High quality, self-paid counselling with no waiting lists, delivered by a trusted local mental health charity - here when you need it, whether you’re ready to start now or simply exploring your options.
Open Minds provides accessible, compassionate support to individuals and couples for a broad range of concerns, including, but not limited to, anxiety, stress, low mood, bereavement, self-esteem, relationship issues and exploring identity. You don’t need a diagnosis - if something is affecting your wellbeing or daily functioning, our trained counsellors and experienced trainees are here to listen and support you.
Counsellors use different approaches and each one can help in different ways. Approaches include:
A gentle, supportive approach that helps you talk through your feelings at your own pace
A practical approach that helps you notice unhelpful thoughts and develop new coping strategies
Helps you explore how past experiences may influence how you feel and behave today
Uses techniques from several approaches so the counsellor can tailor sessions to what works best for you
A short‑term, goal‑focused approach that helps you build on your strengths and move toward positive change
Use breathing and grounding techniques to help manage stress, anxiety, and difficult emotions
Designed to keep you feeling safe and supported if you have experienced trauma or distress
Incorporates aspects of humanistic, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic therapy, and categorises the human personality into three stats - Parent, Adult and Child, which can help you understand how you interact with others
Encourages people to think about their feelings, and take responsibility for their thoughts and actions, with an emphasis on self-development and achieving your highest potential rather than on problematic behaviour
Helps you find a new, positive perspective on problems and bring about changes in your life
You can access counselling in the way that suits you best, and we can provide you up to 12 sessions that fit around your commitments and lifestyle in-person, online and over the telephone. Most people will have between 6-12 sessions.
We also offer in-person relationship/couples counselling. In-person counselling sessions are currently offered at our Winchester and Central Southampton centres.
| Type of Therapy | Mode or Location | Days/Times available |
One to One Counselling |
Online and Telephone |
Monday-Friday 9am-9-pm |
One to One Counselling |
In-person at our Winchester and Central Southampton Centres |
Monday-Friday 3pm-9pm |
One to One Walk and Talk Sessions |
In-person at Mayfield Garden Centre, Sholing, Southampton |
Monday-Friday 9am-4pm (winter) and 9am-9pm (summer) |
Relationship/Couples Counselling |
In-person at our Winchester and Central Southampton Centres |
Monday-Friday 3pm-9pm |
With Open Minds, you’ll receive professional, confidential, compassionate support in a comfortable and safe space. Our service is tailored to your needs, and you will be matched with an appropriate counsellor or experienced trainee counsellor following your initial assessment. There are no waiting lists either, so you can access support when you need it.
Open Minds holds membership with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which means the service is committed to delivering counselling in line with recognised professional standards for safe, ethical and effective practice.
Before you begin counselling, we carry out a full initial assessment to understand your needs and the goals you would like to achieve. This assessment is conducted by a qualified counsellor and lasts 50 minutes. The cost for an initial assessment is £45.
Counselling sessions are £45 per 50-minute session. A discounted rate of £40 per session is available for bookings made before 30 June 2026, following your initial assessment.
If you’re not sure whether counselling is right for you, you can first book a free 20-minute chat. This is an informal opportunity to speak with us, ask questions and find out more about how we work. It is separate from the full initial assessment and can help you decide whether you’d like to go ahead with booking one.
Booking is simple and you don’t need a referral, just choose your preferred date and time here.
You can call us on 0303 003 0193 or email openminds@solentmind.org.uk. We’ll guide you through the next steps and help match you with the right counsellor.
Our FAQs answer common questions about counselling, including who our counsellors are, how sessions work, confidentiality and what to expect if you’re new to counselling. This section is here to help you feel informed and reassured.
Using the information you share with us in your initial assessment, we match you with a counsellor whose experience and approach best fit your needs. If you feel the match isn’t right, you can request a change.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel. There is a minimum notice period 24 hours before the session to let us know if you cannot attend, otherwise it will incur a cancellation fee. Our cancellation policy, which will be explained to you when you start.
Sessions typically involve talking through your thoughts, feelings and experiences with your counsellor, who will support you to explore what’s going on and find ways forward. You set the pace and there is no right or wrong way to begin. Your counsellor may also share various tools, resources, and strategies to help you manage and cope with the things you are experiencing. During the session, the counsellor will also complete an assessment form (Core10) with you, which will be used to track progress in areas such as anxiety, stress, worrying thoughts and sleep.
Everything you discuss with your counsellor is confidential except in specific circumstances where we are legally or ethically required to share information — for example, if there is an immediate or serious risk of harm to you or someone else. Your counsellor will always explain these limits clearly when contracting with you. In most cases, we will be able to talk to you first about our intention to share information and gain your consent. Any decisions to share information with other agencies will always be based on your best interests
Trained counsellors have completed their Level 4/5 Diploma in Higher Education qualification. Some counsellors are also accredited with their professional membership bodies such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or working toward accreditation.
Trainee counsellors are in the final year of completing a Diploma in Higher Education course in Counselling and provide counselling as part of their supervised clinical placement. Trainees receive regular supervision from experienced Clinical Supervisors to ensure safe and effective practice.
Yes. Trainee counsellors:
We charge for counselling because, even as a charity, providing a safe, professional service involves essential costs such as clinical supervision, insurance, room hire or online platform fees, administration, safeguarding processes and the systems needed to run the service. These costs exist regardless of whether the counsellor you see is qualified or in training. Any surplus is invested back into our charity.
Although trainee counsellors are still developing their skills, the charity still invests heavily in supporting trainee counsellors in their studies and careers to support the communities that want to use our services in respect of their mental health, and ensuring they practise safely.
Trainees require more supervision, structured support, training and close oversight, which can actually make offering trainee-led counselling just as resource-intensive — sometimes more so — than providing a qualified counsellor. For that reason, the cost to the organisation is similar, and we keep the fee the same to ensure fairness, sustainability and continued accessibility for everyone who needs the service.
Our service is designed to be easy for people to access by keeping fees as low as possible as a charity, offering both in‑person, telephone and online sessions, allowing self‑referral without needing to go through a GP, and providing support from both qualified and trainee counsellors to reduce waiting times, all while ensuring every counsellor is well‑supported, supervised and committed to offering a welcoming, inclusive space for anyone who needs help.
Our British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) membership also reflects our commitment to maintaining recognised professional and ethical standards in all aspects of the counselling we provide.
For bookings and payments, call 0303 003 0193 or email openminds@solentmind.org.uk to speak to a member of our team.
If you have questions about Open Minds, you can contact our team by phone or email. Please note that this service is not for crisis support. If you need urgent help, contact your GP, call 999, or reach out to Samaritans on 116 123. You can also access our crisis services at The Lighthouse and South West Hampshire Safe Haven.
We all need support sometimes. If you are in a mental health crisis, or know someone who is, here are some ways you can get help.
Wellbeing and mental health support for people in Southampton from Solent Mind peers with lived experience.
Move forward with groups and workshops to improve your wellbeing in the heart of Winchester.
