Havenoak
Book a free 15-minute call

Counselling and psychotherapy · Brighton and online

Whatever you are carrying, there is room for it here.

Havenoak is four therapists in two quiet rooms near Brighton station. We see individuals and couples, in person, online or walking by the sea.

Book a free 15-minute call Meet the therapists

Most people have a first session within 7 days. No referral needed, and you can stop whenever you like.

Two soft armchairs facing each other in a bright counselling room with a tall palm and woven wall baskets

What brings you here?

Choose one to read how we can help.

What we help with

Seven things people often bring to us

You do not need a diagnosis or the right words. Most people arrive with a feeling, not a category.

All support areas

Anxiety

Racing thoughts, a tight chest, the 3am what-ifs. Learn what your anxiety is protecting you from, and how to turn it down.

From £65 · 8 to 16 sessions

Low mood

Flat, heavy, or just not yourself. For the grey stretch that never quite counts as a crisis but costs you a lot.

From £65 · 10 to 20 sessions

Grief and loss

After a death, a separation, a diagnosis or a life that did not go to plan. Grief takes as long as it takes.

From £65 · 6 to 20 sessions

Relationships

For couples who keep having the same argument, and for anyone who keeps meeting the same pattern in different people.

From £70 · 8 to 15 sessions

Work stress and burnout

When the job has taken over your evenings, your sleep and your sense of who you are outside it.

From £65 · 6 to 12 sessions

Trauma

After something overwhelming, or years of things that were never safe. Careful, paced work, never rushed.

From £75 · 12 to 30 sessions

Anger

Anger is a signal, not a character flaw. Understand what it is protecting, and choose what you do with it.

From £65 · 8 to 12 sessions

Not sure where you fit?

That is the most common place to start. Answer five short questions and we will suggest a therapist.

Help me choose
A long shingle beach under white chalk cliffs and a cloudy sky

About the practice

A small practice, on purpose

Ella Rourke opened Havenoak in 2016 after ten years in a busy NHS team, to offer what waiting lists could not: time, and the same face every week. It has stayed small so that it can stay personal.

Therapists
4
Since
2016
People seen
1,900
Lower-fee places
8
Our story and rooms

Getting started

From first call to first session in about a week

There is nothing to prepare and nothing to sign up to. You can stop after any step.

A free call

Fifteen minutes on the phone or video. Say as much or as little as you like, and ask anything.

A first session

Usually within seven days. We get to know what brings you and what you hope will change.

A way forward

Together we agree how often to meet, in which format, and what we will look at first.

Regular check-ins

Every six weeks we pause and ask whether it is helping. You can change therapist at any time.

What happens in a first session

Find your therapist

Not sure who to see? Start here.

Five short questions, each one skippable. We suggest who to talk to first, with their next free call time.

  • Gentle questions, no forms
  • Skip anything you would rather not answer
  • Nothing is sent or stored
  1. What brings you
  2. Who
  3. Where
  4. When
  5. Fees
What would you most like help with?

Pick the closest. You can bring everything else too.

Nothing you choose here is sent or saved. It stays in this page until you close it.

Session formats

In the room, on a screen, or by the sea

Every therapist works in at least two formats, and you can switch between them whenever you like.

Two grey armchairs by a tall plant in a bright counselling room
In person
Hands on a laptop keyboard beside a cup of tea and a notebook, seen from above
Online
Two people walking along a shingle beach by a calm sea, seen from behind
Walk-and-talk
Session formats compared
Detail In personOnlineWalk-and-talk
Session length 50 minutes50 minutes60 minutes
Fee From £70From £65From £75
Where Our rooms near Brighton stationSecure video, anywhere in the UKAlong the seafront or up on the Downs
Best for Anything, especially when home is not a private place to talkBusy weeks, travel, or when getting out of the house is hardPeople who find sitting face to face too intense

Fees

What does a session cost?

One clear fee per session, paid after each one. No packages, no upfront blocks, and 48 hours’ notice to cancel for free.

Full fees and insurance

Individual therapy

£70

per 50-minute session

Weekly sessions with one therapist, in person, online or walking. The most common way to start.

Ask about individual therapy

Common questions

How many sessions will I need?

Most people come for 8 to 20 sessions. We review together every six weeks, and you can stop at any point.

Can I come fortnightly?

Yes, once we have met a few times. Weekly is usually better at the start, while things are most raw.

What if I miss a session?

Cancel 48 hours ahead and there is no charge. Later than that, the full fee applies, because the hour was held for you.

