Communication and conflict
Breaking the cycle of the same argument.
Relationship Counselling · Shoreham-by-Sea
Relationship Counselling in Shoreham-by-Sea
Relationship Counselling for Shoreham-by-Sea and the surrounding area, in person or online. Shoreham-by-Sea, on the river Adur, is known for its houseboats, beach, airport and lively high street. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Shoreham-by-Sea
Relationship Counselling for Shoreham-by-Sea, at a glance
- Known for
- Shoreham Beach, the houseboats, the Adur ferry footbridge and Shoreham Airport
- Area
- Adur & Worthing, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Shoreham the coast road or a short train ride brings you east through Southwick and Portslade to Hove in around fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies
- Format
- In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.
Life in Shoreham-by-Sea
Why people in Shoreham-by-Sea get in touch
Shoreham has always attracted people making a second go of things. The houseboats along the Adur, the flats around Ropetackle, the old streets of Old Shoreham: it is a town with room for lives that have already been rearranged once. A good many households here are blended ones. You are partners and also step-parents, negotiating another household's rules, a former partner's opinions and children who did not choose any of it. Loyalty pulls in several directions at once. The row is ostensibly about bedtimes or a weekend swap, and underneath it is about whether you are really on the same side. Recorded depression on GP registers across the district stood at 14.5% of adults in 2024/25, a little above the England average of 14.3%.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham BeachEast StreetThe High StreetRopetackleOld ShorehamSouthlandsKingston Buci
Wherever you are in Shoreham-by-Sea, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Shoreham-by-Sea
Official figures for Shoreham-by-Sea, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 127.2 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 117 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm (2023/24).
recorded depression on GP registers stood at 14.5% of patients aged 18+ in 2024/25, above the England average of 14.3%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Depression: QOF prevalence (2024/25).
24.5% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, above the England average of 23.8%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Self-reported wellbeing: high anxiety score (2022/23).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together in relationship counselling?
Relationship counselling here, for couples or individuals, slows down the pattern you are caught in and builds healthier ways of hearing and being heard.
Because the work itself is the same wherever you live, the detail sits in one place rather than all of them: the full relationship counselling page sets out the methods, how I work covers the practicalities, and my credentials and registration covers accountability.
What happens in a session?
Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.
The Hove room is fifteen to twenty minutes east along the coast, by car or on the train, so an appointment need not eat the whole evening. You are welcome to attend as a couple or on your own, and some people alternate depending on what that fortnight holds. Where the children are with you, or a shift has moved, secure video from home means the session still happens rather than being dropped.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does relationship counselling address?
Trust and repair
Rebuilding safety after betrayal or addiction.
Distance
Finding your way back to closeness.
Long-distance couples
Sessions you can join from different places.
Anxiety and reassurance
Working with people-pleasing and the need for control.
Individual work
You do not need to come as a couple to change the dynamic.
Relationship Counselling in Shoreham-by-Sea
Why people in Shoreham-by-Sea come for relationship counselling
Step-family strain is one of the most common reasons couples from this part of the coast come for relationship work, and it responds well to being talked about properly. The task is not to decide who is right about the bedtime. It is to get the two of you back into an alliance, so that the household has one position rather than two competing ones, and so that a disagreement about a child does not become a referendum on the marriage. That means naming the loyalties honestly: to your own children, to a previous relationship, to the version of parenting you grew up with. You can do this together or alone. If one of you is drinking more than either of you is comfortable with, or a long low mood is thinning your patience, that comes in too. NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies takes free self-referrals, and West Sussex Mind runs local support.
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 Shoreham-by-Sea
My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Shoreham-by-Sea, you can refer yourself directly to NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.
Seeing me privately usually means you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout, working at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and 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.
Shoreham-by-Sea questions
Relationship Counselling in Shoreham-by-Sea: common questions
Where do Shoreham-by-Sea sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Shoreham the coast road or a short train ride brings you east through Southwick and Portslade to Hove in around fifteen to twenty minutes. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Shoreham-by-Sea or blend the two.
We argue about my partner's children rather than about each other. Is that relationship counselling?
It is, squarely. Step-family disagreements are almost always relationship material, because they turn on whether the two of you are aligned. Sessions work on the partnership underneath the parenting rows rather than adjudicating who was right about a particular weekend.
Can we come on alternate weeks because of the childcare arrangements?
Yes. Fortnightly works for plenty of couples, and appointments can be arranged around the weeks the children are with you. Where a swap changes at short notice, that week's session can move to video rather than being cancelled and lost altogether.
What does it cost, and does bringing two of us double it?
It does not. The fee follows the session length: £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min, £120 / 120 min, however many of you are present. Ninety minutes usually suits couples better. The opening 15-minute consultation is free and unhurried.
Is NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies any help for couples?
It is aimed at individual anxiety and depression rather than relationship work, but it is free and you can refer yourself without a GP, so it is worth a call. Some people use it personally while doing the couple work privately here.
My ex would find out and use it against me. Would this be confidential?
Yes. What you say is confidential within the usual professional limits, nothing is recorded on your GP notes unless you ask, and no report goes to anybody else. Sessions in Hove are away from the town, and video keeps the whole thing private.
Is the train from Shoreham handy for relationship counselling in Hove?
Yes. Shoreham-by-Sea Station is on the main coastal line, and trains run directly east through Portslade to Hove in a few minutes, then a short walk to Western Road. The coast road by car is just as easy. When you would rather stay put, online sessions are there.
How do I book couples counselling and travel to Hove from Shoreham?
Start with a free fifteen-minute call, then come over for your session. From Shoreham the coast road or the train brings you east through Southwick and Portslade to Hove in around fifteen to twenty minutes, with Shoreham-by-Sea Station on the main line and a short walk to the room.
What do sessions cost, and is relationship counselling on the NHS in Shoreham?
Relationship sessions are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours, after a free fifteen-minute consultation. The NHS rarely funds couples work, so most Shoreham clients choose private sessions, valuing an easy trip east and no waiting list before starting.
Can we attend together or meet online, and do you offer evenings for Shoreham?
Yes. Couples can come to the Hove room, fifteen to twenty minutes east, or share a secure video call from home by the Adur. Individuals are welcome alone. Evening slots are available, and you can mix the direct train in with online sessions to fit a busy week.
Relationship Counselling in Shoreham-by-Sea, 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 nearby: Southwick, Lancing, Portslade. See all areas I cover.
People who come for relationship counselling in Shoreham-by-Sea often also look at counselling and therapy, trauma counselling and addiction counselling.
If you would like to read more first, I have written about the Imago dialogue for couples.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same relationship counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.