Counselling

There are many reasons you might consider going private, although it’s not an option for everyone because it can be expensive. If you decide to explore private therapy at low cost Click the link below

Below is a range of London-based psychological support. The list begins with low-cost services of a variety of types, then narrows down to more specialised services, then helplines and then, directories. The majority of services within the low-cost list offer support on a financial sliding scale.

Each account is supplemented with contact numbers, website links and a brief depiction of what they offer. Take some time to read through these before making a choice. Due to the current pandemic, the way in which therapy is delivered may differ from what is written in the description.

MIND, Station House, 73c Stapleton Hall Road London N4 3QF

Ring- 020 8340 2474

Visit-Mind in Haringey

The service is available to anyone seeking an opportunity to talk about problems or difficulties that they are experiencing in their lives. People seek counselling for a variety of reasons such as, but not limited to: depression, anxiety, stress, panic, to explore relationships with others, bereavement and significant loss, past experiences that may be affecting you in the present, isolation or loneliness, sense of hopelessness, loss of purpose or direction, not achieving potential.

The Caravan, St James’s Church, Piccadilly London W1J 9LL

Ring- 0207 183 1802

Visit-The Caravan

The drop-in offers a core service of listening and emotional support, which can evolve into counselling. The service is available daily on a drop-in basis. For some people, just a little human warmth and a chat can hit the spot. Others may wish to talk more deeply about what is troubling them. The sessions are 20 to 50 minutes long, at the discretion of the volunteer.

WLM Highbury Counselling Centre, 28 Highbury Grove London N5 2EA

Ring- 020 7354 4791

Visit-WLM Highbury Counselling Centre

WLM Highbury Counselling Centre offers a confidential, accessible, and professional counselling service to adults in the community. We aim to offer our clients a space they can use to talk about a wide range of emotional issues such as anxiety, depression, loss, and other distressing life events.

Some clients come to deal with a very specific issue that is creating emotional distress in their present lives, others want to understand a troubling past experience, or change the quality of their relationships with their family and friends. We help our clients understand and change emotional patterns so they can look forward to a better future.

The Institute of Group Analysis (IGA), 1 Daleham Gardens London NW3 5BY

Ring –020 7431 4431

Email – iga@igalondon.org.uk

Visit –The Institute of Group Analysis (IGA)

IGA therapists provide a range of clinical services including group and individual therapy, couple therapy, family therapy, supervision and work with organisations. Referrals can be made to IGA practitioners throughout the UK.

Highgate Counselling Centre, 58a Highgate High Street, London N6 5HX

Ring –020 8883 5427

Email –admin@highgatecounselling.org.uk

Visit –Highgate Counselling Centre

We offer affordable counselling to offer help with emotional and relationship problems. We offer individual short-term or long-term counselling, individual bereavement counselling, couples counselling, family counselling and group counselling.

Spiral Centre, 2 Shelburne Road, Islington London N7 6DL

Ring –020 7607 4403

Email –info@spiralcentre.org

Visit –Spiral Centre

Spiral is a holistic therapy centre in Islington, North London, offering counselling, psychotherapy, complementary therapy, workshops and trainings. We offer high quality, long term and low-cost therapy.

The Minster Centre, 20 Lonsdale Road London NW6 6RD

Ring –020 7644 6240

Visit –The Minster Centre

The Minster Centre offers a reduced fee therapy and counselling scheme. We are a charity with a long-held commitment to helping people in distress through talking therapies. We work with a range of mental health difficulties including, loss and bereavement, depression, stress, crisis of identity, worries about relationship or family life, learning to relate more easily to others, eating disorders, anxiety and panic attacks, concerns about sexuality.

Gestalt Centre, 15-23 St Pancras Way London NW1 0PT

Ring –020 7613 4480

Email – lowcost.therapy@gestaltcentre.org.uk

Visit –Gestalt Centre

The low-cost therapy scheme is provided by our senior trainees in the Psychotherapy Practitioner programme who are supervised by experienced practitioners. They offer individual weekly therapy at the Gestalt Centre for a lower cost whilst in their training. Please take into consideration when applying that we do not offer an emergency or crisis intervention and that places are limited and subject to availability. This is a low-cost scheme and fees vary from £20 to £40 per session.

Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy (AGIP) and the Fairbridge Clinic, 1 Fairbridge Rd, Archway London N19 3EW

Ring – 020 7272 7013

Visit –Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy (AGIP) and the Fairbridge Clinic(Scroll down on site to find the Faribridge Clinic)

The Fairbridge Clinic within AGIP is a low-fee psychotherapy service available to those on very low incomes. If you are a full-time student or in receipt of state benefits, and without additional sources of income, you may be referred to this service. We usually offer twice weekly psychotherapy for a fee ranging from £8 to £25 per session (sometimes weekly psychotherapy is also possible). You may need to commit yourself to a minimum of two years psychotherapy.

The Manor House Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling, 80 E End Rd, Finchley London N3 2SY

Ring – 020 8371 0180

Visit –The Manor House Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling

Our charitable status enables individuals on low incomes to have access to affordable, long term psychodynamic counselling which is not widely available elsewhere.

Arbours Association, 6 Church Lane London N8 7BU

Ring – 020 8340 8125 / 020 8240 7646 / 07934 789692

Visit –Arbours Association

The Arbours Association provide a crisis center, three therapeutic communities and a consultation service in a psychotherapeutic community by self-referral. The psychotherapeutic support is for individuals, couples or families in emotional distress. Around £25 for first assessment appointment and £5 for twice-weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapy thereafter.

British Association of Psychotherapists (BAP), Kilburn/Cricklewood, 37 Mapesbury Road London NW2 4HJ

Ring – 020 8452 9823

Email – mail@bap-psychotherapy.org

Visit –British Association of Psychotherapists (BAP)

The BAP offers a reduced-fee scheme for 3x weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults able to make a commitment of at least two years. Applicants accepted for the scheme are treated by experienced trainees undertaking an advanced training. Fees range from £6 to £15 per session.

Centre for Better Health, 1A Darnley Rd, Hackney London E9 6QH

Ring – 020 8985 3570

Visit –Centre for Better Health

We offer low-cost counselling to help you make sense of difficult experiences, deal with negative thoughts and feelings and make positive changes in your life. Our counsellors offer a range of therapeutic approaches including Person Centred, Gestalt, Integrative, Existential, Core Process and Psychodynamic. We can support with issues such as aggression, anxiety, bereavement, depression, domestic problems, emotional difficulties, sexuality, relationship problems, stress and work-related difficulties. Please note we are not able to work with clients with adoption issues or eating disorders.

Highgate Counselling Centre, 58a Highgate High Street London N6 5HX

Ring – 020 8883 5427

Email – admin@highgatecounselling.org.uk

Visit –Highgate Counselling Centre

Highgate Counselling Centre offers a range of therapies, including groups. There is a reduced fee scheme for people in receipt of benefits ranging from £13-27 and, a range of languages are available.

Highbury Counselling and Therapy Centre, 28 Highbury Grove, Highbury East London N5 2EA

Ring – 020 7354 4791

Visit –Highbury Counselling and Therapy Centre

We provide counselling and psychotherapy with trainees and graduates on placement at a very low-cost.

The Minister Centre, 20 Lonsdale Road London NW6 6RD

Ring – 020 7644 6242

Visit –The Minister Centre

The Minster Centre offers a-reduced fee therapy and counselling scheme. The orientation is humanistic-integrative. Therapists are usually student practitioners who have completed at least two years of professional training at post-graduate level. 

Solace Women’s Aid, 5-7 Blenheim Court, 62 Brewery Rd London N7 9NY

Ring – 020 7428 7656

Visit –Solace Women’s Aid

We work with women who have experienced domestic/sexual abuse now or in the past as children. We offer an assessment session followed by up to 16 free weekly sessions of 50 minutes each.

Women and Girls’ Network 

Ring – 020 7610 4678

Visit –Women and Girls’ Network 

Our specialist counselling and therapeutic services are for women and girls living in London who have experienced any form of gendered violence. All our counselling and therapeutic services are free, confidential and women-only.

Haringey Women’s Forum (HWM), 18A Edison Rd, Crouch End London N8 8AE

Ring – 020 8341 2542

Visit –Haringey Women’s Forum (HWM)

HWF is a Haringey-based women’s organisation with membership to local women and children organisations and local individual women. We offer counselling at low cost (around £5 per session) in blocks of 10. Our trained and qualified volunteer counsellors mainly offer integrative counselling for domestic violence – we also have connections with housing support in such cases.

