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Online Addiction Counselling · Derry
Online Addiction Counselling in Derry
Online addiction counselling for Derry, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Derry, from within the walls and the centre to the streets around the Peace Bridge, 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 Derry
Addiction Counselling for Derry, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Derry: from within the walls and the centre to the Bogside, the Waterside and Creggan
- Known for
- The city walls, the Peace Bridge and the river Foyle
- Region
- Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland)
- 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 Derry
Why people in Derry reach out
Derry, the walled city on the Foyle, carries a particularly deep history of the Troubles alongside long-standing economic hardship and its distance from Belfast. Intergenerational trauma, insecure work and isolation in the north-west all shape the pressures people here carry.
Derry, also called Londonderry, sits inside the only complete set of city walls left in Ireland, looking down over the Foyle and the elegant sweep of the Peace Bridge. The Bogside carries its Free Derry mural and its history close to the surface, while the Waterside spreads across the far bank and Creggan climbs the hill above. It is a warm, quick-witted city that comes alive each autumn for one of Europe's biggest Halloween celebrations, with the Guildhall lit up and the streets in costume. Ulster University's Magee campus, the shops of Foyleside and the new transport hub give the north-west its own centre of gravity, a long way from Belfast and proud of it.
Border communities can feel far from the nearest city and its services; online brings discreet, experienced support directly to you.
Derry hosts Ulster University's Magee campus and is served by Altnagelvin Area Hospital, the main acute hospital of the Western HSC Trust for the north-west.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Derry
BogsideWatersideCregganBishop StreetRosemountCulmoreShantallowthe DiamondBallymagroarty
Wherever you are in Derry, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Derry
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Derry are living with, and why local support matters.
There were 14 drug-related deaths registered in the Derry City and Strabane council area in 2023, out of 169 across Northern Ireland (NI age-standardised rate 9.1 per 100,000). Source: NISRA - Drug-related and drug misuse deaths in Northern Ireland, 2023 (2023).
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.
Getting support in Derry need not mean a long drive to Belfast for an appointment. Sessions are held online, by secure video, across the whole of Northern Ireland, so help reaches the north-west as easily as anywhere else. The counsellor is based in Hove and works UK-wide by video rather than seeing anyone face to face in the city, which means you can talk from home, wherever you are on either bank of the Foyle.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Derry 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 Derry
Why people in Derry come for addiction counselling
Derry carries the history of the Troubles close to the surface, alongside long-standing hardship and the sense of being a long way from Belfast. Addiction often grows in that soil, as a way of easing what has been carried for years, sometimes across generations. Being in the north-west can mean specialist help feels distant, and in a warm, close-knit city, being seen seeking it can feel exposing. Online counselling closes both gaps: a confidential conversation by secure video from home, whether you are in the Bogside, the Waterside or up in Creggan, with no long drive east and no local waiting room.
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 Derry
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Derry, your GP can refer you to local NHS-funded drug and alcohol services, and you can find your nearest one via the NHS “find a service” directory.
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 Lifeline free on 0808 808 8000. Lifeline is free on 0808 808 8000, and the Samaritans are on 116 123.
Derry questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Derry: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Derry?
Yes. I work with people right across Derry, from within the walls and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in Northern Ireland, 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.
Is help harder to get in the north-west?
Distance from Belfast makes no difference to online support. The counsellor is based in Hove and works across Northern Ireland by secure video, so you can talk from home anywhere in Derry without the long drive east or a wait for a local space.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Derry?
Usually within a week or two, wherever you are on the Foyle. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then set a first full session to suit you. Because it is all online by secure video, there is no drive east to Belfast and no waiting list to join.
How do your fees compare with NHS addiction services in Derry?
NHS addiction support in the north-west runs through the Western Health and Social Care Trust and is free, though waits can be long. My sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, following a free 15-minute consultation, and you can begin straight away.
Can I have online addiction sessions in the evening in Derry?
Yes. Evening appointments suit shift patterns and family life on either bank of the Foyle. Sessions run by secure video, so from the Bogside to the Waterside you can take part from home. All you need is a private space and a steady connection.
Do I have to travel to Belfast to be seen?
No. Because sessions are online by secure video, you can take part from home in Derry without the long journey east. The counsellor is based in Hove and works UK-wide by video, so distance from Belfast makes no difference to getting started.
Online Addiction Counselling in Derry, 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 Northern Ireland: Lisburn, Craigavon. See all of Northern Ireland.
All counselling & therapy in Derry: 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.