Alcohol
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Online Addiction Counselling · Bournemouth
Online Addiction Counselling in Bournemouth
Online addiction counselling for Bournemouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Bournemouth, from the seafront and the centre to the streets around the pier, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Bournemouth
Addiction Counselling for Bournemouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Bournemouth: from the seafront and the centre to Boscombe, Winton and Charminster
- Known for
- The pier, the beaches and the pines
- Region
- South West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- Local council drug & alcohol service (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Bournemouth
Why people in Bournemouth reach out
Bournemouth draws students, language schools, summer crowds and many people who have moved here later in life, a mix that can leave individuals feeling strangely alone in a busy resort. Seasonal work and a transient population mean the settled networks that hold people up are not always there.
Bournemouth draws people from everywhere and to different ends. Summer brings holidaymakers to its long beaches and pine-lined chines; term time brings students to its universities and language learners to the English schools that cluster near the centre. JP Morgan's large office and the resort's hotels and bars provide much of the work, a lot of it seasonal or shift-based. Many arrive later in life, retiring to the mild coast, so the town holds the very young and the older side by side. That churn of arrivals and departures can leave someone feeling oddly alone in a lively resort. A confidential, consistent conversation offers a fixed point when the people around you keep changing.
A seaside town can feel cut off once the season ends and the front goes quiet, so online support that does not depend on who happens to practise nearby matters here.
Bournemouth is a major south-coast resort and home to Bournemouth University and a large J.P. Morgan operations campus; its acute hospital is the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust).
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Bournemouth
BoscombeWintonCharminsterWestbourneSouthbourneSpringbourneKinsonThroopPokesdown
Wherever you are in Bournemouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Bournemouth
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Bournemouth are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 315.3 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below the England average of 504.1 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Admission episodes for alcohol-related conditions (narrow) (2023/24).
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 11.5 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, above the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
The addiction counselling itself
Addiction counselling here treats the pain beneath the habit, not just the symptom, alcohol, drugs, gambling, food or behavioural, so recovery is something you grow into rather than force.
The approach is the same wherever you live, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods, what each session covers and fees, on the main addiction counselling page and on how I work.
How online sessions work
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop, no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.
Bournemouth has a South Western Railway line to Southampton and London Waterloo, the A338 spur road linking it to the A31, and its own airport nearby, but seafront and summer traffic can make local trips slow. Secure online sessions remove the need to travel at all, letting us meet from wherever you feel private. The room itself is in Hove, so Bournemouth is served online; in-person appointments only suit those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Bournemouth can help
Drugs and substances
Compassionate, confidential help with substance use.
Gambling
Breaking the cycle of compulsive gambling, guilt and debt.
Food and behavioural
Support for food and process addictions.
Affected by a loved one
Help for those living alongside someone's addiction.
The pain underneath
We treat the cause, not just the symptom.
Addiction Counselling in Bournemouth
Why people in Bournemouth come for addiction counselling
Bournemouth's churn of arrivals and departures, students, language learners, seasonal workers and people who moved here later in life, can leave someone feeling oddly alone in a lively resort, and that isolation is fertile ground for a habit to take hold. A confidential, consistent conversation offers a fixed point when the people around you keep changing. Because we meet by secure video, there is no journey into the centre and no local premises to visit. The room is in Hove, so Bournemouth is served online, with in-person appointments only for those able to reach the Sussex coast.
A free, unhurried first step
Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.
Book a free 15-minute callDrug, alcohol & addiction support in Bournemouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Bournemouth, free local drug and alcohol support is available through BCP Council's drug and alcohol support services.
For confidential information and advice, FRANK (on 0300 123 6600) and Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 are free, and Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery run peer-support meetings you can find online.
Other local and national support verified for this area includes:
If you need urgent help now
This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Bournemouth questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Bournemouth: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Bournemouth?
Yes. I work with people right across Bournemouth, from the seafront and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in South West, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.
Do I have to be abstinent before we start?
No. We begin wherever you are. The work is about understanding the need the behaviour has been meeting, not passing a test first.
Can you help with gambling or behavioural addictions, not just substances?
Yes. The same approach applies to gambling, food and other compulsive behaviours, because we work with the underlying pattern rather than only the substance.
Is it really confidential if I'm worried about people finding out?
Completely. Sessions are private, online means no waiting room, and everything is held under the BACP Ethical Framework.
I moved to Bournemouth and feel oddly alone here. Can counselling help with that?
It can. Arriving somewhere lively yet feeling unconnected is common in a resort with such a shifting population, and it is something we can work with alongside the habit. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Bournemouth?
Once you get in touch we usually arrange a free 15-minute consultation within a few days, then book your first full session soon after. Everything runs online, so wherever you are in Bournemouth, from Boscombe to Winton, you can begin without waiting for a local referral.
What are your fees, and how do they compare with NHS support in Bournemouth?
Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, with a free 15-minute consultation first. NHS support in Bournemouth, through your GP or services around the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, is free but can involve a wait, whereas private online work with me usually starts within days.
Is online addiction counselling as effective as meeting in person in Bournemouth?
For most people it works just as well, and many prefer the privacy. My consulting room is in Hove, so face-to-face suits only those able to travel to the Sussex coast. Meeting online spares you the trip across Bournemouth near the seafront, and I keep some later appointments for busy weeks.
I'm a student or here on a language course in Bournemouth. Can we meet online?
Yes. Online sessions fit around study and can be taken from your accommodation without travelling into the centre. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Bournemouth is served online rather than in person.
I moved to Bournemouth later in life and feel oddly alone here. Can counselling help?
It can. Arriving somewhere lively yet feeling unconnected is common in a resort with such a shifting population, and it is something we can work with. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The room itself is in Hove.
Online Addiction Counselling in Bournemouth, whenever you are ready
A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.
Also available online across South West: Poole, Southampton. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Bournemouth: Substance Use · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same addiction counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.