Chichester · in person in Hove or online
Psychotherapy for Chichester
Psychotherapy suits a problem that keeps coming back in new clothes, so that a new job or a new partner still brings the same knot in your stomach. From Chichester you can do that slower, open-ended work with me in Hove or by secure video. I'm a BACP-registered counsellor and a student member of UKCP while I complete my psychotherapy training.
The practical facts for Chichester
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Chichester by car
- About 48 minutes with clear roads (30.0 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- Direct trains from Chichester to Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – West Team, 01273 265967
- Fees
- £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90, £120 for 120. The first 15-minute call is free.
- Registration
- BACP registered member, no. 109340 (check the register); UKCP student member in advanced psychotherapy training.
A small city where your history stays close
Chichester is a small city, and that's part of its appeal.
The old centre still sits within the Roman walls, and Summersdale, Whyke and Florence Park are all part of the same small city. Closeness like that can also mean the past never moves far away. If you grew up here, the street your parents live on and the friends who knew you at sixteen may still be a few minutes from your front door. People who moved here later, perhaps to study at Bishop Otter or for a public-sector post, bring their own history with them, and sooner or later it surfaces here. Psychotherapy is for the moment you notice that a feeling or a reaction has followed you through every change of scene. You may already understand where it comes from and still find that it arrives before you can stop it.
What an open-ended piece of work involves
Psychotherapy with me keeps a fixed weekly slot, the number of sessions is left open, and alongside what is happening now we look at where it began: the family you grew up in, what you learned to do to stay safe or be loved, and how that still steers you. Some weeks it will feel like plain talk about a difficult conversation at work. Other weeks something older surfaces, and we stay with it rather than rushing to a fix. The relationship between us becomes part of the material, because the pattern you bring tends to show up in the room as well: perhaps bracing for criticism, or cancelling when things get close. Every few months we step back and ask whether the work is still worth your time and money. You choose when to end, and we plan that ending together rather than letting it fade. I'm still completing psychotherapy training, which is why I belong to UKCP as a student member, and any medication is managed by your GP while our weekly work carries on.
Patterns that bring people to longer work
Always the one who copes
Public-sector work in the county town can reward whoever absorbs everyone else's pressure. When that role started long before the job, longer work can trace it back.
No boss, no off switch
Running your own business can feed an old belief that rest has to be earned. Psychotherapy looks at where that belief came from, as well as at your diary.
After the West Team's course ended
A brief run of free sessions helped at the time, yet the same anxiety or low mood keeps returning, which can point to something older underneath.
Relationships that end the same way
A different partner, a new address in Graylingwell or Kingsham, and still the same ending. Longer work looks at what you bring to closeness, without blame.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. "Similar to England" means the difference is not statistically significant. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free and low-cost support for Chichester
Longer private work can follow on from free help, or sit beside it. For anxiety and low mood, Chichester's NHS option is self-referral to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies and its West Team. Chichester Counselling Services, a local charity, offers general counselling, and West Sussex Mind provides wider mental health support across the county.
- Free NHS talking therapyNHS West Sussex Talking Therapies – West Team01273 265967Free NHS talking therapy for anxiety, low mood and related difficulties. You can refer yourself, with no GP referral needed.
- If drinking or drug use is part of itWest Sussex Drug & Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
If someone at home is hurting, threatening or controlling you, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 2000 247.
If you need urgent help now
If you need help right now, please don't wait for a session.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
What people in Chichester ask before starting
How long would psychotherapy from Chichester usually last?
There's no set length. Some pieces of work run for around six months, others for a few years. After the free 15-minute call we'd agree a regular weekly time, review it every few months, and ending is always your decision. Because of the 48-minute drive, we'd also agree from the outset how often you come to Hove and how often we meet by video.
Is your psychotherapy the same as seeing a UKCP-registered psychotherapist in Chichester?
Not quite, and you should know that before you begin. I hold BACP registration and have practised for over 25 years, and I'm a student member of UKCP while I finish my psychotherapy training, so I'm not UKCP-registered. If that registration matters to you, perhaps for an employer or insurance scheme, raise it on the free call and I'll answer plainly.
Can I get long-term psychotherapy free on the NHS in Chichester?
For Chichester the free route is NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies, which you can contact yourself through its West Team on 01273 265967. It's aimed mainly at anxiety and low mood, so if you want open-ended work on older patterns, private therapy is the usual route. If an NHS mental health team already looks after you, talk to them first, so longer work can be planned alongside their care.
Could I do psychotherapy entirely by video from Chichester?
Yes. Open-ended work holds up well on secure video when you have a private room, a steady connection and the same time each week. You might like to meet in person for the first few sessions and then mostly online, or never travel at all. If you'd like to visit Hove now and then, that's possible, and switching later is simple.
How much do sessions cost, and is the first call free?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, the same in person in Hove or by video. The first 15-minute call is free, with no obligation to book. There is no NHS referral needed to see me privately.
Talk through whether long-term work fits you
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.