Counselling for Depression: Brighton, Hove and Worthing
Depression can affect many parts of life — your work, your close relationships, your self-esteem, who you believe yourself to be. It often leaves you wondering how it came about, what triggered it. Sometimes that’s clear, such as a personal loss; often the reasons aren’t so obvious. You don’t need a diagnosis to start counselling for depression.
Key Information
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What: One-to-one psychotherapy for depression, low mood and loss of motivation.
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Where: In-person in Brighton, Hove and Worthing, or online counselling for depression near you.
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Approach: Relational and integrative — understanding depression, looking beyond symptoms at underlying issues.
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First step: A free 30-minute phone consultation, no commitment.
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Format: Weekly sessions, open-ended — not a fixed course.
How I Can Help with Depression
I offer face-to-face counselling for depression in Brighton, Hove and Worthing, plus online counselling for depression if in-person sessions aren’t practical.
Through counselling together, we’d aim to understand what you’re experiencing and what might lie underneath it — building your awareness of the unconscious patterns of thought and behaviour that may be keeping the depression going.
Another key aspect of depression is often how we relate to others. We’d also look at how you experience the people close to you, the communication patterns that take place, and the feelings you’re left with as a consequence.
You don’t need a diagnosis, or to know exactly why you feel low, to begin. We can start with what you’re noticing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer counselling for depression in Brighton, Hove or Worthing?
Yes. I see clients in person in Brighton, Hove and Worthing, as well as offering online counselling for depression if you’d prefer, or if in-person sessions aren’t practical.
How do I know if what I’m feeling is depression?
There’s no single test. Depression can show up as low mood, numbness, loss of interest, exhaustion or self-critical thinking, among other things. If it’s affecting how you feel about yourself, your relationships or your day-to-day life, that’s usually reason enough to talk to someone.
Why do I feel depressed when nothing’s obviously wrong?
This is one of the most common things people bring to counselling. The reasons behind depression aren’t always obvious, even when life looks fine from the outside. Therapy offers a space to explore what might be contributing to it underneath the surface.
Is counselling for depression different from counselling for anxiety?
Depression and anxiety often overlap, and many people experience both together. My approach looks at your individual experience rather than treating depression and anxiety as entirely separate boxes — see my anxiety page for more on how I work with anxiety specifically.
Do you offer online counselling for depression?
Yes, I offer online counselling via Zoom.
How Depression Can Show Up
Depression takes many forms. It can show up as low mood, numbness, loss of motivation, difficulty concentrating, self-criticism, hopelessness, or changes in sleep and appetite.
It can also affect how you relate to other people. You might notice yourself:
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withdrawing from people you’d normally turn to
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struggling to feel pleasure in things you used to enjoy
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feeling like a burden, or that you’re letting people down
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finding it hard to ask for help
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feeling disconnected from your own sense of who you are
Some people come to therapy able to point to what triggered their depression — a recent loss, a relationship ending, a change at work. Others simply notice that depression has settled in without an obvious cause. Either is a fine place to start.
How Psychotherapy Can Help with Depression
Psychotherapy can help you manage depression, but it can also help you understand it.
Rather than only trying to lift your mood, therapy offers a space to become curious about what depression may be connected to — what’s underneath it, how you relate to yourself and others, and what patterns repeat across different parts of your life.
Depression often makes more sense when it’s understood in the context of a person’s relationships, history and sense of self. It may be connected to self-criticism, current pressures, earlier experiences, or a loss that hasn’t fully been processed.
My blog post, What is your depression trying to tell you?, looks at this in more detail — depression is often presented as a sign that something is wrong with us, when in fact it may be pointing towards something that needs attention.
The aim isn’t simply to feel better as quickly as possible, but to understand what’s going on for you, so that any change feels more solid and lasting.
Starting Therapy for Depression
If you’re considering counselling for depression, you don’t need to arrive with everything worked out. You may know exactly what’s going on or only have a sense that something isn’t right. In a first session, we’ll talk about what’s brought you to therapy, how depression is affecting you, and what you’re hoping for from the work — and think together about whether ongoing psychotherapy feels like the right fit.
I offer weekly psychotherapy for adults in Brighton, Hove, Worthing and online. If you’d like to explore beginning counselling for depression, you’re welcome to contact me to arrange a free initial phone consultation.
Psychotherapy Blog:
What is Your depression Trying to Tell You?
Depression is often presented as us being flawed in some way, when in fact a different approach altogether is needed.
Free phone consultation
The first step is for us to have a chat. I offer a 30 minute free phone consultation where we'll discuss what issues bring you to psychotherapy, I can answer any questions you may have and you'll get a sense if working with me feels right. We'll then discuss possible options moving forwards.