Panic attacks
Support for racing thoughts, panic episodes and chest tightness.
Online Anxiety Counselling · Newtownabbey
Online Anxiety Counselling in Newtownabbey
Online anxiety counselling for Newtownabbey, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Newtownabbey, from Glengormley and the centre to the streets around the Antrim hills, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Newtownabbey
Anxiety Counselling for Newtownabbey, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Newtownabbey: from Glengormley and the centre to Rathcoole, Monkstown and Mossley
- Known for
- The Antrim hills, Belfast Lough and the shore road
- Region
- Northern Ireland
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS psychological therapies (Northern Ireland)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Newtownabbey
Why people in Newtownabbey get in touch
Newtownabbey runs on Belfast time without being in Belfast. The shore road and the motorway carry people into the city and out again, and a lot of local life is arranged around that daily crossing. Anxiety finds plenty to work with. There is the traffic, the rota, the insecure hours that some households are managing on, and the particular strain of belonging to a cluster of separate communities rather than to one settled centre. Glengormley, Rathcoole, Monkstown and Whiteabbey each have their own feel, and it is easy to be surrounded by people and still feel unseen. The worry usually stays private, tucked in behind a normal week.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Newtownabbey
GlengormleyRathcooleMonkstownMossleyCarnmoneyWhiteabbeyJordanstownBawnmoreHazelbank
Wherever you are in Newtownabbey, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Newtownabbey
Official figures for Newtownabbey, for context rather than as a description of you.
In Antrim and Newtownabbey, 18.9% of adults reported a high anxiety score (6 or above out of 10) in the year ending March 2023, in line with the Northern Ireland average of 19.0%. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Personal well-being estimates by local authority (Year ending March 2023 (2022-23)).
In Antrim and Newtownabbey, 2.0% of adults reported a low life satisfaction score (4 or below out of 10) in the year ending March 2023, well below the Northern Ireland average of 5.2%. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Personal well-being estimates by local authority (Year ending March 2023 (2022-23)).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together in anxiety counselling?
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 does not change with the postcode, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods and what each session covers, on anxiety counselling in detail, alongside how I work, sessions and fees and qualifications, registration and ethics.
How does meeting by video work in practice?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
All sessions are online, held by secure video. Bradley works from Hove and holds no room on this side of the lough, so there is no appointment to reach and no traffic to sit in beforehand, which for anxious people removes the part they dread most. The hour can be taken before the commute, after it, or in a break during the day. A bedroom, a quiet kitchen or a car parked near the Loughshore Park along Belfast Lough all work perfectly well.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What does anxiety counselling help with?
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 Newtownabbey
Why people in Newtownabbey come for anxiety counselling
Anxiety here often runs quietly under a functioning life. You get to work, you do the school run, you keep everyone else steady, and inside there is a constant scanning for what might go wrong next. Others come with panic that has begun to dictate routes and plans, with health worry that will not settle, or with social anxiety that has narrowed things down over years. The approach is solution-focused and specific. We take apart the pattern as it actually occurs, look at where avoidance is holding it in place, and choose one testable change for the week, then review it properly. Sleep, caffeine and breathing come first because they shift fast. If you would like the statutory option running too, your GP can refer you into talking therapies through Health and Social Care, and Lifeline is free on 0808 808 8000.
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 callFinding support in Newtownabbey
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Newtownabbey, your GP can refer you to talking therapies and counselling through Health and Social Care. You can find support through Lifeline, Northern Ireland's crisis helpline, free on 0808 808 8000.
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 Lifeline free on 0808 808 8000. Lifeline is free on 0808 808 8000, the Samaritans are on 116 123, and you can text SHOUT to 85258.
Newtownabbey questions
Online Anxiety Counselling in Newtownabbey: common questions
Can I have sessions before or after the commute into the city?
Yes, and those are the two most requested times. A slot early enough to be finished before you leave, or one that starts once you are home, can be held for you week after week. Nothing is spent travelling, so the hour stays an hour.
What do you charge?
A standard session of 60 minutes is £80. There is a 90-minute option at £100 and a 120-minute one at £120, which some people use fortnightly instead of coming every week. The 15-minute introductory call is free of charge, and you are under no obligation to book after it.
Does Northern Ireland have the same referral system as England?
No. There is no self-referral service here, so the route is through your GP, who can refer you for talking therapies through Health and Social Care. Lifeline is the free 24-hour crisis line on 0808 808 8000, and it can be rung without any referral.
Panic hits me in traffic on the way to work. Is that treatable in counselling?
It is very workable. We look at what your body does in the minutes before the peak, at the avoidance that has grown up around driving, and then plan graded journeys between sessions so the confidence is rebuilt in the situation itself.
Do I have to have a diagnosis to book?
Not at all. Counselling is not a medical service and no assessment or paperwork is needed to start, only a conversation. If you want a clinical opinion or medication considered, that sits with your GP and can happen alongside what we do.
Can I get help for anxiety without going into Belfast?
Yes. Sessions are online by secure video, so you can talk from home in Newtownabbey rather than travelling into the city. Bradley Riddell is based in Hove and works across Northern Ireland, which many people find more private and far easier to fit around work.
How soon can I start online anxiety counselling in Newtownabbey?
Usually within a week. After a free 15-minute consultation, Bradley Riddell offers online anxiety sessions by secure video across Newtownabbey, from Glengormley to Whiteabbey. There is no trip to the Abbey Centre or into Belfast, just a quiet hour and a steady connection.
How do anxiety counselling fees compare with the NHS in Newtownabbey?
NHS talking therapies in Newtownabbey are free but waiting times vary. Bradley's private fees are £80 for 60 minutes, 100 for 90 and 120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation, so you can begin quickly rather than wait for a place.
Do you offer evening anxiety sessions online for Newtownabbey?
Yes. Sessions run online by secure video from Bradley's Hove room, so some evening slots suit Newtownabbey clients working near Jordanstown or commuting into Belfast. Whether you are in Rathcoole or by the Loughshore, a private space and a reliable connection are all you need.
Online Anxiety Counselling in Newtownabbey, 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 Northern Ireland: Belfast, Ballymena. See all of Northern Ireland.
Also available in Newtownabbey: depression counselling, trauma counselling and counselling and therapy.
There is more on this in my writing: the miracle question and settling a spike of urgency.
Within reach of Sussex? anxiety counselling is offered in the room in Brighton as well as online; see the full list of areas.