The Women’s Therapy Centre, 10 Manor Gardens London N7 6JS

Ring – 020 7263 6200 (Advice and Information Line) / 020 7281 7879 (24-hour answer phone)

Email– info@womenstherapycentre.co.uk

Visit –The Women’s Therapy Centre

Individual and group psychoanalytic psychotherapy for women, by women. Priority for women who do not usually have access to therapy: women on low income; women from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Groups; women whose first language is not English; women with disabilities; lesbians; women with dependents; women with a psychiatric history; older women. Sliding scale of fees.

IMECE, 2 Newington Green Road, Islington London N1 4RX

Ring – 0207 345 1359

Email– info@imece.org.uk

Visit –IMECE

IMECE Women’s Centre stands against all forms of violence against women and girls. We support and empower Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot Turkish women and Black, Asian, minority ethnic, refugee (BAMER) and migrant women to improve the quality of their lives. We provide culturally sensitive services in the Turkish language and we empower women through raising awareness on important issues including Domestic Violence, racism and the legal rights of women.

ACLC (African Caribbean Leadership Council), 9 Clarendon Road, Hornsey London N8 0DJ

Ring – 0208 881 7121 / 020 8881 5881

Visit –ACLC (African Caribbean Leadership Council)

A.C.L.C see African Caribbean clients in Haringey and Enfield for counselling and provide a community space. They generally see clients for a minimum of twelve sessions but can be extended if necessary.

NAFSIYAT, 262 Holloway Road London N7 6NE

Ring – 020 7686 8666

Visit –NAFSIYAT

Nafsiyat provides Intercultural Therapy Centre for people from Black and ethnic minorities and works hard to provide help to people experiencing psychological and emotional problems and who may be finding it difficult to access help because of barriers such as culture or language. Our intercultural therapy service is delivered by therapists who work across different cultures and languages. In some instances, a therapist might share your specific language and cultural background.

Choices Haringey, 1st Floor H Block, St Ann’s Hospital, St Ann’s Rd London N15 3TH

Ring – 020 8702 3405

Visit –Choices Haringey

We offer support to children, young people up to the age of 17, families and families-to-be in Haringey who are worried about their emotional wellbeing. If you are a young person you can request support for the team to see you for over a brief period of time where we will help you work out what services and support are available in Haringey for you. All parents/carers are welcome to contact CHOICES even if your child is not willing to meet with the team.

We also provide free pregnancy tests and trained counsellors to help work with you through unplanned pregnancy. We offer a calm place, a listening ear, unbiased information time to talk and think through the consequences of any decision. Whatever decision you make, we can offer friendly support, practical assistance and referrals to other organisations. We also work with pregnancy loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion). If you have experienced any of these, you can come for as long as it takes you to get through the grieving process, we will be there for you.

Open door, 12 Middle Lane, Crouch End London N8 8PL

Ring – 020 8348 5947

Visit –Open door

Confidential counselling and psychotherapy to young people aged between 12 and 24, and a separate consultation service for parents of teenagers. Also available is an innovative Parenting Teenagers Project. This service is a free and confidential service, where parents can discuss their worries in private with a parent advisor about their parenting and their concerns for their teenage children. The service is available to all parents including parents who may need an interpreting service.

Appointments are provided free to young people under the age of 18. Young adults over the age of 18 will be asked to make a small and affordable contribution towards the cost of providing their appointments, this will be discussed with the therapist in the initial appointments. Young adults who are unable to afford a contribution will be seen without making a contribution.

PHASCA, Chestnuts Community Centre, 280 St.Ann’s Rd, Tottenham London N15 5BN

Ring – 020 809 7651 / 020 8800 0227

Email – info@phasca.com

Visit –PHASCA

We assist parents and carers to become successful parents and help them to understand transitional changes in their children’s lives and help them cope with the challenges within society. Social services will need to refer; they can take individuals, but they will need to contribute £10 pounds per session; there is no waiting list.

Relate, Found in various locations See contact us on website

Ring – 01708 441722

Visit –Relate

Relate offers advice, relationship counselling, sex therapy, workshops, mediation, consultations and support face-to-face, by phone and through their website. Only one partner needs to attend if the other refuses to go. Face-to-face sessions are means tested and start at £20 for those on benefits.

The Wood Green Relate (Ring- 01302 347 892) offers relationship counselling and sex therapy. The Parents and Families Relate provides useful information and advice for parents, or anyone in a family to help with the most important of relationships – the ones you have with your family: Visit- http://www.relateforparents.org.uk

Sands, Victoria Charity Centre, 11 Belgrave Road London SW1V 1RB

Ring – 020 7436 7940/ 020 3897 6094

Email – helpline@sands.org.uk

Visit –Sands

UK charity providing support for bereaved parents and their families, specifically for those who have experienced the still birth of a child. They offer groups, a support line and will send out literature.

Cruse Bereavement Counselling, 7 Thorpe Close London W10 5XL

Ring – 020 8964 3455

Email –info@cruse.org.uk

Visit –Cruse Bereavement Counselling

Cruse promotes the wellbeing of bereaved people. We help you understand your grief and cope with your loss. Must live in Kensington, Chelsea and Hammersmith, or Fulham to access this service.

Bereavement Counselling, 6-8 York Mews, Kentish Town London NW5 2LU

Ring – 020 7284 0090

Email –cciwbs@btconnect.com

Visit –Bereavement Counselling

We offer confidential bereavement counselling for everyone. In particular, we are keen to support people who would not normally seek help through counselling. We welcome clients from every section of society: minority ethnic, different cultures, LGBTQ+, religious groups and older people.

Compassionate Friends

Ring – 0345 120 3785

Helpline – 0345 123 2304

Email –helpline@tcf.org.uk

Visit –Compassionate Friends

TCF is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other bereaved parents, siblings, and grandparents who have suffered the death of a child/children. We offer support both directly to bereaved families and indirectly by fostering understanding and good practice amongst professionals concerned with child death and by increasing public awareness.

One in Four, 2 Shelbourne Road London N7 6DL

Ring – 07580 733 271

Visit –One in Four

Trauma counselling service offering drop in advocacy, therapy, peer support groups, individual counselling and workshops to support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. 

Helen Bamber Foundation, 15-20 Baynes St London NW1 0TF

Ring – 020 3058 2020

Visit –Helen Bamber Foundation

We work with people who have survived extreme physical, sexual and psychological violence. We deliver a range of integrated services that address the complex needs and vulnerabilities of survivors. We offer survivors access to an individually tailored programme of specialist psychological care and physical rehabilitation activities alongside an advisory GP clinic, expert medico-legal documentation, safeguarding, welfare and housing support, creative arts and employability skills programmes. We help to help rebuild lives and inspire a new self-esteem in survivors of gross human rights violations.

Refugee Therapy Centre, 1A Leeds Place, Finsbury Park London N4 3RF

Ring – 020 7561 1587

Visit –Refugee Therapy Centre

We provide psychotherapy, mentoring and assistance that allows refugees and asylum seekers to gain independence, stability and community which improves quality of life, long term. We offer specialist psychotherapy and counselling, individual therapy, child and adolescent therapy, family therapy, couples’ therapy and mentoring. 

Freedom from Torture (also known as the Medical Foundation), 111 Isledon Road, Islington  London N7 7JW

Ring – 020 7697 7777

Visit –Freedom from Torture (also known as the Medical Foundation)

For the care of victims of state torture. Treatment may take the form of an initial medical assessment, individual casework and counselling, group therapy, physical therapy or psychotherapy. Where a client needs their injuries documented, as may be requested by a referring lawyer seeking a Medico-Legal Report, clients are referred to the MLR Team.

We offer help and advice over the telephone and online, ranging from emotional support to practical support and signposting to other services that can help you. All numbers are free to call.

The Advice Line

Ring – 0808 801 0660

Email – advice@wgn.org.uk

Opening hours – Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and from 6pm-9pm on Wednesdays

Offers immediate, free and confidential information, advice, advocacy and support for women and girls (14 years+) affected by any form of gendered violence and abuse. It is also open to professionals who need support on cases related to gendered violence.

Support and signposting service

Ring- 0808 801 0860

For anyone aged 13 or over who lives in London and has experienced sexual violence at any time.

