Online Counselling and Therapy · Plymouth

Online Counselling and Therapy in Plymouth

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

In and around Plymouth

Counselling and Therapy for Plymouth, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Plymouth: from the Barbican and the Hoe to Devonport, Stonehouse and Mutley
Known for
Plymouth Hoe, the Barbican and the Sound
Region
South West (England)
Local NHS / support route
NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth (Plymouth Options)
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Plymouth

Why people in Plymouth reach out

Plymouth is a proud ocean city and naval base set far out in the South West, and that remoteness cuts both ways. The forces presence brings deployments and frequent moves, the dockyard economy brings shift work and uncertainty, and the distance from other cities can leave people feeling isolated when times are hard.

Plymouth faces the sea and keeps working. Devonport's dockyard walls run for miles, and the naval base shapes the rhythm of the whole city, with families braced around deployments and postings that come and go. Sailors and dockyard workers share the Barbican's cobbled quay with fishing crews, while students from the university fill the streets above the Hoe. Out at Derriford the hospital never really stops. The city sits a long way down the line, with Dartmoor at its back and the Tamar marking the Cornish border, and that distance can feel like isolation when things are hard. The naval habit of getting on with it runs deep, so a confidential space to speak plainly can matter here.

HM Naval Base Devonportthe University of PlymouthDerriford Hospitalthe marine and dockyard sector

With deep forces connections, deployments and frequent moves leave their mark; online counselling travels with you and stays consistent through postings.

Plymouth hosts the University of Plymouth and Devonport Royal Dockyard (operated by Babcock), the largest naval base in Western Europe; acute care is provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust at Derriford Hospital.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Plymouth

DevonportStonehouseMutleythe BarbicanPeverellMannameadPlymptonPlymstockSt BudeauxEffordStoke

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

The local picture

The local picture in Plymouth

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

Plymouth sits at the far end of a long rail line, with GWR trains to Exeter, Bristol and London, the A38 running east, and ferries across the Tamar and out to France and Spain. That remoteness can make reaching support elsewhere a real undertaking. Secure online sessions close the distance completely, so we meet by video without anyone travelling. The consulting room is in Hove; Plymouth is served online, with in-person appointments only for those who can reach the Sussex coast.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online counselling and therapy in Plymouth 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 Plymouth

Why people in Plymouth come for counselling and therapy

Set far out at the end of the line, Plymouth can feel isolating when things are hard, and the naval habit of soldiering on quietly only adds to that. Counselling and therapy here offer a confidential space to speak plainly, whether the strain comes from deployments, dockyard shifts, student life above the Hoe, or simply low mood and worry. Sessions are warm and non-clinical. With the consulting room in Hove, Plymouth's distance makes no difference: we meet by secure video from wherever you feel private, so there is no long journey up-country to reach support.

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 Plymouth

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Plymouth, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth (Plymouth Options) 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.

Plymouth questions

Online Counselling and Therapy in Plymouth: common questions

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

Yes. I work with people right across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe outwards, and anywhere else in South 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.

Plymouth feels a long way from everything. Does that limit counselling?

No. Meeting by secure video removes the distance entirely, so there is no journey up the line to make. You join from wherever you feel settled in Plymouth. The room itself is in Hove, so support here is provided online rather than in person.

How quickly can I start online counselling in Plymouth?

There is no local waiting list, so most people in Plymouth start within a week or two of getting in touch. We begin with a free 15-minute call, then book a first full session. Everything runs by secure video, with the room itself in Hove near Mutley.

How much is counselling in Plymouth, and can I get it through the NHS?

This is a private practice, so sessions are self funded rather than through the NHS. A 60-minute session is 80 pounds, 90 minutes is 100 pounds and 120 minutes is 120 pounds, and the first 15-minute consultation is free. People in Plymouth can also seek NHS Talking Therapies in Plymouth via their GP if they prefer.

Is counselling in Plymouth delivered online, and are evening times available?

All sessions are held online by secure video, so you can meet from anywhere private in Plymouth, whether that is home in Devonport or a quiet room near work. Some evening slots suit personnel tied to the Devonport naval base working through the day. In-person visits only suit those able to travel to the Hove room.

I'm serving with, or connected to, the naval base at Devonport. Can this stay private?

Yes. Sessions are held by secure video and are completely confidential, which many forces families value during deployments and postings. Nothing needs to go through the base. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet online wherever you are stationed.

Plymouth feels a long way from everywhere. Is that a problem for counselling?

Not at all. Because we meet online, the distance down the line makes no difference and there is no journey to make. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, so Plymouth is served by secure video rather than in person.

Online Counselling and Therapy in Plymouth, 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 South West: Exeter, Torquay. See all of South West.

All counselling & therapy in Plymouth: 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.