Online Counselling and Therapy · Canterbury

Online Counselling and Therapy in Canterbury

Online counselling and therapy for Canterbury, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Canterbury, from the city walls and the centre to the streets around the cathedral, 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 counselling and therapy for Canterbury, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Canterbury

Counselling and Therapy for Canterbury, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Canterbury: from the city walls and the centre to Wincheap, St Stephen's and Hales Place
Known for
The cathedral, the city walls and the Stour
Region
London & South East (England)
Local NHS / support route
NHS Talking Therapies in Kent and Medway
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Canterbury

Why people in Canterbury reach out

Canterbury blends a world-famous cathedral city with a large student population across its universities, and the two worlds bring different strains: the academic pressure and homesickness of student life, and a high cost of living in a small, historic city. For many, being surrounded by people their own age does little to ease a deeper sense of being unmoored.

Canterbury threads its old streets between the cathedral and the city walls, a place where a world-famous historic core meets a large and lively student population. The University of Kent looks down from the hill, Canterbury Christ Church fills the centre, and the Marlowe Theatre and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital add their own rhythms, while the Stour winds quietly through it all. The two worlds bring different strains: the deadlines and homesickness of student life around Hales Place and St Stephen's, and a high cost of living in a compact, tourist-heavy city. For many, being surrounded by people their own age does little to ease a deeper sense of feeling unmoored, and a confidential space to talk, away from campus and housemates, can steady things considerably.

the University of KentCanterbury Christ Church Universitythe Marlowe TheatreKent and Canterbury Hospital

Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.

Canterbury is a UNESCO cathedral city home to the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Canterbury

WincheapSt Stephen'sHales PlaceThaningtonBleanSt Dunstan'sSturryBarton

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

The local picture

The local picture in Canterbury

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Canterbury 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 counselling and therapy itself

Counselling and therapy here is one steady starting point for whatever you are carrying, anxiety, low mood, addiction, relationships or the past, integrative and led by you, so we begin with what matters most and shape the work around you.

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 counselling and therapy 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.

Canterbury's high-speed trains run mainly towards St Pancras, and getting to counselling elsewhere in Kent can swallow a good part of the day. Online sessions do away with the journey, letting you join securely from your room or home between lectures, shifts or seminars. The practice room is in Hove, an option if you can travel down to the Sussex coast for an in-person meeting, but for Canterbury the work is done online around the university term.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online counselling and therapy in Canterbury can help

Anxiety and worry

When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.

Low mood and depression

For the flatness, exhaustion and loss of interest that drain the colour from things.

Addiction and habits

Alcohol, drugs, gambling or behaviours that have stopped feeling like a choice.

Relationships

Conflict, distance and trust, as a couple or on your own.

Trauma and the past

When something you have been through still shapes your present.

Life feeling stuck

For the big transitions, losses and crossroads that leave you unsure which way to turn.

Counselling and Therapy in Canterbury

Why people in Canterbury come for counselling and therapy

Canterbury can feel unmooring beneath its historic calm. Student life around Hales Place and St Stephen's brings deadlines and homesickness, while a high cost of living in a small, tourist-heavy city presses on everyone, and being surrounded by people your own age does little to ease a deeper loneliness. Counselling with Bradley offers a steady, confidential hour away from campus and housemates, held securely online so it reaches you between lectures or shifts without a journey, joined from home. In-person sessions are available along the coast in Hove for anyone who would like them, but for most people in Canterbury the work is done online around the university term.

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 Canterbury

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Canterbury, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies in Kent and Medway 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.

Canterbury questions

Online Counselling and Therapy in Canterbury: common questions

Can I get online counselling and therapy if I live in Canterbury?

Yes. I work with people right across Canterbury, from the city walls and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

I'm not sure exactly what's wrong, can I still come?

Absolutely. You do not need a label or a clear problem to begin. We start with whatever is weighing on you most and find the thread together; if something more specific would help, I will say so.

What's the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

Counselling tends to focus on what is happening now and can be shorter; psychotherapy goes deeper into long-standing patterns and usually runs longer. We can start with counselling and go deeper if it helps.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed number. Some people come for a handful of sessions, others for longer; we review together regularly rather than committing you to an open-ended course.

I am at university here but feel unsettled and homesick. Is that something counselling covers?

Very much so. Feeling adrift even while surrounded by other students is one of the most common things people at Canterbury's universities raise. Online sessions let you talk it through privately from your own room, fitted around your timetable, with nothing to walk into on campus.

How quickly can counselling start online for someone in Canterbury?

Generally within days. With no waiting list, a free 15-minute consultation is usually followed by a first session that same week. It is held securely online, joined from home near the Stour or up at Hales Place, so a compact, busy city adds no journey to attend.

How do your fees sit against the NHS in Canterbury?

You pay £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes or £120 for 120 minutes, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS Talking Therapies is free to self-refer to but can mean waiting, while private counselling with Bradley starts sooner and keeps a consistent weekly time.

I am a student here, far from home and homesick. Can I use online counselling in the evening?

Yes, and many students at Kent and Christ Church do. Sessions are joined privately from your room or a quiet space, with evening times available, and there is no need to register locally or travel, so support is there even when home and familiar faces feel a long way off.

I'm at university here but feel unsettled and homesick. Is that something counselling covers?

Very much so. Feeling adrift even while surrounded by other students is one of the most common things people at Canterbury's universities raise. Online sessions let you talk it through privately from your own room, fitted around your timetable, with nothing to walk into on campus.

Online Counselling and Therapy in Canterbury, 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 London & South East: Ashford, Margate, Maidstone. See all of London & South East.

All counselling & therapy in Canterbury: Addiction · Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Psychotherapy.

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