Sexual violence helpline

Ring- 0808 801 0770

Opening hours – Monday to Friday 10am-12.30pm and 2.30pm-4pm, also Wednesday evenings from 6pm-9pm

Offers free and confidential emotional support for anyone in London, who self identifies as a woman (aged 14 years+), and who has been affected by any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives.

Web chat offers one-to-one live web chat providing specialist advice, information and support for women and girls in London who have been affected by gendered violence.

Family Lives (Previously Parentline)

Ring – 0808 800 2222

Email – askus@familylives.org.uk

Visit – Family Lives

Opening hours –9am – 9pm, Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Family Lives offers a confidential and free helpline service for families in England and Wales for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life.

Young Minds

Ring – 0808 802 5544

Web chat – https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-helpline/#parentsemail-service

Email Contact –https://youngminds.org.uk/contact-us/parents-helpline-enquiries/

Opening hours –9:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

Worried about a child or young person? Contact the Parents Helpline for free, confidential advice via the phone, email or webchat. Call our Parents Helpline for detailed advice, emotional support and signposting about a child or young person up to the age of 25. If English is not your first language, we can arrange for an interpreter as a member of LanguageLine.

Saneline

Ring – 0300 304 7000

Email – support@sane.org.uk

Visit – Saneline

Opening hours –open every day of the year from 4.30pm to 10.30pm

Until further notice, please call and leave a message on 0784 967 708 and leave your first name and contact number. One of our professionals or senior volunteer will call you back as soon as practicable. You can also email us (see above) and we will respond as soon as possible. Our national Support Forum and Textcare services are still open, please see web link.

Saneline is a national out-of-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support, guidance and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers. Our helpline is here to support you when you feel you have reached a moment of crisis.

Ring – 0300 123 3393

Email – info@mind.org.uk

Text – 86463

Post –  Mind Infoline, PO Box 75225, London, E15 9FS

Chat –https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/

Visit – Mind Infoline

Opening hours –9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).

Ask us about mental health problems, where to get help near you, treatment options, and/or advocacy services.

Mind Legal Line

Ring – 0300 466 6463

Email – legal@mind.org.uk

Post –  Mind Legal line, PO Box 75225, London, E15 9FS

Visit – Mind Legal Line

Opening hours –9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).

Our Legal line provides legal information and general advice on mental health related law. Ask us about being detained under the Mental Health Act (sectioning), mental capacity, community care, discrimination and equality.

Counselling and Psychotherapy in the UK is not state-regulated, although state regulation may be introduced in the next few years. Instead, the profession is regulated by a number of national professional bodies, which set standards for training, accreditation and registration.

Directory of South East London low-cost counsellors

Visit – http://www.southeastlondoncounselling.org.uk/lowcost.htm

Please click the link for a directory of a variety of low-cost counsellors for people living in South East London. Read through the list and research those that appear relevant for you.

The Foundation for Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC), 72-76 Maidstone Buildings Mews, Borough High St London SE1 1GN

Ring – 07860 772763

Email – office@thefoundation-uk.org

Visit – The Foundation for Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC)

The FPC is a professional network and directory of practitioners who trained at The Westminster Pastoral Foundation (WPF) for Psychotherapy and Counselling. The FPC referral service offers an initial consultation and assessment for a number of therapies, including psychodynamic counselling, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and group psychotherapy.

The Foundation for Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC), 72-76 Maidstone Buildings Mews, Borough High St London SE1 1GN

Visit – https://www.bpc.org.uk

A national body linking training and professional organisations in the field of psychoanalysis, analytical psychology, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and child psychotherapy. Accredits psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists only. Click on “finding a therapist” to access the online register. Elsewhere on the site, there is a good description of what psychoanalytic therapy is and how it works.

Visit – https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk

The major registering body for psychotherapists across a wide range of orientations. The UKCP page on ‘member organisations’ is divided into seven sections that describe different approaches to therapy. Click on “services’/find a therapist” to search for registered practitioners by postcode.

Visit – https://www.bacp.co.uk

The major accrediting body for counsellors across the UK. Maintains an online register of practitioners searchable by postcode. Accredited counsellors are those who have completed a substantial amount of training and supervised practice hours. Please click therapist directory.