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Online Addiction Counselling · Oxford
Online Addiction Counselling in Oxford
Online addiction counselling for Oxford, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Oxford, from the city centre and Jericho to the streets around the dreaming spires, 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 Oxford
Addiction Counselling for Oxford, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Oxford: from the city centre and Jericho to Cowley, Headington and Summertown
- Known for
- The dreaming spires, the Cherwell and the colleges
- 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 Oxford
Why people in Oxford reach out
Oxford carries an intensity all of its own. The academic calendar runs at a relentless pitch, and the expectation to perform, whether you are a student, an academic or working in one of the research and hospital institutions, can leave little space to admit you are struggling. Behind the postcard architecture, perfectionism and burnout are common companions.
Oxford holds two lives at once: the colleges and libraries of the University and Oxford Brookes, and the working city of Cowley, with the car plant, the John Radcliffe and the research and hospital campuses at Headington. Term time sets a demanding tempo for students and staff alike, while people in Jericho, Summertown and out towards Botley juggle high housing costs with jobs in academia, medicine and publishing. Beneath the honey-stone calm there is a lot of quiet striving. The pressure to keep achieving, to appear to be coping, can make it hard to say when you are not, and having somewhere impartial to be honest, away from the college or the department, can bring real relief.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Oxford is dominated by the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (John Radcliffe Hospital), and the BMW Mini plant at Cowley is a major local employer.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Oxford
JerichoCowleyHeadingtonSummertownBotleyMarstonIffleyRose HillWolvercote
Wherever you are in Oxford, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Oxford
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Oxford are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 413.8 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 2.9 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.
Oxford's coach and rail links point mostly towards London, and getting to counselling elsewhere would mean giving up hours you may not have during term. Online sessions sidestep that entirely, fitting between lectures, clinics or shifts from wherever you are. The practice room is in Hove, an option if you can travel down to the Sussex coast for an in-person meeting, but for people in Oxford the work is done securely online around the academic week.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Oxford 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 Oxford
Why people in Oxford come for addiction counselling
Oxford carries an intensity all its own, whether you are a student under the weight of term, an academic, or working the wards at the John Radcliffe. Behind the honey-stone calm, an addiction can take hold quietly, masked by the pressure to keep achieving and to look as though you are coping. Naming it out loud, away from the college or the department, can be the hardest and most useful step. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor whose room is in Hove, so there is no counselling room in town to walk into and no risk of passing someone you know. We work at whatever pace feels safe.
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 Oxford
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Oxford, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Oxfordshire 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.
Oxford questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Oxford: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Oxford?
Yes. I work with people right across Oxford, from the city centre and Jericho 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 am a student and worried about being seen using support during term.
Online sessions keep things discreet. You join from your room or another private space, with no counselling room in town to enter and no chance of passing someone you know on the way. Many students find that privacy makes it far easier to start.
How soon can I start online addiction counselling in Oxford during term?
Usually within a week. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then we find a slot that fits between lectures, clinics or shifts. Because the sessions are online, there is no travel and no waiting list, so students and staff around Jericho, Cowley or Headington can begin without losing hours to term-time demands.
What does addiction counselling cost in Oxford, and can the university or NHS cover it?
This is a private practice: £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. Separately, your college or student welfare team, your GP, and Oxfordshire's council-funded drug and alcohol service all offer support, the NHS route being free and open to self-referral.
Is Oxford addiction counselling online, and can it work around the academic calendar?
Yes, it is online, which sidesteps the coach and rail links that mostly point at London and would cost you hours in term. Sessions fit around teaching, research or hospital shifts, evenings included. The room is in Hove if you can travel down to the Sussex coast for an in-person meeting.
I am a student and worried about being seen using support during term.
Online sessions keep things discreet. You join from your room or another private space, with no counselling room in town to walk into and no chance of passing someone you know on the way. Many students find that privacy makes it far easier to start.
Can sessions work around a hospital or research shift pattern at Headington?
Yes. Because nothing needs travelling to, we can settle on times that fit around clinical or lab rotas, including quieter parts of the day. If a shift changes we can be flexible, which is harder to manage with in-person appointments across the city.
Online Addiction Counselling in Oxford, 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: Reading, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, London. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Oxford: 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.