Online Counselling and Therapy · Hastings

Online Counselling and Therapy in Hastings

Online counselling and therapy for Hastings, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Hastings, from the Old Town and the Stade to the streets around the fishing beach, 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 Hastings, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Hastings

Counselling and Therapy for Hastings, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Hastings: from the Old Town and the Stade to St Leonards, Ore and Silverhill
Known for
The Old Town, the fishing beach and the cliffs
Region
London & South East (England)
Local NHS / support route
Health in Mind, the East Sussex NHS Talking Therapies service
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Hastings

Why people in Hastings reach out

Hastings is a town of real character and real contrasts, a creative, independent place that also carries some of the sharpest deprivation on the south coast. Seasonal and insecure work, the distance from larger centres, and the long winters once the visitors have gone can all weigh on people, and good local support is not always easy to find.

Hastings is a town of vivid character, from the net huts and fishing boats on the Stade to the tangled lanes of the Old Town and the faded grandeur of St Leonards. A strong creative and independent community has made its home here, drawn by the light, the cheaper rents and the sea, and galleries and studios sit alongside the working fishing beach. Yet that colour exists next to some of the sharpest hardship on the south coast, with seasonal and insecure work common across Ore and Silverhill and the long winters weighing heavily once the visitors have gone. Being a distance from larger towns, and finding good support stretched, only adds to the load, and a dependable, confidential space can be genuinely hard to come by.

the fishing fleet on the Stadethe creative and arts communityHastings Contemporary gallery

A seaside town can feel cut off once the season ends and the front goes quiet, so online support that does not depend on who happens to practise nearby matters here.

Hastings is a coastal town with a long fishing heritage and is served by the Conquest Hospital; parts of the town are among the more deprived areas in the South East.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Hastings

Old TownSt LeonardsOreSilverhillHollingtonBohemiaWest HillClive ValeCentral St Leonards

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

The local picture

The local picture in Hastings

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

Hastings sits at the end of its rail lines, and travelling to appointments elsewhere can eat up much of a day. Online counselling changes that: you join securely from home, with no long journey along the coast or up the line. The practice room is in Hove, further west along the same shore if you would ever prefer to meet in person, but for Hastings the sessions are held online, close and dependable wherever you are in the town.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online counselling and therapy in Hastings 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 Hastings

Why people in Hastings come for counselling and therapy

Seasonal and insecure work, the distance from larger centres, and the long winters once the crowds have gone can all weigh on people in Hastings, and good local support is not always easy to find. A creative, independent town can quietly carry a great deal of private struggle. Counselling with Bradley offers a confidential hour to talk it through, held securely online so it reaches you whatever the season, joined from home with nothing to travel to. In-person sessions are available along the coast in Hove for anyone who would like them, but for most people in Hastings the work is done online, bringing help to a town where it can otherwise be scarce.

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 Hastings

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Hastings, you can refer yourself directly to Health in Mind, the East Sussex NHS Talking Therapies service 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.

Hastings questions

Online Counselling and Therapy in Hastings: common questions

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

Yes. I work with people right across Hastings, from the Old Town and the Stade 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.

Support here feels hard to come by. Is online counselling reliable?

Yes. Online counselling gives you a consistent, professional space that does not depend on locally stretched services or on travelling out of Hastings. You join privately from home at a regular time, and the work continues steadily whatever the season or the state of local provision.

How quickly can counselling start online for someone in Hastings?

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 Stade or up in St Leonards, so distance from larger towns adds no journey at all.

How do your fees sit against the NHS in Hastings?

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.

The long winters here weigh heavily once the visitors have gone. Can online counselling reach me?

Yes. When the colour of the summer fades and the town quietens, a steady online hour comes to you rather than asking you to travel. Joined from home with evening times available, it offers a confidential place to be heard through the harder, darker months.

Work here is seasonal and money is tight in winter. Is online counselling easier to keep up?

It can be, yes. Without travel costs or time lost to a journey, sessions are simpler to fit around insecure or seasonal work. We can also talk openly about money worries and the strain of the quiet months, which are a real part of life for many in Hastings.

Online Counselling and Therapy in Hastings, 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: Eastbourne. See all of London & South East.

All counselling & therapy in Hastings: 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.