Petworth · in person in Hove or online
Addiction counselling and rehab advice for Petworth
If drink or drugs are taking more from your life in Petworth than you'd like, or you're watching that happen to someone you love, I offer counselling by secure video or in person in Hove. The free West Sussex route is where detox or a residential place gets arranged, and I'll show you how that works as well.
The practical facts for Petworth
- Where sessions happen
- A private room at Intergen House, 65-67 Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ, or secure video.
- From Petworth by car
- About 48 minutes with clear roads (27.4 miles); longer at busy times.
- By train
- From Pulborough, change at Barnham for trains towards Brighton and Hove.
- Free local drug & alcohol service
- West Sussex Drug & Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN), 0330 128 1113
- 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.
When every evening depends on who is driving
In a town with no station, nearly every trip out of Petworth starts with a car, and that can turn drinking into a quiet calculation: who is driving tonight, whether you'll be fit to do the school run in the morning, whether it's simpler to stay in and drink at home where nobody is counting.
For partners and parents, the worry often shows up first as watching: the keys, the empties in the recycling, the change in a voice on the phone. In a small parish, a household can work hard to keep that private, sometimes for years. In Chichester district, hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions came to 504.3 per 100,000 in 2023/24, lower than the England figure of 611.7 per 100,000. A district rate says nothing about one household, and a lower one doesn't make what is happening in yours any smaller.
Where DAWN comes in, and where I do
If you searched for rehab near Petworth, the free place to start is West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN). Change Grow Live runs it, and the number is 0330 128 1113. They assess what you need and, where it's right, arrange community treatment, detox or a residential place. None of that is something I provide. What I offer is counselling that can come before you feel ready to ring them, while you wait, alongside their support, or after a stay away, when you come home to the same lanes and the same habits. Our sessions start from an honest look at the work the drink or drug is doing in your life: helping you switch off, getting you to sleep, numbing a loss, carrying you through a social evening. Then we look for other things that could do that job. You don't need a fixed goal to begin, and wanting to say it out loud to someone is reason enough. I've been a counsellor for more than 25 years and I know recovery from the inside as well, so you won't shock me, and I won't lecture you.
Ways into this from a Petworth household
Before you ring DAWN
If ringing West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network feels too big a step today, we can talk first about what's happening and what you'd want to ask them.
Living with someone else's drinking
Carers Support West Sussex supports people caring for a drug or alcohol user, and West Sussex Wellbeing offers council support for family and friends. Our sessions can be only about you.
Recovery among people who've been there
Build on Belief, or BoB, is a recovery community run by people with lived experience, and it can sit beside counselling and any treatment arranged through DAWN.
Returning from a residential stay
Coming back from a residential stay to a small parish, where people may have noticed you were away, can be daunting. Weekly sessions give you a steady place to talk through how each week at home is going.
Public health figures for the area
These are local authority figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. "Similar to England" means the difference is not statistically significant. The figures describe a whole population over a period, not any one person.
Free drug and alcohol support for Petworth
These free services can run beside private counselling. DAWN (West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network), provided by Change Grow Live, is the route to assessment, detox or rehab. Build on Belief (BoB) is a lived-experience recovery community. For families, Carers Support West Sussex helps carers of drug and alcohol users, and West Sussex Wellbeing offers council-run support for family and friends. West Sussex Mind is there too.
- Free drug and alcohol serviceWest Sussex Drug & Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN)0330 128 1113Run by Change Grow Live. Free and confidential.
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.
In this area you can also text SUSSEX to 85258.
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 Petworth ask before starting
Is there a rehab near Petworth, and can you get me into one?
From Petworth, the route into rehab runs through West Sussex Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Network (DAWN), whose number is 0330 128 1113. They assess you and, where it's needed, arrange detox or residential treatment. What I can offer is counselling before you go, while you wait, and after you come home.
My partner drinks every night and won't admit it. Can I get help in Petworth for myself?
Yes. Their agreement isn't needed for you to get support of your own. Sessions with me can be entirely about you: the worry, the covering up, the rows, and what is and isn't yours to fix. Free support for families is available from Carers Support West Sussex, and also from West Sussex Wellbeing's family and friends service. If either of you is in danger, call 999.
Can I have addiction counselling from Petworth by video, or is it better to come to Hove?
Either can work. Video from home spares you the 48-minute drive, and nobody local sees you going in anywhere. Coming to Hove can help if home is where the drinking happens and you want to talk about it somewhere separate. We can also mix the two, with most weeks online and the odd session in the room.
How soon can I start if I'm ready to talk about my drinking now?
You can have the free 15-minute call as soon as you want it, and you'll get a straight answer from me about when a regular opening is likely. If you also want a medical assessment or help with detox, contact DAWN at the same time, because counselling and their support can happen at once. Starting counselling doesn't commit you to a quit date or to any particular goal.
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.
One call, whether it's about 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.