Chatham · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Addiction counselling and rehab advice for Chatham
Rehab questions in Chatham, whether about yourself or a son, partner or parent, lead to the free Medway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service, which handles assessment, detox and residential places and keeps daily provision at 411 High Street. I add weekly one-to-one counselling around that. The Hove room is an 88-minute drive from the old dockyard town, so our sessions mostly happen over video, with the odd visit in person.
The practical facts for Chatham
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Chatham by car
- About 88 minutes with clear roads (73.5 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Chatham, change at London Bridge for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free local drug & alcohol service
- Medway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service, 0300 123 1560
- 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.
Where Chatham's help for drink and drugs actually sits
Medway's commissioned drug and alcohol service has its main hub in Gillingham, but it keeps a daily base in Chatham itself, at 411 High Street.
That is worth knowing if you are trying to work out where a son, a partner or you yourself could go without first getting over to the Gillingham hub. The people who end up worried about drink or drugs here are a mixed group. Soldiers and their families at Brompton Barracks, students at the University of Greenwich Medway Campus, people reporting to the probation office on New Road, and households in Luton, Troy Town or Walderslade that have been here for generations can all arrive at the same question. Medway's figure for alcohol-related hospital admissions (narrow definition) stood at 423.7 per 100,000 in 2023/24, lower than England's 504.1 per 100,000 over the same year. That number describes an area of several towns, never a person or a family.
Counselling around RIVER, and sessions for the family
Detox and residential care for anyone in Chatham are arranged through RIVER, run by The Forward Trust with Open Road providing the recovery element, on 0300 123 1560. They assess first, and the person concerned decides with them what comes next. I offer the outpatient side: a regular private hour by video that can begin well before anyone rings RIVER, keep going through community treatment, and pick up again after a residential stay. Each hour gives us room to unpick what the drinking, pills or cannabis has been doing for you in Medway life, what pressure it takes off and what it costs. For someone serving at Brompton Barracks, part of that may be the question of who at work can know. For a student at Chatham Maritime, it may be nights out that now decide the mornings. If probation appointments on New Road are part of your week, counselling is a separate conversation where you set the agenda, within limits of confidentiality I explain at the start. Partners, parents and adult children can book sessions purely for themselves, whether or not the person they love is ready to change. When you ring from Chatham, I listen with my own recovery in mind and more than 25 years of counselling behind me.
Four places a Chatham conversation might begin
RIVER at 411 High Street
Medway's free drug and alcohol service has daily provision in Chatham, with its main hub in Gillingham. Assessment and any detox or residential place are organised through RIVER.
Partners and parents in Walderslade or Luton
RIVER family and friends support helps relatives across Medway, and a weekly hour with me can be about your sleep, your anger and your limits rather than their habit.
Serving at Brompton Barracks
If you are with the Royal Engineers and your drinking has started to worry you, a video session from home keeps that conversation apart from your working day, within the usual confidentiality limits.
Studying at Chatham Maritime
A course at the University of Greenwich Medway Campus, far from home, and nights out that keep costing you the next morning. Video counselling can fit between lectures.
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 Chatham
Free help in Chatham can run next to private sessions. RIVER, through The Forward Trust and Open Road, arranges treatment and recovery support across Medway, and RIVER family and friends support is there for relatives. MEGAN CIC runs peer groups at The Magpie Centre, Magpie Hall Road, open to anyone aged 17 and over, and Samaritans of Medway, Gravesham and Swale answers 116 123 around the clock.
- Free drug and alcohol serviceMedway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service0300 123 1560Free and confidential.
- Local organisationRIVER Chatham daily provision (The Forward Trust / Open Road)
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.
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 Chatham ask before starting
Is there a rehab in Chatham, or does it all go through RIVER?
Residential rehab and detox for Chatham residents are arranged through the Medway (RIVER) Treatment and Recovery Service on 0300 123 1560, which keeps daily provision on Chatham High Street and its main hub in Gillingham. They assess first, then agree the right level of help with the person concerned. My part is private counselling in the months before, alongside or after that.
My partner drinks and we live in Walderslade. Can I get support just for me?
Yes. RIVER family and friends support is for relatives and partners across Medway, and you can contact them whether or not your partner wants help. Your hour with me belongs to you too, covering the excuses you make for them, the money worries, the late nights waiting up in Walderslade, and what you want from here. If you are ever frightened at home, call 999 in an emergency.
Would my sessions from Chatham be online or in Hove?
Usually online. With 88 minutes of driving each way, or a train change at London Bridge, a weekly trip from the Medway Towns soon wears thin, and secure video from a room where nobody can listen in keeps the hour steady and private. Meeting in person at Intergen House can be arranged now and again, perhaps as a longer session once life has steadied after treatment.
Do I have to be sober, or wait for RIVER, before starting counselling from Chatham?
Neither. We begin from where you are now, whether that is still drinking or using, unsure what you want, or already waiting to hear from RIVER. An hour a week can keep you steadier while the RIVER side gets going, and help you decide what you hope treatment will give you. Once we have spoken on the free call, I'll set out which regular weekly slots I can give you. If you drink heavily every day, plan any change with RIVER or your GP first.
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 call from Chatham, for you or someone at home
When you feel ready, a short conversation is the easiest way to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation.