Be Heard, Gain Insight, and Change
Anxiety, addiction and relationship specialist in Crouch End and Muswell Hill
Accredited counsellor and psychotherapist with 19 years of experience
Are you struggling with anxiety, addiction, or relationship issues?
I’m Andrew Martin, a counsellor and psychotherapist based in Crouch End (N8) and Muswell Hill (N10), North London. I specialise in helping people with anxiety disorders such as social anxiety, OCD, health anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, and other forms of persistent worry and fear. I also work extensively with addiction and compulsive behaviours, and with relationship difficulties, both for individuals and couples.
My approach is supportive and evidence-based, but also practical and solution-focused, helping people make genuine and lasting changes in their lives.
Discover what my former clients say about their experience here.
My Approach to Counselling
The best counselling works when the approach matches your needs and goals, whether you want to explore the past or focus on practical solutions.
My integrative approach combines evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), delivered in a supportive and collaborative style.
I specialise in helping people manage anxiety disorders, overcome addictive or compulsive behaviours, and work through relationship difficulties. My practice is based in Crouch End (N8), and I also work with many clients from the nearby Muswell Hill (N10) area. My goal is to provide counselling and psychotherapy that gives you both insight and practical tools to make lasting changes.
Click here to learn more about my qualifications and experience.
What To Expect
Your first counselling session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and to explore what has brought you here. We might talk about the difficulties you are facing, such as anxiety, stress, OCD, health anxiety, panic attacks, or relationship challenges. This is also a chance for you to ask me questions about the counselling process, and I will explain everything as clearly as possible.
I will outline important aspects such as confidentiality, my approach to therapy, and what working together might look like. By the end of the session, you should have a good sense of whether you feel comfortable with me and whether you’d like to continue.
From my side, I will listen carefully, begin to understand your concerns, and share initial thoughts on the therapeutic direction I recommend. If we both feel there is a good fit, we can agree on a regular weekly session. These sessions are your dedicated time, giving you consistency and space to focus on change.
Counselling sessions usually last 50 minutes and take place at The Vale Practice in Crouch End (N8). I also work with many clients from Muswell Hill (N10), Highgate, and across North London, and my goal is to provide a space where you can make lasting changes.
What do you need help with?
I specialise in counselling for anxiety disorders, addictive behaviours, and relationship difficulties. Many people come to me for help with issues such as OCD, health anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, stress, or alcohol use. Others want support with relationship problems, whether as an individual or as part of a couple.
You can click on any of the topics below to read more about how I work with these difficulties and the types of therapy that may help.
I’m always happy to answer questions, so please feel free to contact me.
Private Healthcare Insurance
I am a registered provider with many of the leading private healthcare organisations. If you have private health insurance that covers counselling, psychotherapy, or addiction counselling, you may find that they will pay for some of the cost of seeing me.
I am a registered provider with Aviva Healthcare, Cigna Healthcare, WPA, and Vitality Health.
If your healthcare provider isn't mentioned above, it's still likely they may cover your treatment. Please feel free to email me so we can discuss it further. Unfortunately, I do not work with patients insured by Axa PPP or BUPA. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Anxiety and the Urge to Google: When Searching Becomes Reassurance
Most of us turn to Google when we want quick answers. A sore throat, a strange sensation, or a burst of worry can send us straight to the search bar. For people living with anxiety, this urge to “Google it” can become a daily cycle. While it feels like a way of finding certainty, it often fuels more fear in the long run.
Health anxiety, OCD, and generalised anxiety disorder often involve a powerful need for reassurance. Searching online provides a fast hit of temporary relief: “If I can just find the right answer, I’ll feel better.” But that relief rarely lasts. Instead, one search leads to another, and the more you read, the more frightening possibilities you encounter. Google cannot tell you whether you are truly safe, it can only offer endless scenarios.
This cycle can create a trap. The more you search, the less confident you feel in your own ability to tolerate uncertainty. Anxiety grows stronger, not weaker, because it learns that the only way to cope is by searching again.
Why Googling Feeds Anxiety
The problem is not that information is bad, it is that anxiety does not stop at a single answer. It wants certainty, and the internet cannot provide that. You may start with a mild concern but end up convinced of the worst-case scenario because online searches magnify the unusual and the rare.
Anxiety thrives on “what if” thinking. Googling is like pouring fuel on that fire. Instead of calming your fears, it widens the range of possible dangers in your mind, which makes you want to search even more.
How Therapy Can Help
A key part of therapy for anxiety and compulsive behaviours is learning to step back from this reassurance cycle. In sessions, we might explore:
- Recognising the triggers that send you into the search loop.
- Tolerating uncertainty rather than chasing perfect answers.
- Using healthier coping strategies, such as grounding techniques.
- Rebuilding trust in your ability to handle discomfort without needing to Google.
Evidence-based therapies such as CBT, REBT, and ACT are particularly effective at helping people notice these patterns and break free from them. Over time, many clients find that their need to search diminishes, and their confidence in coping with uncertainty grows.
Moving Towards Freedom from Anxiety-Driven Googling
Breaking the cycle of anxiety-driven Googling does not mean ignoring your health or pretending worries do not exist. It means finding a more balanced way to respond. One that helps you live with more calm, clarity, and confidence.
If you recognise yourself in this pattern, you are not alone. Many people struggle with it, and with the right support, it is absolutely possible to change.
Client's Experience
Therapy offers a space to better understand yourself and your emotional responses. It can help you to recognise patterns in your relationships, make sense of past experiences, and find new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Clinic Locations
Crouch End N8
Muswell Hill N10
Parking in Muswell Hill, and Crouch End
If you are seeing me for counselling or psychotherapy in Muswell Hill, North London, parking is free in all the surrounding roads. Try to leave an extra ten minutes just in case it is hard to get a space. Click to see a map of the local area.
For counselling or psychotherapy in Crouch End, North London, there is free parking most of the day with some exceptions. Click to see a map of the local area.
Other North London Locations
- Rutland House Surgery, 40 Colney Hatch Lane, London, N10 1DU. Get directions here.
- Crouch Hall Road Surgery, 48 Crouch Hall Road, London N8 8HJ. Get directions here.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment.
This gives us a chance to discuss what has brought you to counselling, whether it may be helpful for you, and whether I am the right therapist to support you.
All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence and handled securely. I will respond to your message as soon as I am able.