Anxiety and worry
When your mind will not settle and everything feels urgent.
Online Counselling and Therapy · Wigan
Online Counselling and Therapy in Wigan
Online counselling and therapy for Wigan, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Wigan, from the town centre and the pier to the streets around the rugby league heritage, 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 Wigan
Counselling and Therapy for Wigan, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Wigan: from the town centre and the pier to Ince, Pemberton and Hindley
- Known for
- Wigan Pier, the rugby league heritage and the flashes
- Region
- North West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- Wigan Talking Therapies
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Wigan
What is going on for people in Wigan?
There is a particular sentence people from Wigan say in a first session: nothing has actually happened to me. That is usually true and beside the point. You are still working, still turning up for family, still functioning in Standish or Orrell or Ashton-in-Makerfield, and something has gone out of it that you cannot name. The town's rugby league heritage and its pride in getting on with things run deep, and both make it harder to say you are struggling over nothing in particular. The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary deals with what is urgent. The rest of it, the poor sleep and the flatness, has no obvious door.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Wigan
the town centreIncePembertonHindleyStandishAspullOrrellAshton-in-Makerfield
Wherever you are in Wigan, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Wigan
Official figures for Wigan, for context rather than as a description of you.
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 18.2% of patients aged 18+ in 2024/25, above the England average of 14.3%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Depression: QOF prevalence (2024/25).
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 82 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 117 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm (2023/24).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together in counselling and therapy?
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 does not change with the postcode, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods and what each session covers, on the main counselling and therapy page, alongside how I work, sessions and fees and professional standards and registration.
How does meeting by video work in practice?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
Counselling is delivered online from Hove by video or phone, and that is often what makes a first appointment possible at all. There is no referral, no letter home and nothing to explain to anyone. You can take a single session from your own front room and stop there if it is not for you, since nothing is prepaid and no course is committed to. Where a screen feels like too much, a phone call does exactly the same job.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can counselling and therapy in Wigan help with?
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 Wigan
Why people in Wigan come for counselling and therapy
This is the way in for someone who cannot yet name the problem, and it asks nothing of you in advance. No diagnosis, no label, no history required. The work is present-focused, dealing with what is happening in your actual week, and it is short to medium term, often six to twelve sessions with honest reviews as we go. Reported anxiety here comes in at 22.1% of adults in 2022/23, slightly below the England average of 23.8%, which in a town with this much pride in coping probably says more about what people are willing to report than about what they feel. Wigan Talking Therapies takes free self-referrals without a doctor's involvement, and Wigan Council lists drug and alcohol services if that has become part of the week. Either can run alongside these sessions rather than instead of them.
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 Wigan
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Wigan, you can refer yourself directly to Wigan 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.
Wigan questions
Online Counselling and Therapy in Wigan: common questions
Do I need a reason before I can book?
No. Feeling steadily worse for months, with nothing to point at, is the most common reason people get in touch. There is no threshold to cross and nobody assesses whether your difficulty is serious enough to deserve an hour of attention.
What does it cost, and is anything paid up front?
Nothing up front. Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes or £100 for 90, paid as you go, and the introductory conversation of 15 minutes is free. You can stop after one session, or after five, with no notice period and no charge for doing so.
Should I go to Wigan Talking Therapies first?
It is free, you can refer yourself without seeing a doctor, and it helps a lot of people, so it is worth doing regardless. Waits vary. Beginning here whilst that is in motion is common, and there is no obligation to continue once a place comes up.
Is counselling a bit soft for round here?
That view is common and usually softens after a session. An hour of straight talking with somebody outside your life is a practical thing, not a sentimental one. Most people find it far less touchy-feely than they had braced themselves for.
How will I know if it is working?
Usually you notice small things first: sleeping a bit better, snapping less, wanting to do something you had stopped bothering with. We also review it out loud every few weeks rather than leaving you to judge it on your own.
Is this different from Wigan Talking Therapies?
Yes. I'm an independent counsellor working online from Hove, separate from Wigan Talking Therapies on the NHS. Some people see me while waiting for NHS support, others prefer private sessions from the outset. I'm happy to help you weigh up which might suit you best, with no pressure.
How quickly can I start counselling in Wigan?
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 Hindley to Ashton-in-Makerfield, we meet by secure video or phone.
How much is counselling, and should I try the NHS in Wigan 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 working in Wigan?
Yes. Online work makes evenings and quieter daytime slots easier to keep, whether you are on shifts or working away from Orrell or Ince. We would agree one regular time and hold it week to week, so it becomes dependable rather than another thing to arrange.
Online Counselling and Therapy in Wigan, 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, Manchester, Warrington. See all of North West.
Also available in Wigan: anxiety counselling, depression counselling and psychotherapy.
Some further reading, if that helps before getting in touch: where to start when you cannot name it and how change actually sticks.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same counselling and therapy is available in person, in Hove, where the room is, or see every area I cover.