Twickenham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Depression counselling for Twickenham
Low mood doesn't always feel like sadness. In Twickenham it might be a walk by the river you no longer take, or whole weekends lost to bed. If you have felt heavy, numb or flat for a while, counselling by secure video gives you a weekly hour to say so honestly, without having to travel.
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 Twickenham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Twickenham by car
- About 83 minutes with clear roads (56.9 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Twickenham, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Richmond Talking Therapies (NHS Richmond Wellbeing Service), 020 3513 4455
- 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 commute ends and the days lose their shape
For years the trains to Waterloo via Richmond may have given your days their shape.
When that stops, through retirement, redundancy, illness or leaving a job, the structure can go with it. Mornings stretch. You stop ringing people because there's nothing to report. Low mood finds other ways in as well. A student at St Mary's University can drift from lectures, then from friends, without anyone noticing. A parent in Heathfield or Fulwell who has looked after someone for years can wake up unsure what they themselves enjoy any more. Grief is another route. After the funeral, people expect you to pick up again, and when you can't, you may stop mentioning it. Places that used to lift you, Marble Hill or the riverside, can start to feel like somewhere other people go. If any of this sounds familiar, it is worth talking about, however small it seems next to other people's troubles.
Working at the pace low mood allows
We begin with how things actually are, even if that's hard to admit. I'll ask about sleep, eating, the people you still see and the things that have quietly dropped away, and whether any part of the day feels a little lighter. From there we look at what keeps the heaviness in place. Often several things overlap: a harsh inner voice, a loss that never had room, days without structure, or years of giving more than you have received. Change starts small and stays yours to choose, perhaps one message answered or a walk as far as Twickenham Green and back. On days when words are hard we go slowly, and a session that is mostly quiet still counts. Medication is a question for your GP, and our sessions can sit beside whatever you decide. Richmond Talking Therapies offers free NHS support for low mood if you want that in parallel. If thoughts of suicide or self-harm come up, please tell me. We can talk about them plainly, and the crisis numbers further down say who to contact between sessions.
Ways low mood shows up in a Twickenham life
After the commuting years
Retirement or redundancy after years on the Waterloo trains can leave long, empty weekdays and a sense of having lost your place in things.
Looking after everyone else
Caring for a partner or parent over years can flatten you. Richmond Carers Centre supports carers, and our sessions stay focused on how you are doing.
A student who has gone quiet
Unopened emails and missed seminars at St Mary's University or Richmond upon Thames College, and a growing distance from friends you haven't told.
Recovering, and feeling worse
Coming home after illness, perhaps with care from Teddington Memorial Hospital, and a heaviness that settles in just as everyone says you're on the mend.
Free and low-cost support for Twickenham
Richmond Talking Therapies, the borough's free NHS service, will hear from you directly about low mood on 020 3513 4455. Richmond Borough Mind's ARC service offers free short-term support from Twickenham. On a hard evening, the Twickenham Recovery Hub near Twickenham Green is an out-of-hours crisis café run by Richmond Borough Mind. None of them stops you seeing me as well.
- Free NHS talking therapyRichmond Talking Therapies (NHS Richmond Wellbeing Service)020 3513 4455Free 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 itWithYou Richmond020 3228 3020Run by We Are With You (WithYou). Free and confidential.
- Local organisationRichmond Carers Centre
- Local organisationARC – Active Resilience in the Community (Richmond Borough Mind)Free short-term emotional wellbeing support, self-referral,.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service is another option: text 80991 or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511. Local drop-in crisis support: Journey Recovery Hub, Twickenham (check opening times before you go).
What people in Twickenham ask before starting
Do I need my GP to refer me for NHS depression support in Twickenham?
No. You can contact Richmond Talking Therapies yourself on 020 3513 4455 about low mood or depression. It's free, though waits vary. ARC from Richmond Borough Mind is another free route for short-term support. If you would rather choose who you see, private sessions with me are an option, and you can use both.
I'm not tearful, just empty and tired. Does depression counselling still make sense for me in Twickenham?
It can. Low mood frequently looks like numbness, exhaustion or a loss of interest instead of tears. If things you used to look forward to, a match or seeing friends, now feel like effort, that's worth bringing. You don't need a label before booking, and the free 15-minute call is enough to start.
Can I have depression counselling by video from Twickenham rather than travelling to Hove?
Yes. For anyone in Twickenham, video is how this normally runs. Hove is about 83 minutes by car, which is a lot to ask of yourself on a low day. Video means you can join from home without the effort of getting anywhere, and the conversation is just as real. If you ever want to meet in person, we can arrange it.
What if I feel unsafe in Twickenham before counselling has started?
Don't hold out for a counselling appointment. If you feel close to acting on thoughts of ending your life, call 999. Day or night, text 80991, or send a WhatsApp message to 0303 330 1511, and the NHS crisis text service for South London will reply. The Samaritans answer 116 123, and the Twickenham Recovery Hub near Twickenham Green offers drop-in crisis support out of hours.
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 small first step, fifteen minutes long
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.