Wandsworth · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Depression counselling for Wandsworth
Perhaps the colour has drained out of things in Wandsworth: you sleep too much and feel nothing at good news, or grief has gone quiet and heavy. Depression counselling with me takes place by secure video, with no referral to chase, at the speed your energy allows. Wandsworth Talking Therapies is a free NHS option alongside.
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 Wandsworth
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Wandsworth by car
- About 81 minutes with clear roads (58.7 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Wandsworth Town, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Wandsworth Talking Therapies, 0203 513 6264
- 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 walk that used to clear your head
Low mood seldom arrives with a name attached.
It shows up as small withdrawals. The loop of King George's Park that used to clear your head now feels pointless. The Thames under Wandsworth Bridge is just grey water on the way to somewhere else. Invitations for a Friday on Old York Road go unanswered, then stop arriving. At home in Southfields or Earlsfield, washing piles up and meals become whatever needs no effort. Sometimes it follows something you can name: a death, a redundancy, a relationship ending, years of looking after a parent. Sometimes there's no obvious reason, which brings its own shame, as if you ought to be able to shake it off. Neither version is laziness or weakness. A busy major centre like Wandsworth keeps moving around you either way, and it can be hard to admit, even to yourself, that you've stopped moving with it.
What we do in the first weeks, and after
When you're low, getting to a first session is achievement enough, so I don't expect you to arrive with the right words. Early on I want to understand a normal day for you: what time you surface, what you manage to eat, which people you still answer, and what the voice in your head says when something goes wrong. Then we look for what's draining you. It might be grief that never got space, caring that has left nothing over, work that has lost its point or anger turned inwards. We look for one or two changes small enough to manage on your worst day, such as a short walk or replying to one person, and if a change doesn't happen, that tells us something useful instead of counting as a failure. At some stage I'll ask, gently and directly, about any thoughts of suicide or of hurting yourself. Asking won't put the idea there, and if the answer is yes, we work out together what will keep you safe, with the urgent help on this page available at any hour. Antidepressants are a matter for your GP, and our sessions continue whether or not you take them.
What can sit underneath the flatness
A death you haven't grieved yet
Months after a loss you feel strangely empty instead of sad. Wandsworth Bereavement Service is there for bereaved people, and you can use it while seeing me.
Worn down by caring
Years of looking after a parent, partner or child can leave nothing for yourself. Wandsworth Carers' Centre supports carers in the borough while counselling makes room for the low mood.
Referring yourself on the NHS
Wandsworth Talking Therapies, run by South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, takes self-referrals for low mood on 0203 513 6264.
When evenings get darker
If low mood starts to include suicidal thoughts, the South London crisis text service is on 80991, or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511, day and night.
Free and low-cost support for Wandsworth
For low mood and depression, the free NHS service is Wandsworth Talking Therapies, which accepts referrals from you directly. Wandsworth Bereavement Service helps after a death, and you can also ring the Cruse Bereavement Support national helpline. Tooting Recovery Café (Hestia) is listed on the south west London NHS urgent help page; check its opening times there before you go. You can keep using any of them while we work together.
- Free NHS talking therapyWandsworth Talking Therapies0203 513 6264Free 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 itWandsworth Community Drug and Alcohol Service (WCDAS)020 3228 1777Free and confidential.
- Local organisationWandsworth Carers' Centre
- Local organisationAllkind
- Local organisationWandsworth Emotional Wellbeing Service (Together for Mental Wellbeing)Community emotional wellbeing support for adults.
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: Tooting Recovery Café (Hestia) (check opening times before you go).
What people in Wandsworth ask before starting
Is there free NHS support for low mood if I live in Wandsworth?
Yes. Wandsworth Talking Therapies, the NHS service for low mood and depression, takes referrals directly from you on 0203 513 6264, so a GP appointment isn't a precondition, though there may be a wait. Your GP can also talk through medication and other options. Seeing me privately while you wait, or at the same time, is fine.
Since my mum died I feel nothing. Can counselling in Wandsworth help me tell grief from depression?
Grief and depression can look alike and often overlap, and numbness after a death is common. Your GP can assess whether depression is part of it, especially if it has lasted for months. Wandsworth Bereavement Service supports people after a death, and in counselling we can start without settling on a name for it. We look at the loss and at what it has taken out of your days.
Could I have depression counselling from my flat in Earlsfield if I can hardly get out of bed?
Yes. Sessions are by secure video, so there's no 81-minute drive and no train to catch, just a screen somewhere private. You can join from bed if that's what you can manage. If a day comes when even logging on feels impossible, tell me, and we'll think about what would make the next session easier to reach.
How quickly can I start from Wandsworth, and who do I contact if things get darker first?
After the free 15-minute call you'll know honestly when a regular time can begin. If things get worse before then, don't wait for a slot. The South London crisis text service is on 80991 or WhatsApp 0303 330 1511, and Samaritans answer free on 116 123, day or night. If you feel you might act on suicidal thoughts, phone 999 straight away.
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.
Get in touch on a day you have a little energy
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.