Panic attacks
Support for racing thoughts, panic episodes and chest tightness.
Online Anxiety Counselling · York
Online Anxiety Counselling in York
Online anxiety counselling for York, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across York, from within the walls and the centre to the streets around the Minster, 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 York
Anxiety Counselling for York, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of York: from within the walls and the centre to Clifton, Acomb and Heworth
- Known for
- The Minster, the city walls and the Shambles
- Region
- Yorkshire & North East (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS Talking Therapies (find via the NHS finder)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in York
Why people in York reach out
York's walls, Minster and tourist crowds give it a postcard calm, but behind it sit a high cost of living, a large student population and the pressure of a city always on show. Struggle can feel out of place here, and that can make it harder to reach out.
York is enclosed by its medieval walls, the great Minster rising over a knot of narrow streets that includes the timber-framed Shambles. The rivers Ouse and Foss thread through the centre, and flood it when they rise, past Clifford's Tower and the Jorvik quarter that recalls the city's Viking past. This was a great railway city, celebrated now at the National Railway Museum, and a great chocolate one too, home to Rowntree's and Terry's. Two universities, the larger at Heslington on the eastern edge, bring a big student population, while the racecourse on the Knavesmire and the year-round crowds of visitors keep the city busy. Beyond the walls, Clifton, Acomb and Heworth settle into quieter, everyday neighbourhoods.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
York is home to the University of York and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (York Hospital); the city has a long confectionery history through Rowntree's, now part of Nestlé, which still operates a factory there.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around York
CliftonAcombHeworthBishopthorpeFulfordFishergateHolgateDringhousesHuntingtonHeslington
Wherever you are in York, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in York
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around York are living with, and why local support matters.
26.2% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, above the England average of 23.8%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Self-reported wellbeing: high anxiety score (2022/23).
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'm based in Hove and work with people in York online, by secure video, rather than in person. In a city where the centre is always thronged with visitors, meeting from home has its own appeal, no walk through the crowds, no parking within the walls. You join from wherever's quiet and we keep a regular weekly time around your week.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online anxiety counselling in York can help
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 York
Why people in York come for anxiety counselling
York's walls, Minster and constant crowds give it a postcard calm, but behind it sit a high cost of living, a big student population and the quiet pressure of a city always on show. Struggle can feel out of place here, which only tightens the knot, racing thoughts, a tense chest, a dread that won't settle. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, and I work with people across York by secure video rather than in person. Together we look at what keeps the worry running and build practical ways to steady it, at a weekly time joined from Clifton, Acomb or wherever you can speak privately.
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 York
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In York, you can refer yourself directly to NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression, with no GP referral needed. You can find support through the NHS Talking Therapies finder.
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.
York questions
Online Anxiety Counselling in York: common questions
Can I get online anxiety counselling if I live in York?
Yes. I work with people right across York, from within the walls and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in Yorkshire & North East, 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.
I'm a student at York, can counselling fit around term?
Yes. Because we meet online, sessions carry on through term, exams and trips home wherever you are. I work privately, separate from the university's wellbeing service, so you can use both if you wish, without interrupting the continuity of our work.
How soon can I start anxiety counselling online in York?
Usually within a week. We start with a free 15-minute consultation, then a first session by secure video. I'm based in Hove and work online across York, so there's no waiting list and no walk through the tourist crowds or parking within the walls to arrange.
What do you charge, and how does it compare with the NHS in York?
Fees are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for two hours, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS talking therapies in York are free but can mean a wait; online and private, you can usually start sooner and keep a steady weekly time.
Can sessions be online in the evening rather than in person in York?
Yes. I work from Hove by secure video, not a room in York, so you join from home in Acomb or Clifton with no walk through the crowds. Evening slots are often possible, which suits anxiety that flares around a busy working day.
Do you have a room in York?
No. I work from Hove on the south coast and see York clients by secure video call. For a compact, busy tourist city, that saves navigating the centre and parking, sessions come to you at home in Acomb, Clifton or wherever feels private.
I'm a student at one of the universities, can you help?
Yes. Online sessions continue through term, placements and holidays wherever you are, so a move between York and home doesn't break things off. I work privately, separate from the universities' own counselling services, which you can also use.
Online Anxiety Counselling in York, 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 Yorkshire & North East: Leeds, Hull, Harrogate. See all of Yorkshire & North East.
All counselling & therapy in York: 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.