Anxiety and worry
When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.
Online Counselling and Therapy · Portsmouth
Online Counselling and Therapy in Portsmouth
Online counselling and therapy for Portsmouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Portsmouth, from across Portsea Island, Southsea and Old Portsmouth to the streets around the Spinnaker Tower, 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 Portsmouth
Counselling and Therapy for Portsmouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Portsmouth: across Portsea Island, from Southsea and Old Portsmouth to Fratton, Cosham and Copnor
- Known for
- The Spinnaker Tower, the harbour and the seafront
- Region
- London & South East (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire (italk)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Portsmouth
Why people in Portsmouth reach out
Portsmouth is the most densely populated city outside London and a historic naval base, and the forces connection runs deep. Long deployments, frequent moves and the strain on families left behind leave their mark, and on a tightly packed island city privacy can feel in short supply. Reaching out here often means doing so quietly, without anyone needing to know.
Portsmouth is packed tightly onto Portsea Island, a city where the sea is never far and the naval base and Historic Dockyard sit at its heart. Life around Southsea, Fratton, Cosham and Copnor is bound up with the Royal Navy and the ferry port, alongside the University of Portsmouth and the wards of Queen Alexandra Hospital up at Cosham. The forces connection shapes many families here, with deployments, postings and long stretches apart, and on such a densely built island there is rarely much distance between neighbours. That closeness can make privacy feel scarce, and reaching out for support something people would rather do quietly. Having a confidential ear, away from the base and the street, can make all the difference.
With deep forces connections, deployments and frequent moves leave their mark; online counselling travels with you and stays consistent through postings.
Portsmouth is home to His Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth (a principal Royal Navy base), the University of Portsmouth and Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Portsmouth
SouthseaOld PortsmouthFrattonCoshamCopnorNorth EndPortseaMiltonBuckland
Wherever you are in Portsmouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Portsmouth
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Portsmouth are living with, and why local support matters.
23.2% 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 14% of patients aged 18+ in 2024/25, below 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.
On a crowded island city, even a short trip can mean traffic across the few roads on and off Portsea, so many people welcome not having to travel at all. Online sessions are held securely from home, whenever suits. The practice room is in Hove, a train along the coast if you can reach the Sussex side for an in-person meeting, but for Portsmouth the work is done online, discreetly and without anyone needing to know.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling and therapy in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth
Why people in Portsmouth come for counselling and therapy
Reaching out in Portsmouth often means doing so quietly, without anyone needing to know, on a densely packed island where you might easily be recognised and where the forces culture can make struggle feel like something to keep private. Counselling with Bradley offers exactly that discretion, a confidential hour held securely online from your own home, with no local waiting room and no journey across Portsea Island. In-person sessions are available in Hove for those who would rather travel along the coast, but for most people in Portsmouth the work is done online, which keeps it private and makes it easy to fit around naval and shift-work hours.
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 Portsmouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Portsmouth, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire (italk) 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.
Portsmouth questions
Online Counselling and Therapy in Portsmouth: common questions
Can I get online counselling and therapy if I live in Portsmouth?
Yes. I work with people right across Portsmouth, from across Portsea Island, Southsea and Old Portsmouth 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.
Privacy really matters to me. How discreet is online counselling?
Very. You join from a private space of your own choosing, with no need to be seen entering a local practice. For people in Portsmouth's close naval and island communities, that discretion is often the deciding factor, and everything discussed remains confidential.
How quickly can counselling start online for someone in Portsmouth?
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 from your own home, with no journey across the island and no local waiting room, which fits naval and shift-work hours.
How do your fees sit against the NHS in Portsmouth?
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.
Privacy really matters to me. How discreet is online counselling here?
Very. You join from a private space of your own choosing, with no need to be seen entering a local practice on a densely built island. For Portsmouth's close naval and neighbourhood communities that discretion is often the deciding factor, and everything discussed stays confidential.
My partner is often away on deployment and I'm managing at home alone. Can counselling help with that?
Yes. The strain of deployments, moves and long separations is something many forces families in Portsmouth carry. Online sessions fit around childcare and the up-and-down of a service routine, and can be held whether your partner is home or away, entirely privately from your own front room.
It's such a close-knit island city. How private is this really?
Very private. There is no local waiting room to be seen in and nobody on your street need know. You join securely from home, and everything discussed stays confidential, which many people in Portsmouth value given how closely the city is packed together.
Online Counselling and Therapy in Portsmouth, 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: Southampton, Chichester. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Portsmouth: 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.