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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
- BCP Council's drug and alcohol support services
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Poole
Why people in Poole get in touch
Poole is two places on the same water. Sandbanks and Lilliput sit at one end of the scale, Hamworthy, Oakdale and Creekmoor at the other, and the harbour joins them without much conversation passing between. That contrast makes a private problem lonelier than it needs to be. If you live somewhere that looks like success, admitting to a habit feels like breaking a rule. If you live somewhere already assumed to be struggling, it feels like proving a point. Meanwhile the marine trades, the port and the seasonal work set an uneven rhythm of busy stretches and slack ones. Compulsions like slack time. They fill it before anything else can.
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
Official figures for Poole, for context rather than as a description of you.
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).
Reviewed June 2026.
What is addiction counselling, in practice?
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.
Rather than say the same thing on every page, the substance lives on the addiction counselling page, with how I work, sessions and fees for the practical questions and how to check my registration for registration and ethics.
What do I need for an online session?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
Bradley is in Hove, so Poole is covered online by secure video. Sessions fit into the day rather than taking it over: no drive round the harbour, no parking, no waiting area. That suits the uneven hours of marine and seasonal work, where a free hour turns up at odd times. It also means nobody sees you go anywhere. For something kept from the people you live with, that discretion is often what makes a first appointment possible.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What does addiction counselling help with?
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 word addiction covers more than most people assume. Gambling sits squarely inside it, and so do gaming, shopping, pornography and compulsive phone use, alongside drink and drugs. Each is a dependable way of altering how you feel, and each eventually charges for the service. The work is to understand the arrangement rather than condemn it: what it does, when it took hold, and what it now takes from money, sleep and the people around you. Local rates make the drug side hard to ignore. Deaths from drug misuse ran at 11.5 per 100,000 across 2022 to 2024, roughly twice the England average of 5.8, while alcohol-related hospital admissions were comparatively low at 315.3 per 100,000 in 2023/24. For statutory help, BCP Council's drug and alcohol support services leads to We Are With You, and Dorset Mind covers mental health more broadly.
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.
If you drink heavily or use drugs daily, do not stop suddenly on your own. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or a local drug and alcohol service first, and they can arrange a safe, medically supported withdrawal. Counselling works alongside that, not instead of it.
Poole questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Poole: common questions
How does a first appointment come about?
You get in touch and a free 15-minute call is arranged. Nothing is diagnosed and no paperwork is involved. If you want to continue, weekly sessions normally start within a week or two, and you are not joining a waiting list or asking anyone for a referral.
What are the fees, and what if work is seasonal?
Sixty minutes costs £80, 90 minutes costs £100, and two hours costs £120, after a free 15-minute conversation. Nothing is paid in advance. If the quiet months make weekly sessions unaffordable, you can pause and return rather than committing to a fixed number of weeks.
Does BCP Council's drug and alcohol support services cover this town too?
Yes, it covers the whole of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and it leads to We Are With You for treatment, harm reduction and prescribing at no cost. This is separate, private and weekly. Running both at once is normal and often the strongest combination.
Can sessions be held from a boat or a workplace?
Anywhere private with a decent signal will do. People take sessions from vans, from workplaces after hours, from cars and from bedrooms. What matters is being able to speak without being overheard for a full hour, and a connection that holds up long enough to be useful.
It is gambling, not drink or drugs. Does that belong here?
It belongs here completely. Betting leaves no physical trace, which is why it often runs for years before anybody finds out, and why the discovery tends to be financial. The shame attached is usually severe. None of it gets a raised eyebrow in this conversation.
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.
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.
Also available in Poole: substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
You may also find it useful to read about the four-stage cycle of addiction and the four Rs framework.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same addiction counselling is available in person, in Brighton, or see every area I cover.