Online Counselling and Therapy · York

Online Counselling and Therapy in York

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

In and around York

Counselling and Therapy for York, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of York: from within the walls and the centre to Clifton, Acomb and Heworth
Known for
The Minster, the city walls and the Shambles
Region
Yorkshire & North East (England)
Local NHS / support route
NHS Talking Therapies (find via the NHS finder)
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in York

Why people in York reach out

York's walls, Minster and tourist crowds give it a postcard calm, but behind it sit a high cost of living, a large student population and the pressure of a city always on show. Struggle can feel out of place here, and that can make it harder to reach out.

York is enclosed by its medieval walls, the great Minster rising over a knot of narrow streets that includes the timber-framed Shambles. The rivers Ouse and Foss thread through the centre, and flood it when they rise, past Clifford's Tower and the Jorvik quarter that recalls the city's Viking past. This was a great railway city, celebrated now at the National Railway Museum, and a great chocolate one too, home to Rowntree's and Terry's. Two universities, the larger at Heslington on the eastern edge, bring a big student population, while the racecourse on the Knavesmire and the year-round crowds of visitors keep the city busy. Beyond the walls, Clifton, Acomb and Heworth settle into quieter, everyday neighbourhoods.

University of Yorkthe National Railway Museumthe city's tourism and heritage sectorYork and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals

Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.

York is home to the University of York and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (York Hospital); the city has a long confectionery history through Rowntree's, now part of Nestlé, which still operates a factory there.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around York

CliftonAcombHeworthBishopthorpeFulfordFishergateHolgateDringhousesHuntingtonHeslington

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

The local picture

The local picture in York

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

I'm based in Hove and work with people in York online, by secure video, rather than in person. In a city where the centre is always thronged with visitors, meeting from home has its own appeal, no walk through the crowds, no parking within the walls. You join from wherever's quiet and we keep a regular weekly time around your week.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online counselling and therapy in York 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 York

Why people in York come for counselling and therapy

For all its beauty, York asks plenty of the people who live and work here, the seasonal churn of tourism, the pressure of study at one of the universities, and the quiet difficulty of struggling in a place everyone else treats as a holiday. Low mood and anxiety don't spare a pretty city. Counselling and therapy give you a plain, confidential hour to set that down and be heard. Working online from Hove, I meet people across York, from Heworth to Fulford, from wherever they feel private, at a time that fits the working week rather than a trip into the centre.

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 York

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In York, you can refer yourself directly to NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression, with no GP referral needed. You can find support through the NHS Talking Therapies finder.

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.

York questions

Online Counselling and Therapy in York: common questions

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

Yes. I work with people right across York, from within the walls and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in Yorkshire & North 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.

I'm a student at one of the universities. Can you help?

Yes. Online sessions continue through term, placements and holidays wherever you are, so a move between York and home doesn't break things off. I work privately, separate from the universities' own counselling services, which you can also use.

Is online counselling available in York, and how quickly could I start?

Yes. From my Hove base I work with people right across York by secure video, whether you are near the university, Heworth or Acomb. After a free 15-minute call we can usually arrange a first session within days, with no trip through the crowds.

How much is counselling in York, and how does it compare with the NHS?

Sessions are GBP 80 for 60 minutes, with 90 and 120-minute options at GBP 100 and GBP 120. NHS Talking Therapies in York is free and open to self-referral, though there can be a wait. Private online sessions let us start sooner at a time that suits you.

Can counselling happen in the evening without a trip into central York?

Yes. Everything is online, so you join from Holgate, Bishopthorpe or wherever you can talk privately, with no walk through the tourist streets. I hold some evening appointments for those who cannot get away by day, and we would keep the same weekly slot.

Do you have a room in York?

No. I work from Hove on the south coast and see York clients by secure video call. For a compact, busy tourist city, that saves navigating the centre and parking, sessions come to you at home in Acomb, Clifton or wherever feels private.

I'm a student at one of the universities, can you help?

Yes. Online sessions continue through term, placements and holidays wherever you are, so a move between York and home doesn't break things off. I work privately, separate from the universities' own counselling services, which you can also use.

Online Counselling and Therapy in York, 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 Yorkshire & North East: Leeds, Hull, Harrogate. See all of Yorkshire & North East.

All counselling & therapy in York: 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.