Affordable Counselling in Hertfordshire

We offer safe, confidential counselling across Hertfordshire, supporting people in Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Borehamwood, Letchworth, Ware and surrounding areas.

Our respected counselling service offers short-term affordable talking therapy of up to 10 sessions, providing a safe, confidential and supportive weekly space to explore your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

We are committed to continuing to offer affordable accessible counselling to the community. We do not receive any funding for this service, and the counselling is self-funded.  Your fee contribution for the sessions supports us with the costs involved in enabling us to provide a safe, effective and quality counselling service to the community.

 

Got a question?

Who will I see?

The counsellors providing this service are both male and female and come from a range of theoretical backgrounds.  They are all volunteers who are either qualified, or in a trainee placement in their final years of training.  They all follow the ethical framework of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)  BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions, or an equivalent professional regulatory body such as UKCP, or BPS and have regular clinical supervision each month to ensure safe and professional practice.

How are the counselling sessions provided?

Our counselling service is available either face-to-face in one of our wellbeing centres, or remotely via video platform, or telephone. To refer into the service, please complete the Counselling Referral Form below.

Please note that we are unable to offer interpreters for this service. 

Is this a crisis service?

The Service is not suitable for people in need of urgent support or in crisis.

If you, or someone else, needs urgent support and live in Hertfordshire please speak to your GP, or call Single Point of Access (SPA) freephone number: 0800 6444 101 which is open 24/7.

You can also ring 111 and chose Option 2 for Mental Health – hold to be put through to the NHS Mental Health Crisis Team.

If you are distressed and need emotional support you can also contact our Nightlight Crisis Services Team.

If someone’s life is at risk or they cannot be kept safe, call 999 or go to A&E

How long are counselling sessions?

Sessions last up to 50 minutes

How many sessions can I have?
  • Up to 10 weekly sessions on the same day/time.
  • Extensions may be possible in specific circumstances.
What happens in the counselling assessment?
A trained counsellor will discuss your situation and needs to decide whether our service is the right fit.
Do you offer specialist therapy?
No – our service offers general, short‑term counselling and may not be suitable for every situation.
What if counselling feels difficult?
It’s normal to experience some discomfort before things improve. Your counsellor will support you through this.
Do you offer flexibility around counselling session times?

Our counselling service is provided at fixed times by different counsellors. Appointments are currently offered on the following days at these locations:

Watford – Monday and Thursday

Hemel – Monday and Thursday

Ware – Monday,  Tuesday and Friday

Letchworth – Monday

Borehamwood – Thursday

Remote – Various

This is not a list of current appointment availability, but a guide as to whether our service times might be suitable for you. If none of the above works for you, we will unfortunately be unable to match you with a counsellor. Please check back, as more times will be added when new counsellors join.

Please note that we are unable to accommodate flexible working patterns, ad-hoc, or fortnightly sessions.

What counselling involves

Counselling offers a supportive space to explore what’s on your mind. Rather than giving advice or telling you what to do, your counsellor will help you talk through your thoughts and feelings so you can better understand yourself and the challenges you’re facing.

Together, you will build insight into the issues affecting you and the choices available. With a different perspective, concerns can feel more manageable. Your counsellor will support you through this process in a safe, empathetic and non‑judgemental environment.

Our counselling is short‑term and designed to help you focus on a specific issue or area of your life that you would like to work on.

People may choose to access counselling for a variety of reasons such as (but not limited to):

  • Anxiety and panic
  • Managing depression
  • Coping with stress
  • Bereavement and loss
  • Relationship issues
  • Emotional issues
  • Life events or significant change
  • Low self-esteem
  • Historic/childhood issues impacting on the present

 

What to expect

Before starting sessions, you’ll meet with one of our trained counsellors for an assessment. This helps us understand your situation and make sure our service is right for you.

If counselling is suitable, you’ll be offered weekly sessions on the same day and time. Each session provides a confidential space to explore your thoughts and feelings with your counsellor.

Counselling can sometimes feel challenging, and it’s common to have moments where things feel harder before they start to improve. If this happens, discussing it with your counsellor can help you work through these feelings towards a positive outcome.

Counselling Fees

Before being accepted into the service you will need to have a counselling assessment to check that the service is suitable for you.  The fees are as follows:

  • Initial Counselling Assessment – £20 – £40
  • Counselling Sessions – £20 – £40 per 50-minute weekly session

We aim to provide an accessible service and can discuss reduced rates in your Service Introduction Call.

If you require free counselling, please see our NHS Talking Therapies – Counselling page for further information.

Locations and availability

Our counselling service is provided at fixed times by different counsellors.  Appointments are currently offered on the following days at these locations:

Watford – Monday and Thursday

Hemel – Monday and Thursday

 

 

 

Ware – Monday,  Tuesday and Friday

Letchworth – Monday

Borehamwood – Thursday

Remote – Various

How to access the service

 

Our counselling service is available for people aged 16 and over living in, or outside, of Hertfordshire.

You can self-refer, or be referred in by someone supporting you (with your consent) by clicking on the ‘Make a referral online’ button, or by downloading the referral form and e-mailing this to talkitout@hertsmindnetwork.org

For further information, please e-mail us at talkitout@hertsmindnetwork.org and one of the team will get back to you.

Please see our privacy policy for information about how we store your data.

Download a referral form