Alcohol
For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.
Online Addiction Counselling · Poole
Online Addiction Counselling in Poole
Online addiction counselling for Poole, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Poole, from the quay and the old town to the streets around the harbour, 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 Poole
Addiction Counselling for Poole, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Poole: from the quay and the old town to Branksome, Parkstone and Canford Heath
- Known for
- The harbour, Sandbanks and the quay
- 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 Poole
Why people in Poole reach out
Poole blends one of the world's largest natural harbours and the wealth of Sandbanks with ordinary towns where life is a good deal harder. That contrast can make struggle feel isolating, and the seasonal, tourism-shaped economy adds its own uncertainty.
Poole is a town of contrasts held together by its harbour. On Sandbanks, some of the most expensive homes in the country look across the water, while a short way inland streets in Hamworthy and Oakdale live on ordinary means. The quay mixes pleasure boats with the working port and the ferries to France and the Channel Islands, and Sunseeker's yards build superyachts along the same shore where the RNLI trains its crews. Tourism swells the summers and quietens the winters. That gap between the glossy waterfront and everyday life can make struggle feel isolating, as though everyone else is doing fine. A confidential space, with no need to keep up appearances, can lift a good deal of that weight.
Where work follows shifts and the rhythm of the docks, online sessions bend around unsociable hours rather than asking you to fit your life around them.
Poole sits on one of the world's largest natural harbours and is home to the RNLI's national headquarters and luxury boat-builder Sunseeker; NHS acute services are provided by University Hospitals Dorset.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Poole
BranksomeParkstoneCanford HeathSandbanksHamworthyBroadstoneOakdaleCreekmoorLilliput
Wherever you are in Poole, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Poole
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Poole are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 315.3 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 11.5 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.
Poole has a South Western Railway line to Bournemouth and London Waterloo, the A31 and A35 linking it to the wider county, and the Sandbanks chain ferry across the harbour mouth, though summer traffic can bring it all to a crawl. Secure online sessions avoid the journey entirely, so we can meet from somewhere quiet at home. The consulting room is in Hove, meaning Poole is served online; in-person sessions suit only those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Poole 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 Poole
Why people in Poole come for addiction counselling
The gap in Poole between the glossy waterfront and everyday life can make struggle feel isolating, as though everyone else is doing fine, and an addiction is easy to hide when you are busy keeping up appearances. Whether the pressure comes from the seasonal, tourism-shaped economy or from ordinary life inland, a habit can take hold quietly. Counselling offers a confidential space with no need to keep up any front. Sessions are held by secure video; the consulting room is in Hove, so Poole is served online, with in-person appointments only for 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 Poole
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Poole, free local drug and alcohol support is available through BCP Council's drug and alcohol support services.
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.
Poole questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Poole: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Poole?
Yes. I work with people right across Poole, from the quay and the old town 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.
There's a big gap in Poole between Sandbanks and everywhere else. Does that come up?
It often does. Feeling that everyone around you is doing fine, when you are not, can be isolating, and it is something we can explore alongside the habit itself. Sessions are held online by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Poole?
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 Poole, from Branksome to Parkstone, you can begin without waiting for a local referral.
What are your fees, and how do they compare with NHS support in Poole?
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 Poole, through your GP or services around Poole 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 Poole?
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 Poole near the quay, and I keep some later appointments for busy weeks.
There's a big gap in Poole between Sandbanks and everywhere else. Does that come up?
It often does. Feeling that everyone around you is doing fine, when you are not, can be isolating, and it is something we can explore. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
I work on the harbour or in tourism and my hours are seasonal. Can sessions adapt?
Yes. Because we meet online, appointments can be arranged around the busy summers and quieter winters of harbour and resort work. We speak by secure video. The room is in Hove, so Poole is served online rather than in person.
Online Addiction Counselling in Poole, 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: Bournemouth. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Poole: 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.