Couples therapy

£95

per 75-minute session

For two people who want to understand what keeps going wrong between them, whether you plan to stay together or not.

Ask about couples therapy

Common questions

Does my partner have to come to the first session?

Ideally, yes. If they are unsure, one of you can take the free call first and ask the questions for both.

Will you take sides?

No. The relationship is the client. If either of you feels it tipping, say so in the room and we will look at it.

Sliding-scale place

from £30

from, per session, based on income

Eight places kept open at £30 to £55 for students, carers and anyone on a low or uncertain income.

Ask about sliding-scale place

Common questions

Do I need to prove my income?

No. We ask you to choose the fee you can honestly manage and trust you to tell us if it changes.

Is there a waiting list?

Sometimes, for two to four weeks. We will tell you on the free call and offer a standard place if you would rather not wait.

Is it the same therapy?

Exactly the same sessions, rooms and therapists. Nobody else knows which fee you pay.

The team

Meet the therapists

We show initials rather than portraits. Read how each of us works, then choose who you would like to talk to.

All profiles

Ella Rourke

Founder, integrative psychotherapist

Fifteen years alongside people through anxiety, loss and the quiet kind of low mood that hides behind a functioning life.

Approach
Integrative
Sessions
In person, Online
Fee
£70 · sliding scale
Read about Ella

Tomasz Wren

Trauma-focused psychotherapist

Structured, practical work for trauma, panic and anger that arrives faster than you can think.

Approach
CBT and EMDR
Sessions
In person, Online
Fee
£75
Read about Tomasz

Priya Castell

Couples and relationship therapist

Couples, families-in-miniature and individuals who keep finding themselves in the same argument with different people.

Approach
Systemic
Sessions
In person, Online
Fee
£70, couples £95 · sliding scale
Read about Priya

Jonah Pell

Person-centred counsellor, walk-and-talk

Gentle, unhurried counselling indoors or outdoors, for people who find sitting face to face too much.

Approach
Person-centred
Sessions
In person, Online, Walk-and-talk
Fee
£65 · sliding scale
Read about Jonah

Client words

In their own words

  • “I had put off calling for two years. The free call took fifteen minutes and I was sitting in the room four days later.”

    Individual therapy, anxiety

  • “Nobody tried to fix me. I was allowed to be sad about my dad for as long as it took, and slowly it stopped taking over every day.”

    Individual therapy, grief

  • “We came in barely speaking. Ten sessions later we still argue, but we know how to finish an argument now.”

    Couples therapy

  • “Walking along the front made it so much easier to talk. I never once felt stared at.”

    Walk-and-talk sessions, work stress

Shared with each client’s written consent. We leave out names and initials on purpose: in a town the size of Brighton, even initials can identify someone.

Journal

Writing for the weeks between sessions

All articles
Two people walking away along a grassy clifftop path above a long sandy beach

Ways of working · 2 September 2026

Why some of our sessions happen on the seafront

Side by side, looking at the same horizon, a lot of people find the words come more easily.

Jonah Pell · 5 min
A pale wingback armchair in a bright room with slatted blinds and potted plants

Getting started · 4 August 2026

How do you know when it is time for therapy?

Pain is not a competition, and there is no threshold you have to cross before you are allowed help.

Ella Rourke · 4 min
Three wooden chairs under a bright window with sheer curtains in a warm, quiet waiting area

Getting started · 18 July 2026

Nervous about the first session? That is human.

Not knowing why you are here is a completely normal way to begin, and a useful one.

Jonah Pell · 5 min

Questions

Asked on almost every free call

Anything else, ask us directly. A therapist replies, not a receptionist.

Read every question
Is what I say confidential?

Yes. The only exceptions are a serious risk to your life or someone else’s, or a court order, and we would always try to talk to you first. Your therapist discusses work anonymously with a supervisor, which is standard good practice.

Do I need a GP referral?

No. You can contact us directly. If you are seeing your GP about the same thing, it can help to let them know, but that is your choice.

Can I claim on health insurance?

Some policies cover our therapists. Ask your insurer for an authorisation code before the first session and we will invoice them directly.

What if my therapist is not the right fit?

Tell us, or tell them. It is common and nobody takes offence. We will offer another therapist at no extra cost, or suggest someone outside the practice.

Do you offer emergency support?

No. We are not a crisis service and cannot always reply the same day. If you are in crisis, call [local emergency number] or [crisis line].

Fifteen minutes, no commitment.

Tell a therapist a little of what is going on and ask anything you like. If we are not the right fit, we will help you find someone who is.

Book a free call Call 01632 960 418