Kingston upon Thames · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Psychotherapy for Kingston upon Thames
Psychotherapy is for patterns that outlast every fresh start, such as choosing the same kind of partner again or hearing the same inner voice say you're not enough. For adults in Kingston upon Thames I offer longer, open-ended work, usually weekly by secure video. My only room is in Hove, so most of the work happens on screen.
The practical facts for Kingston upon Thames
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Kingston upon Thames by car
- About 74 minutes with clear roads (52.9 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Kingston, change at Clapham Junction for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free NHS talking therapy
- Kingston Talking Therapies, 020 3513 4440
- 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 very old town behind a very new shopfront
Kingston is an ancient market town that has become one of the UK's biggest retail centres.
The Coronation Stone, All Saints Church and the Market Place are still here, while the Bentall Centre and John Lewis carry the newer trade. A life can be layered in a similar way. The surface gets updated with a new job, a flat by the river or a new relationship, while something older underneath keeps its shape. You may have grown up here, been through Tiffin School or Kingston College, and still hear the expectations of those years whenever you fall short. You may have come for Kingston University and stayed, carrying a family story from somewhere else. Or you may be in your forties or fifties, outwardly settled, and puzzled that the same feelings arrive on cue whenever someone gets close. Psychotherapy gives that older layer proper attention, with enough time to see where it came from.
Months at a time: what longer work involves
Short courses are designed to ease one problem. Psychotherapy asks a slower question: why does this keep happening, and what might it be protecting you from? We begin with what is hard now, then follow the threads back into the family you grew up in and the rules it taught you about anger and need. Patterns often appear between us too, perhaps as a habit of apologising for taking up time, or a pull to give me the right answers, and noticing that as it happens is part of the work. I'm registered with BACP, I've been in practice for over 25 years, and my UKCP membership is at student level while I finish advanced psychotherapy training. I draw on Internal Family Systems, which looks at the critical or driven parts of you as parts worth understanding. Nothing fixes in advance how many sessions there will be. We review how it is going every so often, and you can pause or finish whenever you choose. From Kingston, the real commitment is time: one protected hour a week, kept going through holidays and through the weeks when you would rather cancel.
Threads worth following back
Standards set at school
If you went to school in Kingston, whether Tiffin School, Kingston College or elsewhere, the standards you set yourself then may still be marking everything you do as an adult.
A family story from elsewhere
Came to study at Kingston University and stayed? Distance from family can bring old roles into sharp focus, and longer work has room for the history you brought.
When 12 sessions opened a door
The Mind in Kingston Counselling Service offers up to 12 sessions after assessment. If that helped but uncovered more than it settled, open-ended work can carry the thread on.
Settled on paper, stuck inside
A home near Coombe Hill, a steady job, and the same anxious or empty feeling every time life goes well. That gap is worth exploring slowly.
Free and low-cost support for Kingston upon Thames
Longer private work isn't the only option. Kingston Talking Therapies, free on the NHS for anxiety or low mood, takes self-referrals. The Mind in Kingston Counselling Service is a fee-paying charity service offering up to 12 sessions, currently by phone or online. Between sessions, the Mind in Kingston Drop-in Cafes at the Alfriston Day Centre in Surbiton need no booking.
- Free NHS talking therapyKingston Talking Therapies020 3513 4440Free 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 itKingston Wellbeing Service (KWS)0300 303 4614Run by Via. Free and confidential.
- Local organisationKingston Bereavement Support
- Local organisationMind in Kingston Drop-in CafésMental health drop-in café.
- Local organisationKingston SamaritansLocal Samaritans branch.
For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
Private counselling with me can run alongside any of these; you do not have to choose one or the other.
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.
The South London NHS Mental Health Crisis Text Service is another option: text 80991.
What people in Kingston upon Thames ask before starting
Should I choose psychotherapy or the Mind in Kingston Counselling Service?
It depends on what you need. The Mind in Kingston service offers up to 12 sessions after an assessment, which can suit one focused difficulty. Open-ended psychotherapy suits patterns that have repeated for years. Kingston Talking Therapies is the free NHS option for anxiety or low mood. On the free call I'll give you an honest view of which seems to fit.
I'm looking for a UKCP psychotherapist in Kingston. Are you UKCP registered?
No, and I won't blur that. I'm a registered member of BACP and a student member of UKCP, in advanced psychotherapy training. If full UKCP registration matters to you, check the UKCP register before choosing anyone. If what matters more is open-ended work with an experienced practitioner, we can talk it through on the free call.
Can psychotherapy by video from Kingston go as deep as sessions in a room?
It can. Depth comes from trust and a steady rhythm, and both can build over a screen. What you need is a private room, headphones and a reliable connection, so the hour feels protected. Video also means a weekly session never depends on the Clapham Junction connection or the roads south.
How long does psychotherapy last, and how soon could I start from Kingston?
There is no fixed length. Some pieces of work run for months, others for longer, and we review together as we go. To start, book the free 15-minute call. If we both feel it fits, we agree a regular weekly time and begin, and I will tell you straight away if my diary is full.
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.
A first conversation about the longer view
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.