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Online Addiction Counselling · Southampton
Online Addiction Counselling in Southampton
Online addiction counselling for Southampton, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Southampton, from the city centre and Ocean Village to the streets around the waterfront, 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 Southampton
Addiction Counselling for Southampton, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Southampton: from the city centre and Ocean Village to Portswood, Shirley and Bitterne
- Known for
- The waterfront, the docks and the Common
- 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 Southampton
Why people in Southampton reach out
Southampton is a busy port and university city, and its rhythms can be unforgiving: shift work around the docks and the hospitals, a large student population far from home, and the churn of a place where people are always arriving and leaving. That constant motion can make it surprisingly hard to feel settled or to ask for help.
Southampton lives by the water, from the cruise terminals and container berths of the docks to the marinas of Ocean Village, and its working days run to the clock of shifts at the port, the hospitals and Southampton General. The University of Southampton and Solent University bring waves of students into Portswood, Highfield and the streets around Bevois Valley, many of them a long way from home for the first time. It is a city of constant arrival and departure, and that churn can make it surprisingly hard to feel settled. Between antisocial hours, money worries and the effort of putting down roots in a place always in motion, it is easy to keep going until something quietly gives.
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.
Southampton is a major port city (Port of Southampton cruise and container terminals), home to the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (Southampton General Hospital).
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Southampton
PortswoodShirleyBitterneWoolstonSt DenysBevois ValleyHighfieldMillbrookFreemantle
Wherever you are in Southampton, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Southampton
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Southampton are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 711.6 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 5.2 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.
Southampton's rhythms of shift work and study rarely fit neat office hours, which is where online sessions help: you can meet from home before or after a shift, with nothing to travel to across the city. The practice room is in Hove, a train along the coast if you would prefer to meet in person on the Sussex side, but for people in Southampton the sessions are held securely online, arranged around the docks, the hospital or the university term.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Southampton 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 Southampton
Why people in Southampton come for addiction counselling
Southampton lives by shifts and by comings and goings, from the docks and the cruise terminals to the wards of the General, and in all that motion an addiction can go unremarked for a long time. Antisocial hours, money worries and the effort of putting down roots in a city always moving on all make it easier to keep going until something quietly gives. Whatever has built up, we can look at it plainly. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor whose room is in Hove, so there is nothing to travel to across the city, whatever your hours. You join from home, before or after a shift, at a pace that is yours.
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 Southampton
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Southampton, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Southampton City Council's drug and alcohol 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.
Southampton questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Southampton: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Southampton?
Yes. I work with people right across Southampton, from the city centre and Ocean Village 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 work shifts around the docks and my hours change week to week. Can that work?
Yes. Since there is no appointment to travel to, we can set sessions to suit a rotating pattern and adjust when your shifts move. Many people in the port and warehouse economy find online counselling far easier to keep up than fixed in-person slots.
How soon can I start online addiction counselling in Southampton?
Usually within a week. After a free 15-minute consultation we agree a regular time, arranged around the docks, the hospital or the university term. Because sessions are online, there is nothing to travel to across the city and no local waiting list, so you can begin before or after a shift.
What does addiction counselling cost in Southampton, and is it on the NHS?
Privately, £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, after a free 15-minute consultation. For free NHS support, your GP can refer you and Southampton's council-funded drug and alcohol service accepts self-referrals, with student services also available if you are at university here.
I work shifts at the port. Are online sessions flexible enough for Southampton?
Yes. Shift work rarely fits office hours, which is exactly why online helps: you meet from home before or after a shift, with nothing to travel to across the city. Evenings and early slots are workable. The room is in Hove, a train along the coast, if you prefer meeting in person.
I work shifts around the docks and my hours change week to week. Can that work?
Yes. Since there is no appointment to travel to, we can set sessions to suit a rotating pattern and adjust when your shifts move. Many people working the port and warehouse economy find online counselling far easier to keep up than fixed in-person slots.
I'm a student here and feel homesick and out of place. Is that worth talking about?
It absolutely is, and it is one of the most common things students in Southampton raise. Being surrounded by people your own age does not always ease that feeling. Online sessions let you talk it through privately from your room, with nothing to walk into on campus.
Online Addiction Counselling in Southampton, 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: Portsmouth, Basingstoke. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Southampton: 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.