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Online Addiction Counselling · Canterbury
Online Addiction Counselling in Canterbury
Online addiction counselling for Canterbury, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Canterbury, from the city walls and the centre to the streets around the cathedral, 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 Canterbury
Addiction Counselling for Canterbury, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Canterbury: from the city walls and the centre to Wincheap, St Stephen's and Hales Place
- Known for
- The cathedral, the city walls and the Stour
- Region
- London & South East (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 Canterbury
Why people in Canterbury reach out
Canterbury blends a world-famous cathedral city with a large student population across its universities, and the two worlds bring different strains: the academic pressure and homesickness of student life, and a high cost of living in a small, historic city. For many, being surrounded by people their own age does little to ease a deeper sense of being unmoored.
Canterbury threads its old streets between the cathedral and the city walls, a place where a world-famous historic core meets a large and lively student population. The University of Kent looks down from the hill, Canterbury Christ Church fills the centre, and the Marlowe Theatre and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital add their own rhythms, while the Stour winds quietly through it all. The two worlds bring different strains: the deadlines and homesickness of student life around Hales Place and St Stephen's, and a high cost of living in a compact, tourist-heavy city. For many, being surrounded by people their own age does little to ease a deeper sense of feeling unmoored, and a confidential space to talk, away from campus and housemates, can steady things considerably.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Canterbury is a UNESCO cathedral city home to the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Canterbury
WincheapSt Stephen'sHales PlaceThaningtonBleanSt Dunstan'sSturryBarton
Wherever you are in Canterbury, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Canterbury
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Canterbury are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 433.7 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 4.8 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.
Canterbury's high-speed trains run mainly towards St Pancras, and getting to counselling elsewhere in Kent can swallow a good part of the day. Online sessions do away with the journey, letting you join securely from your room or home between lectures, shifts or seminars. The practice room is in Hove, an option if you can travel down to the Sussex coast for an in-person meeting, but for Canterbury the work is done online around the university term.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Canterbury 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 Canterbury
Why people in Canterbury come for addiction counselling
Canterbury blends a world-famous historic core with a large student population, and the two worlds bring different strains: the deadlines and homesickness of student life, and a high cost of living in a compact, tourist-heavy city. For many, being surrounded by people their own age does little to ease a deeper sense of feeling unmoored, and in that an addiction can take hold. Whatever has built up, we can look at it together, away from campus and housemates. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor whose room is in Hove, so there is nothing to walk into in town and no journey across Kent. You join privately from home or your room, at your own pace.
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 Canterbury
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Canterbury, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Kent County Council's drug and alcohol support.
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.
Canterbury questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Canterbury: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Canterbury?
Yes. I work with people right across Canterbury, from the city walls and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, 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'm at university here but feel unsettled. Is that something counselling covers?
Very much so. Feeling adrift even while surrounded by other students is one of the most common things people at Canterbury's universities raise. Online sessions let you talk it through privately from your own room, fitted around your timetable, with nothing to walk into on campus.
How soon can I start online addiction counselling in Canterbury during term?
Usually within a week. After a free 15-minute consultation we find a slot between lectures, shifts or seminars. Because sessions are online, there is nothing to travel to and no waiting list, so students at the University of Kent or Christ Church, and residents around Wincheap, can begin quickly.
What does addiction counselling cost in Canterbury, and can the NHS or university help?
This is private: £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. Separately, your GP, university student services, and Kent's council-funded drug and alcohol service all offer support, the NHS route being free and open to self-referral.
Away from campus and housemates, is online addiction counselling more private in Canterbury?
For many students it is. An online session, away from halls or a shared house around Hales Place or St Stephen's, lets you talk without being seen going anywhere. Sessions flex around the term, evenings included. The room is in Hove if you can travel down to the coast for an in-person meeting.
I'm at university here but feel unsettled and homesick. Is that something counselling covers?
Very much so. Feeling adrift even while surrounded by other students is one of the most common things people at Canterbury's universities raise. Online sessions let you talk it through privately from your own room, fitted around your timetable, with nothing to walk into on campus.
Online Addiction Counselling in Canterbury, 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 London & South East: Ashford, Margate, Maidstone. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Canterbury: 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.