Alcohol
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Online Addiction Counselling · Plymouth
Online Addiction Counselling in Plymouth
Online addiction counselling for Plymouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe to the streets around the Sound, 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 Plymouth
Addiction Counselling for Plymouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Plymouth: from the Barbican and the Hoe to Devonport, Stonehouse and Mutley
- Known for
- Plymouth Hoe, the Barbican and the Sound
- 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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth reach out
Plymouth is a proud ocean city and naval base set far out in the South West, and that remoteness cuts both ways. The forces presence brings deployments and frequent moves, the dockyard economy brings shift work and uncertainty, and the distance from other cities can leave people feeling isolated when times are hard.
Plymouth faces the sea and keeps working. Devonport's dockyard walls run for miles, and the naval base shapes the rhythm of the whole city, with families braced around deployments and postings that come and go. Sailors and dockyard workers share the Barbican's cobbled quay with fishing crews, while students from the university fill the streets above the Hoe. Out at Derriford the hospital never really stops. The city sits a long way down the line, with Dartmoor at its back and the Tamar marking the Cornish border, and that distance can feel like isolation when things are hard. The naval habit of getting on with it runs deep, so a confidential space to speak plainly can matter here.
With deep forces connections, deployments and frequent moves leave their mark; online counselling travels with you and stays consistent through postings.
Plymouth hosts the University of Plymouth and Devonport Royal Dockyard (operated by Babcock), the largest naval base in Western Europe; acute care is provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust at Derriford Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Plymouth
DevonportStonehouseMutleythe BarbicanPeverellMannameadPlymptonPlymstockSt BudeauxEffordStoke
Wherever you are in Plymouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Plymouth
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Plymouth are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 434.8 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 5.9 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.
Plymouth sits at the far end of a long rail line, with GWR trains to Exeter, Bristol and London, the A38 running east, and ferries across the Tamar and out to France and Spain. That remoteness can make reaching support elsewhere a real undertaking. Secure online sessions close the distance completely, so we meet by video without anyone travelling. The consulting room is in Hove; Plymouth is served online, with in-person appointments only for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Plymouth 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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth come for addiction counselling
Plymouth's naval habit of getting on with it runs deep, and that stoicism can make admitting to an addiction feel like a kind of failure. Amid the strain of deployments, the uncertainty of dockyard work and the sense of sitting a long way down the line, a habit can take hold before anyone close would guess. Counselling offers a confidential space to speak plainly about it, with no journey to make from the far South West. Sessions are held by secure video; the consulting room is in Hove, so Plymouth is served online, with in-person appointments only for those who can 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 Plymouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Plymouth, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Plymouth City Council's substance misuse 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.
Plymouth questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Plymouth: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Plymouth?
Yes. I work with people right across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe 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.
I'm connected to the naval base and worried about a habit. Can this stay private?
Yes. Sessions are held by secure video and are wholly confidential, which many forces families value. Nothing needs to go through the base. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet online wherever you are stationed around Plymouth.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Plymouth?
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 Plymouth, from Devonport to Stonehouse, you can begin without waiting for a local referral.
What are your fees, and how do they compare with NHS support in Plymouth?
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 Plymouth, through your GP or services around Derriford 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 Plymouth?
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 Plymouth near the Hoe, and I keep some later appointments for busy weeks.
I'm serving with, or connected to, the naval base at Devonport. Can this stay private?
Yes. Sessions are held by secure video and are completely confidential, which many forces families value during deployments and postings. Nothing needs to go through the base. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet online wherever you are stationed.
Plymouth feels a long way from everywhere. Is that a problem for counselling?
Not at all. Because we meet online, the distance down the line makes no difference and there is no journey to make. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, so Plymouth is served by secure video rather than in person.
Online Addiction Counselling in Plymouth, 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: Exeter, Torquay. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Plymouth: 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.