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Online Addiction Counselling · Exeter
Online Addiction Counselling in Exeter
Online addiction counselling for Exeter, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay to the streets around the university, 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 Exeter
Addiction Counselling for Exeter, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Exeter: from the cathedral quarter and the quay to St Thomas, Heavitree and Pinhoe
- Known for
- The cathedral, the quay and the university
- 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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter reach out
Exeter pairs a historic cathedral core with a large and growing university, and the two can pull in different directions: the quiet expectations of a county city and the intense pressure of student and academic life. Rising costs and a sense of being the regional outlier in a rural county add to the strain people carry.
Exeter carries itself as a county capital. The cathedral green fills with lunch breaks and the restored quay draws walkers down to the canal, while up on the ridge the university keeps expanding and drawing students from across the country. The Met Office, headquartered here, and the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital anchor a steady professional class, yet housing costs push many out towards St Thomas and Pinhoe. Set among Devon's farms and moor, Exeter can feel like the one busy place for miles, which brings its own quiet loneliness for anyone who arrives without roots. Behind the settled, well-kept surface, the pressure to appear coping is real, and a confidential hour offers somewhere honest to set it down.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Exeter is home to the University of Exeter and the Met Office headquarters; its main hospital is the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, run by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Exeter
St ThomasHeavitreePinhoeSt LeonardsExwickWhiptonAlphingtonWonfordTopsham
Wherever you are in Exeter, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Exeter
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Exeter are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 520.8 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above 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 6.4 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.
Exeter has two central stations at St Davids and Central, the M5 close by and its own airport out to the east, but rural Devon spreads far beyond the city and journeys in can be long. Secure online sessions mean none of that matters, letting us meet from wherever you feel settled. The counselling room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online; in-person sessions suit only those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Exeter 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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter come for addiction counselling
Behind Exeter's settled, well-kept surface, the pressure to appear coping is real, whether you are part of the steady professional class around the Met Office and the hospital or a student far from home. That expectation can make an addiction something you hide rather than name. Counselling offers somewhere genuinely honest to set it down, away from a county city where word travels. Because we meet by secure video, there is no journey in from wherever you are settled and no local premises to visit. The room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online; in-person sessions suit only 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 Exeter
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Exeter, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Devon County Council's alcohol and drug 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.
Exeter questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Exeter: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Exeter?
Yes. I work with people right across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay 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.
In a city like Exeter, will an addiction counsellor keep things confidential?
Yes. Sessions are held by secure video with no local waiting room, so nobody in the city need know you are attending. You take them privately from home. The counselling room is in Hove, meaning Exeter is served online rather than in person.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Exeter?
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 Exeter, from St Thomas to Heavitree, you can begin without waiting for a local referral.
What are your fees, and how do they compare with NHS support in Exeter?
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 Exeter, through your GP or services around the Royal Devon and Exeter 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 Exeter?
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 Exeter near the quay, and I keep some later appointments for busy weeks.
I'm a student at the University of Exeter. Can we work together online?
Yes. Online sessions fit around lectures and deadlines and can be taken from your accommodation without travelling across the city. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet by secure video wherever you are in Exeter.
I work at the Met Office or the hospital and keep irregular hours. Does that fit?
It does. Online sessions can be arranged around shifts and long days, so you are not tied to a set commute. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove, meaning Exeter is served online rather than in person.
Online Addiction Counselling in Exeter, 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: Plymouth, Torquay, Taunton. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Exeter: 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.