Online Anxiety Counselling · Cambridge

Online Anxiety Counselling in Cambridge

Online anxiety counselling for Cambridge, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre to the streets around the Backs, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor offering online anxiety counselling for Cambridge, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Cambridge

Anxiety Counselling for Cambridge, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Cambridge: from the colleges and the centre to Mill Road, Cherry Hinton and Chesterton
Known for
The colleges, the Backs and the river Cam
Region
East of England (England)
Local NHS / support route
NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Cambridge

Why people in Cambridge reach out

Cambridge carries an extraordinary concentration of academic and professional high achievement, and with it some of the highest living costs in the country. The pressure to perform, whether you are a student, a researcher or working in its booming science and tech sector, can leave little room to admit you are struggling.

Cambridge folds a world-famous university into an everyday working city, and the two rarely sit still. Term brings the colleges and the Backs to life, while out at the Biomedical Campus around Addenbrooke's and across the science parks that ring the city, the labs and start-ups of Silicon Fen run to their own restless clock. Between the punts on the Cam and the cycle traffic along Mill Road, there is a quiet expectation to keep pace. People arrive from all over the world and often move on again, so friendships can feel provisional and the settled networks that steady us are not always to hand. Under the postcard architecture, plenty of residents carry more than the bright surface suggests, and finding an unhurried hour for yourself is genuinely hard.

the University of CambridgeAddenbrooke's Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campusthe science and technology sector of Silicon FenAnglia Ruskin University

With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.

Cambridge is home to the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust); NHS mental health services are provided by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Cambridge

Mill RoadCherry HintonChestertonTrumpingtonNewnhamRomseyArburyPetersfieldKings HedgesColeridge

Wherever you are in Cambridge, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Cambridge

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Cambridge are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The anxiety counselling itself

Anxiety counselling here is practical and solution-focused: we work on the worry, panic, social anxiety and over-thinking that are actually affecting your day, and on simple ways to settle a nervous system stuck on high alert.

The approach is the same wherever you live, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods, what each session covers and fees, on the main anxiety counselling page and on how I work.

How online sessions work

Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop, no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.

I work with people across Cambridge and the wider Fens by video call and phone, rather than from a room in the city. I am based in Hove, so sessions come to you wherever you are, whether that is a flat off Mill Road, a house in Chesterton or a quiet office between meetings. All you need is a private space and a reliable connection, and we can find a time that fits around study, shift work or the commute.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online anxiety counselling in Cambridge can help

Panic attacks

Support for racing thoughts, panic episodes and chest tightness.

Social anxiety

Help with confidence, self-consciousness and fear of judgement.

Chronic worry

Support for overthinking, catastrophising and decision paralysis.

People-pleasing

Working with the need for control and approval.

Sleep and tension

Calming a nervous system stuck on high alert.

Responding differently

Tools for when anxiety starts to take hold.

Anxiety Counselling in Cambridge

Why people in Cambridge come for anxiety counselling

In Cambridge, anxiety often wears the mask of high performance. Around the colleges, Addenbrooke's and the labs of Silicon Fen there is a quiet expectation to keep pace, and the racing thoughts, broken sleep and constant bracing that come with anxiety can feel like something to hide rather than admit. Because friendships here can be provisional and people move on, there is not always someone close to turn to. I work online from Hove, by secure video or phone, so you can talk through what is keeping you on edge from your own room, around supervisions, lab hours or the commute, with no waiting room to walk into.

A free, unhurried first step

Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.

Book a free 15-minute call

Finding support in Cambridge

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Cambridge, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.

Private sessions with me usually mean you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout; I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Cambridge questions

Online Anxiety Counselling in Cambridge: common questions

Can I get online anxiety counselling if I live in Cambridge?

Yes. I work with people right across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in East of England, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

Can online counselling really help with panic attacks?

Yes. We work on what happens in your body when anxiety spikes and rehearse practical ways to settle it, which translates well to video sessions you do from a place you already feel safe.

What if my anxiety makes video calls themselves difficult?

That is common and completely workable. We can start with the camera off, keep early sessions short and build up at your pace; many anxious clients find home the easiest place to begin.

How long does anxiety counselling usually take?

It varies, but solution-focused work often makes a difference within a handful of sessions. We review together rather than committing you to an open-ended course.

Can online counselling help with performance anxiety in Cambridge?

Yes. Whether the pressure comes from deadlines, supervisions or a demanding role in the science parks, we can look at what feeds the anxiety and find steadier ground. Working by video from Hove means you talk it through privately, without being seen walking into somewhere in town.

How soon can I start online anxiety counselling in Cambridge?

Fairly quickly. I am based in Hove and work with Cambridge clients online, so there is no clinic waiting list to join. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then agree a first session that fits around lab hours, teaching terms or a commute from Chesterton or Mill Road.

What does anxiety counselling cost in Cambridge, and is it cheaper on the NHS?

NHS Talking Therapies are free through your GP or self-referral, though waits vary and choice of therapist is limited. My private sessions are self-funded: £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90, or £120 for 120, with a free 15-minute consultation first.

Can I have evening online anxiety sessions rather than travelling across Cambridge?

Yes. Everything is online by secure video or phone, so nothing means crossing the city or the Mill Road cycle traffic. Evening slots are available around study and shift work, and you can talk from your own room in Newnham, Romsey or a quiet office between meetings.

Do I need to come to a clinic in Cambridge to see you?

No. I am based in Hove and work with people in Cambridge entirely online, by secure video or phone. That often suits a city where days are shaped by lab hours, teaching terms or a long commute, because there is no travel and no waiting room, just a private hour that fits your week.

Can this help if I am a student or researcher under pressure?

Yes. Many people connected to the university or the science parks find the pace hard to admit to. Working online means you can talk things through from your own room, around supervisions or deadlines, without needing to be seen walking into somewhere in town.

Online Anxiety Counselling in Cambridge, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available online across East of England: Peterborough, Norwich. See all of East of England.

All counselling & therapy in Cambridge: Addiction · Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.

Closer to the Sussex coast? The same anxiety counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.