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Online Addiction Counselling · Cambridge
Online Addiction Counselling in Cambridge
Online addiction counselling for Cambridge, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre to the streets around the Backs, 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 Cambridge
Addiction Counselling for Cambridge, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Cambridge: from the colleges and the centre to Mill Road, Cherry Hinton and Chesterton
- Known for
- The colleges, the Backs and the river Cam
- Region
- East of England (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 Cambridge
Why people in Cambridge reach out
Cambridge carries an extraordinary concentration of academic and professional high achievement, and with it some of the highest living costs in the country. The pressure to perform, whether you are a student, a researcher or working in its booming science and tech sector, can leave little room to admit you are struggling.
Cambridge folds a world-famous university into an everyday working city, and the two rarely sit still. Term brings the colleges and the Backs to life, while out at the Biomedical Campus around Addenbrooke's and across the science parks that ring the city, the labs and start-ups of Silicon Fen run to their own restless clock. Between the punts on the Cam and the cycle traffic along Mill Road, there is a quiet expectation to keep pace. People arrive from all over the world and often move on again, so friendships can feel provisional and the settled networks that steady us are not always to hand. Under the postcard architecture, plenty of residents carry more than the bright surface suggests, and finding an unhurried hour for yourself is genuinely hard.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Cambridge is home to the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust); NHS mental health services are provided by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Cambridge
Mill RoadCherry HintonChestertonTrumpingtonNewnhamRomseyArburyPetersfieldKings HedgesColeridge
Wherever you are in Cambridge, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Cambridge
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Cambridge are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 456.1 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 3.6 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below 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.
I work with people across Cambridge and the wider Fens by video call and phone, rather than from a room in the city. I am based in Hove, so sessions come to you wherever you are, whether that is a flat off Mill Road, a house in Chesterton or a quiet office between meetings. All you need is a private space and a reliable connection, and we can find a time that fits around study, shift work or the commute.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Cambridge 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 Cambridge
Why people in Cambridge come for addiction counselling
In a city built around achievement, addiction rarely announces itself. Around the colleges, the Biomedical Campus and the start-ups of Silicon Fen, a lot of people keep functioning while something, drink, drugs, gambling or a habit that has crept up quietly, takes more and more. The pressure to perform makes it hard to admit, and the constant coming and going can leave you without anyone close to confide in. Working online from Hove, I offer an unhurried, confidential hour to look honestly at what has taken hold, without a waiting room in town and without anyone needing to know. No judgement here, only a steady place to start.
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 Cambridge
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “Cambridge”).
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.
Cambridge questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Cambridge: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Cambridge?
Yes. I work with people right across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in East of England, 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.
Can counselling help if I am still holding down a demanding job or course?
Yes. Many people in Cambridge keep performing while an addiction quietly grows, and high functioning can delay asking for help. Working online means you can talk it through around lab hours or deadlines, from your own room, without anyone needing to know.
How soon can I start addiction counselling online in Cambridge?
Usually within a week or so. I am based in Hove and work with people across Cambridge and the Fens by secure video or phone, so there is no local waiting list to join. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then arrange a first session around your study, shift or commute.
What are your fees, and how does this compare with NHS addiction support in Cambridge?
My sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, with a free 15-minute consultation first. NHS addiction services in Cambridge are free but often carry a wait, whereas private online work with me can start quickly and at a time that fits your week.
Do you offer in-person or evening addiction sessions in Cambridge?
I work entirely online, by video or phone from Hove, rather than from a room off Mill Road or in Chesterton. That suits days shaped by lab hours or teaching terms, and we can arrange evening times so you talk from your own space without being seen walking in anywhere in town.
Do I need to come to a clinic in Cambridge to see you?
No. I am based in Hove and work with people in Cambridge entirely online, by secure video or phone. That often suits a city where days are shaped by lab hours, teaching terms or a long commute, because there is no travel and no waiting room, just a private hour that fits your week.
Can this help if I am a student or researcher under pressure?
Yes. Many people connected to the university or the science parks find the pace hard to admit to. Working online means you can talk things through from your own room, around supervisions or deadlines, without needing to be seen walking into somewhere in town.
Online Addiction Counselling in Cambridge, 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 East of England: Peterborough, Norwich. See all of East of England.
All counselling & therapy in Cambridge: 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.