Canterbury · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Addiction counselling and rehab advice for Canterbury
Typing 'rehab Canterbury' into a search bar, whether for your own sake or a relative's, is easier once you know how support is organised across east Kent. I offer one-to-one addiction counselling, and worried family members can have sessions too. My only room is in Hove, 106 minutes by car, so from Canterbury sessions are usually by secure video, from home and without the drive.
The practical facts for Canterbury
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Canterbury by car
- About 106 minutes with clear roads (90.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free local drug & alcohol service
- East Kent community drug and alcohol service (The Forward Trust), 0300 123 1186
- Fees
- £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90, £120 for 120. The first 15-minute call is free.
- Registration
- BACP registered member, no. 109340 (check the register); UKCP student member in advanced psychotherapy training.
Pubs, campus bars and quieter drinking at home
Nightlife is part of how Canterbury sells itself: the University of Kent points new students to clubs, bars and pubs in the old alleys as well as its own campus nightclub.
For some people that means a few loud years. For others it becomes a habit that carries on after graduation. Drinking here is far from only a student story, though. Shift workers in the visitor economy finish late, and older residents living alone can find that a drink fills a quiet evening. Alcohol-specific hospital admissions in Canterbury stood at 380.4 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below England's 611.7, though a figure under the national one changes nothing when drinking is hurting your own home. Catching Lives, on Station Road East, hosts Forward Trust drug and alcohol appointments on Tuesdays for people who are homeless or insecurely housed.
How treatment is arranged here, and where counselling fits
Detox and residential rehab for people in this part of Kent are arranged through the East Kent community drug and alcohol service, run by The Forward Trust. You can contact it on 0300 123 1186, and it assesses what you need and organises medical or residential care where that is right. Before that treatment, beside it or after it, our one-to-one hours look at what drink, drugs or betting have been giving you, the shame that tends to travel with them, the triggers behind a lapse, and the shape of a Canterbury life with space for more. Over 25 years of practice rest on my own lived experience of getting well. Families matter here too. If you are the parent or partner of someone who is using, you can have sessions on your own, whether or not they are ready, to look at worry, anger and how to stay close without covering for them. Kenward Trust and Al-Anon offer free support for families as well.
Where help comes from around Canterbury
The council-funded treatment route
The East Kent community drug and alcohol service, run by The Forward Trust on 0300 123 1186, assesses you and arranges detox or residential care where needed.
Counselling around treatment
One-to-one sessions by video can start while you wait, continue through community treatment, or help you hold on to changes once residential care ends.
When the worry is a relative
For relatives, Al-Anon Family Groups and the Kenward Trust - Friends, Family and Loved Ones Support group offer their own help, and sessions with me can run in parallel.
Help without a settled home
Catching Lives at the Canterbury Open Centre offers food, showers, a daily needle exchange and Forward Trust drug and alcohol appointments on Tuesdays.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free drug and alcohol support for Canterbury
Private counselling works alongside the free routes here. The East Kent community drug and alcohol service (The Forward Trust) is the place to start for assessment, detox or residential care. Catching Lives works with people in Canterbury who are homeless or insecurely housed, while Al-Anon Family Groups and Kenward Trust - Friends, Family and Loved Ones Support are there for families. Canterbury Safe Haven on North Lane is open every evening if things feel too much.
- Free drug and alcohol serviceEast Kent community drug and alcohol service (The Forward Trust)0300 123 1186Free and confidential.
- Local organisationRethink Canterbury and Coastal Carers' Support Group
FRANK (on 0300 123 6600) and Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 are free and confidential, and Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery run peer-support meetings you can find online. For gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 8020 133 (NHS gambling support).
If raising someone's drinking or drug use with them feels unsafe, or someone at home is hurting, threatening or controlling you, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free, day or night, on 0808 2000 247. In immediate danger, call 999.
Detox and residential rehab are arranged through the free local drug and alcohol service named here. It assesses what you need, arranges medically assisted withdrawal where that is safe and needed, and can refer for community or residential treatment. My part is one-to-one counselling before, alongside or after that treatment, to help the changes last.
If you need urgent help now
If you need help right now, please don't wait for a session.
Locally, the Release the Pressure Helpline - Kent is on 0800 107 0160. Local drop-in crisis support: Canterbury Safe Haven (Mental Health Matters) (check opening times before you go).
If you, or someone you live with, drink heavily every day, or take drugs such as benzodiazepines or GHB daily, do not stop suddenly without medical advice. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Your GP or the local drug and alcohol service can arrange medically assisted withdrawal. Call 999 or go to A&E if someone in withdrawal is shaking visibly, unusually restless or agitated, confused, seeing or hearing things that are not there, or has a fit. For milder symptoms, such as a slight tremor or sweating, contact your GP or NHS 111 the same day (NHS guidance). Counselling works alongside medical support, not instead of it.
What people in Canterbury ask before starting
Where is the nearest rehab for someone in Canterbury?
Residential rehab and detox for people in Canterbury are arranged through the East Kent community drug and alcohol service, run by The Forward Trust, on 0300 123 1186. They assess what you need and refer on to medical or residential care where it is right. I provide one-to-one counselling by video before, during or after that treatment, so the two fit together.
How do I get help for my son's drinking in Canterbury?
An adult has to choose treatment for themselves, but you can get support for yourself now. Kenward Trust runs friends and family support, and Al-Anon Family Groups meet across the UK. You can also have video sessions with me to talk through worry, boundaries and what to say. When your son is ready, the East Kent community drug and alcohol service is his route to assessment.
Can addiction counselling be done online from Canterbury?
Yes, and from Canterbury it is usually the practical choice, since the Hove room is 106 minutes' drive away. Secure video keeps you with one counsellor at a fixed weekly time, from home, with no long trip on days when staying steady takes all your energy. If you would like to meet in person occasionally, a session in Hove can be arranged.
Can I start counselling in Canterbury while I'm still drinking or using?
Yes. You can begin before you have stopped, and we look honestly at what is happening and what you want, at your pace. Where stopping might be on the cards, the East Kent community drug and alcohol service, run by The Forward Trust, can assess you and set up medically supervised support if appropriate, and the withdrawal safety note here says why that step matters.
How much do sessions cost, and is the first call free?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, the same in person in Hove or by video. The first 15-minute call is free, with no obligation to book. There is no NHS referral needed to see me privately.
A first conversation, for you or for someone you love
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.