Counselling in Brighton & Hove

I’m Simon Buckland, an accredited BACP counsellor. I work with adults one-to-one (£70) or in couples (£100) in person and online.

Managing Anxiety

Anxiety is a warning system.

It helps us respond to danger. But it can stay switched on, or activate when we’re safe. Understanding its roots can help us calm it and restore a sense of peace.

Sketch of a woman sitting on a couch with her hand on her forehead, in a room with books, plants, a floor lamp, and a modern light fixture.
Sketch of a woman sitting on a couch with her hand on her forehead, in a room with books, plants, a floor lamp, and a modern light fixture.

Anxiety is a natural and normal function of all healthy human beings. It serves a useful purpose: to keep us vigilant and alert when there’s danger.

But once the danger has gone, it’s supposed to be switched off again, to give our systems a rest and enable us to go back to normal life again. That’s the way that most wild animals operate, for instance. But two things can go wrong with us complex humans:

  1. Our anxiety doesn’t switch off, so we’re on semi-alert all the time.

  2. The warning light (i.e. anxiety) goes on even when we’re not in danger.

So why is this?

Usually the answer lies in adverse experiences in the past, often when we were children – traumas of some kind, very often. So then, whenever something happens which reminds us of those experiences, Click! On goes the warning light, and we go into a state of anxiety.

I’ll work with you in two ways to help you to manage this:

  1. To control and reduce the anxiety when it comes up.

  2. To understand where the anxiety comes from in your life, and to bring peace to the part of you which is holding the anxiety.

A smiling older man with a beard and moustache wearing a white hat with a black band, a light blue collared shirt, outdoors with blurred green foliage in the background.

I trained in humanistic and integrative counselling with the Psychosynthesis Trust, London, in Relationship Counselling  with Relate, and in sexuality and intimacy work with Jan Day.

I've also done a great deal of my own personal development and self-exploration over the years.

I've been practicing as a counsellor since 2014, working with couples and individuals of all ages, from late teens to over-70s.

You'll find me patient, warm, non-judgemental, and a good listener. And wherever we go on our journey together, it's likely that I've been there myself at some point - which makes me an able and reliable guide.

The Therapy Process

How we work together

Together, we pause to consider your goals, hopes, and direction. This is about aligning with yourself and with the journey ahead.

This is a chance to connect with what brought you here—your questions, your hopes, your turning points—and work to build your desired future.

We can work face to face if you live near Brighton or Hove, or online if you prefer, using Zoom, Teams, or any platform of your choice.

My fee is £70 per 50-minute one-to-one session (£100 for couples).

Phone Consultation

You get a feel for how it is to work together and we plan a way forward.

Subsequent Sessions

We push forward, building your understanding and coping strategies.

We spend time identifying the key issues that you’d like to work on.

Trial Session

We will know when you have become confident and self-reliant.

Completion
Commitment

I will continue to be available as long as you find it helpful.

  • "Thank you for all your time and effort with us both together and separately to date, Simon. We have had plenty to consider and put into action going forwards."

    A. F. and R. F., London

  • "Many thanks for this year. You are a source of calm and clarity!"

    R. B., London

  • "You have been a great support and I think I have a good foundation to cope with and strengthen my family relationships."

    F. J., London

  • "I am in a much better place emotionally now."

    K. P., London

Free Phone Consultation

Text or call me on 07557 509 988, or email me, or use the form below to arrange a free 20-minute consultation or if you have any questions.

An elderly man with a shaved head, gray moustache, and beard, smiling and sitting at a desk with his hands resting on the surface, in a room with books and a computer.