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Online Addiction Counselling · Stockport
Online Addiction Counselling in Stockport
Online addiction counselling for Stockport, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Stockport, from the centre and the old town to the streets around the viaduct, 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 Stockport
Addiction Counselling for Stockport, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Stockport: from the centre and the old town to Heaton Moor, Reddish, Bramhall and Cheadle
- Known for
- The viaduct, the hat works and the river Mersey
- Region
- North West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS drug & alcohol service finder (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Stockport
What brings people in Stockport to counselling?
Stockport is two towns wearing one name. There are the leafy, settled streets of Bramhall, Heaton Moor and Marple, and there are the harder edges around Edgeley and Reddish, and the commuter link into Manchester threads through both. Long days at the other end of a train leave people arriving home late with nothing left, and the habit that meets them at the door is easy to justify. Addiction here is often high-functioning and well concealed. A good address is not protection; it is cover. Behind a well-kept front in Cheadle or Hazel Grove, the drinking, the betting or the tablets can carry on undisturbed for years, because nothing about the outside suggests anyone should ask.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Stockport
the town centre and old townHeaton MoorReddishBramhallCheadleCheadle HulmeMarpleEdgeleyHazel Grove
Wherever you are in Stockport, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Stockport
Official figures for Stockport, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 467.8 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 7.2 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 actually happens in addiction counselling?
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 method travels; only the geography changes. the main addiction counselling page explains it properly, how I work answers the practical questions, and how to check my registration shows how the practice is held to account.
How does meeting by video work in practice?
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 and there is no room in Stockport, so sessions run by secure video. For commuters that is the difference between fitting counselling in and abandoning the idea: no extra journey at either end of an already long day. The hour can be taken before the train, after the train, or from a room at home once the house is quiet. Nothing appears locally and nobody has to be told.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does addiction counselling address?
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 Stockport
Why people in Stockport come for addiction counselling
Addiction counselling in Stockport covers alcohol, drugs, prescribed medication, gambling and the compulsive habits that get called something else. The borough's alcohol harm is considerable: hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions were 847.6 per 100,000 in 2023/24, well above the England average of 611.7 per 100,000. Affluence does not keep those figures down, it just keeps them quiet. The work does not require you to have decided anything. It looks at what the habit is doing, what it stands in for, and what would have to be different for the end of the day to be survivable without it. Mosaic, the drug and alcohol service run through Stockport Council, and the NHS 'find a service' directory are the routes to assessment and structured treatment. Counselling sits beside them and duplicates nothing they do.
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 Stockport
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “Stockport”).
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.
Stockport questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Stockport: common questions
I commute into Manchester and my days are already twelve hours. Where would this go?
Either side of the commute, usually. An early slot before you leave, or one at the end of the evening once the household has settled, are the two that tend to survive contact with a long working day. The time is agreed in advance and can be changed if the job demands it.
Does gambling count as addiction here?
It does. Betting, gaming and compulsive spending are all part of this work, and they are often the ones people carry longest because there is no physical evidence. In a commuter town, a phone and a long train journey are all a betting habit needs to keep going undetected.
What is Mosaic?
Mosaic is the drug and alcohol service for Stockport, run through Stockport Council, and the NHS 'find a service' directory will also point you to what covers the area. It provides assessment, prescribing and structured treatment. Counselling is the private, reflective part and the two work perfectly well together.
What are the session costs?
Sixty minutes comes to £80, ninety minutes to £100 and two hours to £120, and the first 15-minute consultation carries no charge and no obligation. Payment is per session rather than in advance, so nothing is lost if work sends you away for a fortnight or the timing turns out to be wrong.
Nobody around me would believe I have a problem. Does that matter?
It matters in the sense that it makes things lonelier, not in the sense that it makes you wrong. High-functioning habits are the hardest to name precisely because the evidence points the other way. What you know about your own week counts for more than what the neighbours would guess.
I already commute into Manchester all day. Can sessions fit around that?
Yes. Working online means we can meet early, late or from home on a non-office day, without adding another journey to your week. You save the travel time entirely and speak from somewhere private, which most Stockport commuters find far easier to keep up.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Stockport online?
Usually within a week. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then book your first session by secure video or phone. I work from Hove and see people across Stockport online, from Heaton Moor to Bramhall, so there is no commute and no waiting list to join.
How do your fees compare with NHS addiction help in Stockport?
Free drug and alcohol support in Stockport runs through the NHS drug and alcohol service finder, linked further down this page. With me it is a free 15-minute consultation first, then £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120.
I commute into Manchester; can addiction sessions fit around that, online?
Yes. My room is in Hove, so Stockport sessions are all online, with no extra journey. We can use an early slot before the train, a lunch break or an evening once you are home, and keep it a steady point in your week.
Online Addiction Counselling in Stockport, 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 North West: Manchester, Oldham. See all of North West.
People who come for addiction counselling in Stockport often also look at substance use counselling, counselling for drinking problems and trauma counselling.
If you would like to read more first, I have written about a cognitive-restructuring exercise for compulsive behaviour and the four-stage cycle of addiction.
If you can reach the south coast, this work is also done face to face in Hove, where the room is — all in-person areas are listed here.