Hackney · online by video, with the Hove room for occasional sessions
Addiction counselling and rehab advice for Hackney
If you've searched 'rehab Hackney', on your own behalf or because someone close to you is struggling, the place to start for detox or residential care is City and Hackney Recovery Service. Working one to one over secure video, I can be a counsellor at any stage, whether you're still deciding, waiting for a place or already home again. My room is in Hove, 97 minutes' drive away, so from Hackney our sessions are online.
The practical facts for Hackney
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Hackney by car
- About 97 minutes with clear roads (72.3 miles); longer at busy times.
- Free local drug & alcohol service
- City and Hackney Recovery Service, 0345 144 0050
- 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 drinking and drugs sit in Hackney life
Hackney's pubs, bars and arts venues are part of why people love living here.
For some, though, a night out slowly turns into most nights, or into drugs to keep going, or into drinking alone after everyone else has gone home. One measure is alcohol-specific hospital admissions, which in Hackney stood at 733.1 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above England's 611.7 per 100,000. Those are admissions across the whole borough, and they say nothing about any one person. Behind each one, though, there is usually a household: a partner in Clapton lying awake, a parent in Stamford Hill unsure whether to say something, a housemate in Dalston who has started counting bottles. Pressure from money, insecure renting and long hours can feed a habit, and the habit then makes each of those pressures heavier.
What counselling adds to the recovery route
Searching for rehab usually means you want something to change urgently, and that instinct deserves respect. In Hackney the assessment happens at City and Hackney Recovery Service, led by Turning Point with Mind CHWF and London Friend's Antidote service, and it is the service that arranges community treatment, detox or residential rehab where that's needed. You can phone them on 0345 144 0050. Counselling with me works alongside that route. Before treatment, we can look at what drinking or using does for you and what you fear losing. During it, sessions give you a steady place to speak while everything else feels unfamiliar. After a residential stay or a community programme, we work on what keeps recovery going at home: the triggers in your week, the people and places tied to using, and the feelings that drink or drugs used to quieten. I'm in recovery myself and have practised for more than 25 years, so nothing you tell me will shock me.
Hackney's recovery services, and who each one is for
Assessment and treatment
City and Hackney Recovery Service, led by Turning Point, assesses drink and drug problems and arranges detox or residential rehab when that is the right step.
For families and partners
The same service runs support for family and friends, so the people worried about someone's drinking or drug use get help in their own right.
Al-Anon groups in Hackney
The Hackney Monday and Hackney Friday Al-Anon groups are mutual-aid meetings for adults affected by someone else's drinking, a place to be understood without explaining.
Gambling counselling through Derman
Derman, a health charity working mainly in Hackney with Kurdish and Turkish communities, offers free counselling, including for gambling, alongside welfare advice and advocacy.
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 Hackney
Hackney's free services and private counselling can work side by side. City and Hackney Recovery Service, on 0345 144 0050, is the route to assessment, detox and residential care, and it supports family and friends too. The Al-Anon Hackney Monday and Friday groups welcome adults affected by a loved one's drinking. Derman offers free gambling counselling, and Mind CHWF supports wider mental health.
- Free drug and alcohol serviceCity and Hackney Recovery Service0345 144 0050Free and confidential.
- Local organisationCity & Hackney Carers Centre
- Local organisationAl-Anon Hackney Monday and Hackney Friday groups
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.
Local drop-in crisis support: City and Hackney Crisis Café (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 Hackney ask before starting
Where do I go in Hackney to get into rehab?
In Hackney, residential rehab and detox are arranged through City and Hackney Recovery Service, which assesses what level of help suits you, from community support to a residential place. Ring them on 0345 144 0050 to start. Alongside that route, I offer one-to-one counselling by video before, during or after treatment.
My partner drinks too much. Where can a family member in Hackney get support?
You deserve support whether or not your partner is ready to change. The Al-Anon Hackney Monday and Hackney Friday groups are for adults affected by someone else's drinking, and City and Hackney Recovery Service runs support for family and friends. You can also have your own counselling sessions with me by video.
Will sessions be online if I'm in Hackney?
Yes, and from Hackney that's the usual arrangement, since Hove is about 97 minutes away by car. You join from somewhere private, at a regular time each week, and the sessions can sit around any appointments with City and Hackney Recovery Service. If you'd ever like to meet in person, an occasional Hove session can be planned.
Do I need to stop drinking before I start counselling in Hackney?
You can begin while you're still drinking or using. Any change to heavy, daily drinking should be planned with your GP or City and Hackney Recovery Service, for reasons set out in the withdrawal warning further up. Counselling can help you prepare for that conversation and keep going once treatment begins.
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 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.