Counselling Southampton | OLIP Therapy, Hampshire

OLIP Therapy · Counselling for Southampton

Counselling in Southampton

In person just off the M27, or online from anywhere in the city.

Counselling for Southampton

Talk to someone who really listens

Professional counselling for Southampton. Meet us in person just off Junction 9 of the M27, with parking on site, or work with us online from your own sofa anywhere in the city.

370+ five-star reviews Practice of the Year 2025 Serving Southampton since 2004 7 days a week, in person or online
Counselling near Southampton

Counselling that fits around your life in Southampton

If you live or work in Southampton and you have been thinking about counselling, you have probably already discovered the problem. City centre therapists often mean city centre parking, long waiting lists, or choosing a name from a directory with no real sense of who you will be sitting opposite.

OLIP Therapy is different. We are an award-winning practice, named Practice of the Year 2025, and we have been supporting people across Southampton and the wider Solent area since 2004. You can meet us in person at our comfortable, private practice in Fareham, an easy drive along the M27, or work with us online without leaving your home in Shirley, Portswood, Bitterne or anywhere else in the city.

Every therapist at OLIP is pictured and profiled on our team page, so you know exactly who you will be talking to before you ever walk through the door.

In person or online

Easy to reach from anywhere in Southampton

Getting to us from Southampton

Our practice is at Arena Office, Lancaster Court, 8 Barnes Wallis Road, Fareham, PO15 5TU, in the Segensworth business area just off Junction 9 of the M27.

From most of Southampton the drive takes around 20 to 30 minutes. From Bitterne, Woolston and Sholing on the east side of the city it is often closer to 15. There is parking on site, so there is no circling multistoreys or feeding a meter before a session, and the location is discreet. You will not bump into anyone you know in a waiting room on the high street.

Prefer not to travel? Work with us online

Not everyone wants to cross the Itchen after a day at work, and you do not have to. We offer the same counselling, delivered by the same experienced therapists, over secure video anywhere in Southampton and across the UK.

Online sessions suit shift workers at the hospital and the docks, students at the universities, parents working around the school run, and anyone who simply feels more comfortable talking from their own space.

Many of our Southampton clients tell us the short drive actually helps. The journey out of the city becomes a buffer, a bit of breathing space between everyday life and the work you do in the room, and again on the way home.

How we can help

Support for whatever you're facing

Counselling at OLIP is not one-size-fits-all. Our team includes counsellors, psychotherapists, clinical hypnotherapists and EMDR practitioners, so we match you to the right therapist and the right approach. Southampton clients come to us for help with:

Anxiety & panic

Racing thoughts, dread, panic attacks, and a mind that will not stand down.

Low mood & depression

When the colour has drained out of things and getting through the day feels heavy.

Stress & burnout

Work pressure, exhaustion, and running on empty for far too long.

Grief, loss & trauma

Bereavement, painful memories, PTSD, and experiences that will not stay in the past.

Relationships & couples

Conflict, distance, communication problems, and couples counselling together.

Low self-esteem

Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and never quite feeling good enough.

Alongside traditional talking therapy we offer CBT, EMDR, clinical hypnotherapy, and our integrated Hypno-CBT and Hypno-EMDR approaches. Sophie works with children and young people from age 7, something very few practices in the Southampton area offer.

Why OLIP

Why Southampton clients choose OLIP

Know your therapist before you meet them

Photos, backgrounds and specialisms are all on our team page. No anonymous rotas, no being assigned whoever has a gap.

The same therapist every time

The relationship you build is one of the strongest predictors of how well therapy works, so we protect it.

Over 20 years serving the Solent area

OLIP Therapy, formerly the Hampshire Hypnotherapy and Counselling Centre, has worked with Southampton clients since 2004.

Award-winning care

Practice of the Year 2025, founded by the author of How to Overcome the Bully in Your Brain, Self-Help Book of the Year 2022.

No insurance, no gatekeeping

You do not need a referral, a policy number or an assessment call centre. You talk to us, we listen, you begin.

In person or online, your choice

The same expert support at our Fareham practice or over secure video, whichever fits your life best.

How it works

Getting started is simple

Free consultation

A relaxed, no-pressure conversation where we listen to what is going on. No cost, no obligation.

Matched to your therapist

We recommend the therapist and approach we honestly believe will help you most, not whoever happens to have a gap.

Sessions that fit your life

In person near the M27 or online from anywhere in Southampton, at a pace that feels right for you.

Common questions

Counselling for Southampton: your questions answered

Do you have a counselling office in Southampton itself?
Our practice is in Fareham, just off Junction 9 of the M27, around 20 to 30 minutes from most of Southampton with parking on site. Many Southampton clients prefer this to city centre appointments, and we also offer online counselling if you would rather not travel at all.
Is online counselling as effective as meeting in person?
For most people and most difficulties, yes. Research consistently shows outcomes for online therapy match in-person work. What matters most is the relationship with your therapist, and that builds just as well over video. We will help you choose the format that suits you.
How much does counselling cost?
Your initial consultation is free, and we will confirm session fees with you before anything begins so there are no surprises. There is no referral needed and no insurance required.
How quickly can I be seen?
Usually much faster than NHS waiting lists. Book a free consultation and we will find you the earliest appointment that works, in person or online.
Can you help my child or teenager?
Yes. Sophie works with children and young people from age 7 upwards, as well as adults. This is something few practices in the Southampton area offer.
What is the difference between counselling and CBT or hypnotherapy?
Counselling gives you space to talk through what you are feeling with someone trained to listen and help you make sense of it. CBT is more structured and focuses on changing unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns. Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious to shift responses that feel automatic. At your free consultation we will recommend the approach, or combination, best suited to you.

Ready to talk?

Book your free consultation today and take the first step, whether that is in person near the M27 or online from anywhere in Southampton.

We'll only call if you ask us to, otherwise we're happy to reply by email.

We usually reply within a few hours, often the same day.

Your message goes straight to our clinical team, never a call centre.

We will only use your details to respond to you. Read our privacy policy.