Anxiety and worry
When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.
Online Counselling and Therapy · Lancaster
Online Counselling and Therapy in Lancaster
Online counselling and therapy for Lancaster, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Lancaster, from the city centre and the castle to the streets around the Ashton Memorial, 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 Lancaster
Counselling and Therapy for Lancaster, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Lancaster: from the city centre and the castle to Bowerham, Scotforth and nearby Morecambe
- Known for
- The castle, the Ashton Memorial and the river Lune
- Region
- North West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Talking Therapies
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Lancaster
Why people in Lancaster reach out
Lancaster is a historic city with two universities set in the rural north of Lancashire, near the coast and the Lakes. A large student population, the distance from bigger centres and low rural wages all shape the pressures people carry here.
Lancaster keeps watch from its hill, the castle and priory above the city and the Ashton Memorial's great dome rising over Williamson Park. The Lune runs through, once a busy port, and the Georgian streets recall that trading past. Two universities give the city its student energy, and the covered market and independent shops keep the centre lively. Morecambe and its bay lie just to the west, the Forest of Bowland and the Lakes not far off. Neighbourhoods like Bowerham, Scotforth and Skerton have their own feel. It's a small, characterful city set in the rural north of the county, and being some distance from bigger centres can make good support feel further away than it should.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Lancaster hosts Lancaster University and a campus of the University of Cumbria, and is served by the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT).
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Lancaster
the city centreBowerhamScotforthSkertonMarshFreeholdHaltonnearby Morecambe
Wherever you are in Lancaster, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Lancaster
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Lancaster are living with, and why local support matters.
22.1% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, below the England average of 23.8%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Self-reported wellbeing: high anxiety score (2022/23).
recorded depression on GP registers stood at 18.1% of patients aged 18+ in 2024/25, above the England average of 14.3%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Depression: QOF prevalence (2024/25).
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.
I'm based in Hove and work with people in Lancaster online, by video or phone. Wherever you are, in Bowerham, Scotforth, Skerton or over towards Morecambe, the session comes to you, with no travel and no waiting room. In a part of the country where support can mean a long drive, meeting online brings it to your own front room. We'd settle on a regular time that fits your week and keep to it.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling and therapy in Lancaster can help
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 Lancaster
Why people in Lancaster come for counselling and therapy
Between a large student population and the distance from bigger centres, plenty of people in Lancaster carry more than they let on, and low rural wages add their own quiet pressure. Counselling brings support within reach. I'm Bradley Riddell, based in Hove, offering talking therapy to people across Lancaster online, by video or phone. From Skerton, Marsh or Freehold, we'd meet at a regular time you choose, from your own front room. Meeting online brings support to you, rather than asking you to travel for it.
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 Lancaster
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Lancaster, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria 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.
Lancaster questions
Online Counselling and Therapy in Lancaster: common questions
Can I get online counselling and therapy if I live in Lancaster?
Yes. I work with people right across Lancaster, from the city centre and the castle outwards, and anywhere else in North West, 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'm a student here, can you fit around term and study?
Yes. Being away from home at university brings its own pressures, and I work with students often. Online sessions are easy to arrange around lectures and deadlines, and we can continue over the holidays too, wherever you are, so support doesn't stop and start.
How quickly can I start counselling in Lancaster?
Generally within a week or so. Working online from Hove means no local waiting list, so after a free fifteen-minute call I can usually offer a first session soon after. Wherever you are, from Skerton to Halton, we meet by secure video or phone, with nothing to travel to.
How much is counselling, and should I try the NHS in Lancaster first?
Sessions are £80 for the standard sixty minutes, with longer options at £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours. NHS Talking Therapies is free but often has a wait, so some people start privately with me while it comes through. The first fifteen-minute consultation costs nothing.
Do you offer evening sessions for people around Lancaster?
Yes. Online work makes evenings and quieter daytime slots easier to keep, which matters where support can otherwise mean a long drive. Whether you are a student or working near Morecambe, we would agree one regular time and hold it week to week, so it becomes dependable.
I'm a student here, can you fit around term and study?
Yes. Being away from home at university brings its own pressures, and I work with students often. Online sessions make it easier to arrange around lectures, deadlines and the rhythm of term, and we can continue over the holidays too, wherever you happen to be, so support doesn't stop and start.
Online Counselling and Therapy in Lancaster, 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 North West: Preston, Blackpool, Carlisle. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Lancaster: 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.