Tunbridge Wells · in person in Hove or online
Depression counselling for Tunbridge Wells
If you're in Tunbridge Wells and have felt flat and far away from the things you used to enjoy for weeks on end, depression counselling gives you a place to stop putting a brave face on it. I work by secure video, so on heavy days there's no trip to make, and the room in Hove is there when you'd like it.
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 Tunbridge Wells
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Tunbridge Wells by car
- About 58 minutes with clear roads (36.5 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.
When Dunorlan Park stops being worth the walk
Depression can be quiet. You stop walking round Dunorlan Park or up to Wellington Rocks at the weekend, and nothing in particular happened to make you stop. It just no longer seems worth putting your shoes on. The book stays unread, friends in Rusthall stop getting replies, and evenings shrink to the television and an early night that doesn't refresh you. Sometimes there's an obvious cause, such as retiring after decades of London trains and losing the shape of the week, children leaving home, a parent's death or the end of a marriage. Sometimes there isn't one, which can make it harder to explain to anyone else. Grief can turn into this too, when the sharp pain fades and what's left is a grey, distant flatness that nobody around you seems to notice.
Gentle work for days with nothing in the tank
Depression uses up the energy it would take to shift it, so we start small and honestly. In early sessions we map how the low shows up for you, when it began, and what has slipped away, such as sleep, appetite, interest or contact with people. Then we look at what holds it in place, often a harsh inner voice and a life narrowed to the bare minimum. Changes are deliberately modest, perhaps one walk in Calverley Grounds or one returned message in a week. If grief sits underneath, we give the person you've lost room in the sessions. GP practices across Kent had depression recorded for 17.1% of adult patients in 2024/25, a figure that counts what GPs have recorded rather than how many people are actually depressed. It isn't a measure of you. If thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life come up, say so in a session, and if you feel unsafe between sessions, the urgent contacts lower on this page are there for exactly that.
The quieter faces of low mood here
After the last commute
Retiring from years on the London line can take away the structure, colleagues and purpose that held the week together, and the flatness that follows can creep up unannounced.
Loss that turned to numbness
Grief that has settled into a grey nothing. The Cruse Bereavement Support national helpline is there after a death, and The Counselling Centre on London Road lists bereavement counselling.
Caring until you're empty
Looking after a parent or partner in the borough can wear you down until nothing feels like yours. Imago's Kent Carers Support helps carers in West Kent, and sessions give the flatness itself some attention.
Weekdays alone in the High Weald
If you work from home or live alone on the edge of town, whole days can pass with little contact. West Kent Mind offers affordable counselling and support across the borough.
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 Tunbridge Wells
You can ring NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway yourself about low mood on 0333 091 0414, and it costs nothing. West Kent Mind offers affordable counselling for adults online or in Sevenoaks, and Live Well Kent and Medway can point you towards community support nearer home. Seeing me privately can happen at the same time as 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 organisationImago - Kent Carers Support (West Kent adult carers service)
- Local organisationThe Counselling Centre
- Local organisationWest Kent Mind Affordable Counselling
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 Tunbridge Wells ask before starting
Can I start depression counselling in Tunbridge Wells without seeing my GP first?
You don't need to. You can contact me directly, and the free call covers how soon a first session could be. NHS Talking Therapies Kent and Medway also takes self-referrals on 0333 091 0414. It's still worth seeing your GP, who can check for physical reasons behind the tiredness and talk through medication if you want to.
I've lost interest in everything since retiring in Tunbridge Wells. Is that depression?
Perhaps, or it may be the shock of losing the routine and the people you saw every day. Whether or not it has a name, it deserves attention. Counselling can look at what has gone missing and what could give the days some shape again, at a pace that respects how tired you feel.
Is video counselling OK when I can barely face leaving the house in Tunbridge Wells?
Yes, and on hard weeks it may be the only way a session happens at all. You can join from wherever you feel least on show, and from Tunbridge Wells it also saves nearly two hours of driving to Hove and back. Turning up in a dressing gown is fine.
What should I do if I feel unsafe between sessions in Tunbridge Wells?
Please don't wait for our next session. Call 999 if you're in immediate danger, or Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time. In Kent, Release the Pressure, a helpline run by Rethink Mental Illness, answers on 0800 107 0160, and NHS 111 can help with urgent mental health needs. Then tell me when we next meet, so we can plan 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.
Tell someone how flat it has been
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.