Anxiety and worry
When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.
Online Counselling and Therapy · Manchester
Online Counselling and Therapy in Manchester
Online counselling and therapy for Manchester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Manchester, from the city centre and the Northern Quarter to the streets around the canals, 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 Manchester
Counselling and Therapy for Manchester, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Manchester: from the city centre and the Northern Quarter to Didsbury, Rusholme, Chorlton and Wythenshawe
- Known for
- The canals, the music venues and the two universities
- Region
- North West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- Manchester Talking Therapies
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Manchester
Why people in Manchester reach out
Manchester moves at speed, a young, creative, fast-growing city of music, sport and tech, and that energy can be as exhausting as it is exciting. Soaring rents, long hours and the loneliness that can hide inside a busy city all take a toll, and finding time and privacy for yourself is hard.
Manchester wears its history and its reinvention side by side. Grand Victorian warehouses in Ancoats now sit above coffee roasters and studios, while the Metrolink trams thread out from the centre to Didsbury, Chorlton and beyond. This is a city of music and football, of the Bridgewater Hall and Old Trafford, of the Curry Mile in Rusholme and the students who fill Oxford Road each autumn. The pace is real, and so is the warmth beneath it. People here are quick with a welcome and slow to make a fuss, and for all the buzz of Spinningfields and the Northern Quarter, there are plenty of ordinary streets where someone might be quietly finding things hard behind the front door.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Manchester is home to the University of Manchester, one of the UK's largest single-site universities, and to Manchester Royal Infirmary. Its NHS Talking Therapies service is run by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Manchester
the Northern QuarterAncoatsDidsburyChorltonRusholmeFallowfieldLevenshulmeWithingtonHulmeWythenshawePrestwich
Wherever you are in Manchester, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Manchester
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Manchester are living with, and why local support matters.
24% 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).
recorded depression on GP registers stood at 14.8% 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 across Manchester online, by secure video or phone. That means the session comes to you, whether you're in a flat in Ancoats, a house in Chorlton or somewhere out towards Wythenshawe, with no tram ride or city-centre parking to sort out first. Many people find it easier to speak openly from their own front room. We'd agree a regular time that fits around work and family, and you'd never need to travel.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling and therapy in Manchester 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 Manchester
Why people in Manchester come for counselling and therapy
Counselling can be a steadying thing when a fast city starts to feel like too much. Manchester's energy, its music, its students filling Oxford Road each autumn, is real, but so is the loneliness that can hide inside all that buzz. I'm Bradley Riddell, based in Hove, and I offer talking therapy to people across Manchester online, by video or phone. Whether work feels overwhelming, your mood has dropped, or you simply don't feel yourself, we'd meet at a regular time you choose, from wherever you are, in Levenshulme, Withington or the Northern Quarter. There's nothing to arrange but a quiet hour.
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 Manchester
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Manchester, you can refer yourself directly to Manchester 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.
Manchester questions
Online Counselling and Therapy in Manchester: common questions
Can I get online counselling and therapy if I live in Manchester?
Yes. I work with people right across Manchester, from the city centre and the Northern Quarter 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.
What kinds of things do people bring to counselling?
All sorts. Anxiety, low mood, stress, grief, relationship worries, or a vague sense that something isn't right. You don't need a diagnosis or the right words to begin. We'd start wherever you are and work at a pace that feels manageable for you.
How quickly can I start counselling in Manchester?
Generally within a week or so. Working online from Hove means I am not tied to a local waiting list, so once we have had a free fifteen-minute call I can usually offer a first session soon after. Wherever you are, from Ancoats to Wythenshawe, we meet by secure video or phone.
How much is counselling, and should I try the NHS in Manchester 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 that comes through. The first fifteen-minute consultation costs nothing.
Do you offer evening sessions for people working in Manchester?
Yes. Online work makes evening and quieter daytime slots easier to hold, which helps whether you are commuting from Spinningfields or working shifts across the city. We would agree one regular time and keep it consistent week to week, so it becomes something dependable rather than another thing to juggle.
Do you offer counselling in person in Manchester?
No. I'm based in Hove on the south coast, so all my work with people in Manchester is online, by video or phone. If you'd prefer to sit with someone in the room, the city has many local counsellors and NHS Talking Therapies; otherwise online lets us meet wherever you are.
Can we meet around shift or student hours?
Yes. Working online makes evenings and quieter daytime slots easier to arrange, which helps if you're a student on Oxford Road or working shifts across the city. We'd settle on a regular time that suits you and keep it consistent from week to week.
Online Counselling and Therapy in Manchester, 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: Bolton, Stockport, Oldham. See all of North West.
All counselling & therapy in Manchester: 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.