I grew up in North Wales. I know the area, I know the people, and I know how difficult it is to find a private CBT therapist between Wrexham and the coast. That's one of the reasons I set up Headstart Mental Health in Chester. It's the closest city to most of North Wales, and it's where the roads naturally funnel towards.
My clinic is at In Motion Clinics, 137 Long Lane, Upton, Chester CH2 1JF. I offer CBT therapy and primitive reflex integration therapy for adults and young people. Free parking on site. I also do online CBT for clients where the drive isn't practical every week.
Travel from North Wales
Chester sits right on the Welsh border. For most of North Wales, it's the nearest English city and the easiest to reach.
From Wrexham: Straight down the A483. Twenty-five minutes on a clear run. It's the same road many Wrexham residents already use for shopping, hospital appointments, and work.
From Mold and Flintshire: The A5119 or A55/A483 route gets you to Chester in 20 to 30 minutes. Mold is one of the closer towns and I see a fair number of clients from the Flintshire area.
From Denbigh and the Vale of Clwyd: About 35 to 40 minutes via the A525 or A55. A bit further but still manageable for a weekly or fortnightly appointment.
From the A55 corridor (Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Bangor): The A55 is a dual carriageway most of the way to Chester. From Colwyn Bay, allow 45 minutes. From Llandudno, about 50. From Bangor, closer to an hour. For these distances, I'd normally suggest a mix of face-to-face and online sessions to keep the travel manageable.
Mental Health Services in North Wales: The Gap
Here's the situation as I see it. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board covers all of North Wales and has been in special measures or targeted intervention for years. Mental health services have suffered. Waiting times for adult psychological therapies routinely exceed 6 months in some areas. CAMHS has faced particular criticism, with families waiting over a year for assessment in parts of Flintshire and Wrexham.
On the private side, there's even less. North Wales has a scattering of counsellors and psychotherapists, many of them excellent, but very few who are trained CBT specialists. The population density means it's hard to sustain a full-time CBT practice in places like Denbigh or Ruthin. Most qualified CBT therapists in the region work for the NHS and don't take private clients.
The result is a gap. If you live in North Wales and you want evidence-based CBT without a six-month wait, your realistic options are Chester or possibly Wrexham. And for primitive reflex integration therapy, there's essentially nothing available locally. I'm one of a handful of practitioners in the whole of the northwest and North Wales offering it.
Cross-Border Healthcare
Living in Wales and accessing services in England adds a layer of confusion that shouldn't exist but does. For NHS services, the rules are complicated. Welsh residents can sometimes access English NHS services and vice versa, but it's messy and inconsistent.
Private therapy is simpler. You're paying directly, so the border is irrelevant. You book an appointment, you come to Chester, we do the work. I provide receipts for anyone claiming through private health insurance, and most insurers don't care which side of the border the clinic is on. If you're unsure about your cover, call me on 07469 870 295 and I'll help you check.
What I Offer North Wales Clients
CBT therapy for anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, phobias, anger, eating disorders, and more. I've worked in mental health for 13 years, including time as a mental health professional in the RAF. I assess properly, I explain clearly what I think is happening, and I give you a realistic timeframe for treatment.
Primitive reflex integration for children, teenagers, and adults with retained neurological reflexes. These can show up as coordination difficulties, poor concentration, anxiety, sensory sensitivity, and problems with reading or writing. The assessment involves specific physical tests and takes about 90 minutes. If reflexes are retained, I'll design an exercise programme you do at home between sessions.
For clients travelling from further afield in North Wales, I typically suggest coming in for an initial assessment face to face, then doing a mix of in-person and online follow-ups. That way you're not driving an hour every single week. CBT works very well online. Primitive reflex work needs the in-person element but review sessions can sometimes be done remotely.
Book a Free Consultation
If you're in North Wales and you've been putting off getting help because you didn't know where to go, give me a call. The initial phone consultation is free and there's no obligation. We'll have a chat about what's going on and I'll be honest about whether I can help. Call 07469 870 295 or use the contact form.
