical causes of tiredness and low mood and talk through medication if you want to. GP care and counselling can go on together. If you'd like free NHS therapy for low mood, you can approach NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway directly, without a GP letter.
Since my mum died I've felt numb. Can I get counselling for that from Tonbridge?
Yes. Numbness after a death can sit very close to depression, and I won't try to label it for you. We can make room for the loss, and for whatever hasn't been felt yet, by video from home. Cruse Bereavement Support also runs a national helpline, which you can use between sessions or on its own.
Is video counselling for depression realistic from Tonbridge when I'm exhausted?
Yes. There's no drive, no waiting room and no need to look presentable. From Tonbridge the alternative is a 70-minute trip each way, which in a low week simply wouldn't happen. Some weeks you might log on and say very little. That's fine, and we can work with whatever you bring that day.
Who can I call in Kent if I feel unsafe before we start?
Please don't wait for our first session. Release the Pressure, Rethink Mental Illness's Kent helpline, takes calls on 0800 107 0160, and Samaritans answer on 116 123. If you think you could act on those thoughts, call 999 or go to your nearest emergency department. You'll find them all again in the urgent help section of this page.
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, taken from home
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.