Online Addiction Counselling · Swansea

Online Addiction Counselling in Swansea

Online addiction counselling for Swansea, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Swansea, from the centre and the marina to the streets around the bay, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor offering online addiction counselling for Swansea, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Swansea

Addiction Counselling for Swansea, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Swansea: from the centre and the marina to Uplands, Sketty and Morriston
Known for
The bay, the marina and the Gower beyond
Region
Wales (Wales)
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 Swansea

Why people in Swansea reach out

Swansea curves around its bay beside the Gower peninsula, a city of real beauty that also carries the marks of industrial decline. A large student population, insecure work and pockets of deep deprivation all shape what people here carry, beneath the easy access to wild coast.

Swansea, Abertawe in Welsh, was once known as Copperopolis, the world's leading centre for copper smelting, and the heritage of that industry still lines the Lower Swansea Valley. The city curves around its bay towards Mumbles and the Gower peninsula, designated the very first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Britain. It was here, in the Uplands, that Dylan Thomas was born, and the city keeps his memory in its festivals and trails. Modern Swansea blends a working port and a marina with two university campuses at Singleton and on the seafront. Districts such as Morriston, home of the famous male voice choir, and Sketty each hold their own identity, while Wind Street, the market and the Kardomah keep the city sociable.

Swansea University's Singleton and Bay campusesthe historic maritime quarter and marinaMorriston Hospitalthe Gower peninsula and its coastline

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.

Swansea is home to Swansea University (Singleton and Bay campuses) and Morriston Hospital under Swansea Bay University Health Board; the DVLA's headquarters is based at Morriston in the city.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Swansea

UplandsSkettyMorristonMumblesBrynmillTownhillSt ThomasLandoreGorseinonClydachKillayBonymaen

Wherever you are in Swansea, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Swansea

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Swansea are living with, and why local support matters.

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.

There are counsellors and NHS services within Swansea itself, and if you live out towards Gower or the western valleys, specialist face-to-face help can be a fair drive away. My practice is in Hove, on the south coast of England, so I do not see people in Swansea in person. I do offer confidential sessions by secure video across the whole of Wales and the UK, which removes the journey entirely and often makes it easier to keep going week to week.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online addiction counselling in Swansea can help

Alcohol

For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.

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 Swansea

Why people in Swansea come for addiction counselling

Swansea wraps around its bay with the Gower on its doorstep, yet for all that open coast, the pull of an addiction can leave life feeling very small and closed in. Whether the habit is a substance or a behaviour, it tends to narrow the world down to itself. My work is to help you understand that pattern and slowly widen things back out. I practise from Hove rather than Swansea, so we meet by secure video, which means that from Uplands, Sketty, Morriston or out towards Gower, help reaches you at home rather than at the end of a drive.

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 call

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Swansea

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Swansea, your GP can refer you to local NHS-funded drug and alcohol services, and you can find your nearest one via the NHS “find a service” directory.

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 press 2 for urgent mental health support. The CALL Helpline for Wales is free on 0800 132 737, and the Samaritans are on 116 123.

Swansea questions

Online Addiction Counselling in Swansea: common questions

Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Swansea?

Yes. I work with people right across Swansea, from the centre and the marina outwards, and anywhere else in Wales, 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 live out towards Gower, can we still work together?

Yes. Because sessions are held by secure video, how far you are from the city centre makes no difference. People along the Gower coast and in the villages work with me online just as easily as those near the marina, with no journey involved.

How soon can I start online addiction counselling in Swansea?

Usually within a week. After a free 15-minute consultation we book your first full session at a convenient time. Whether you are in the Uplands, Sketty or out towards Mumbles and Gower, sessions run by secure video, so there is no waiting list to join.

How do your fees compare with NHS addiction services in Swansea?

NHS substance misuse support through Swansea Bay health board and the free Dan 24/7 helpline costs nothing, though waits vary. My private sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, with a free 15-minute consultation and no waiting list.

Do you offer evening online addiction sessions in Swansea?

Yes. Many people around the marina and city centre work long hours, so I keep some evening slots. You meet me by secure video from home, whether in Brynmill or Morriston, which means no drive across the bay once the working day is done.

I live out on Gower, can we still work together?

Yes. Because sessions are held by secure video, where you live in relation to Swansea makes no difference. People along the Gower coast and in the villages work with me online just as easily as those in the city centre.

Are you based in Swansea?

No, my practice is in Hove. I am not able to meet anyone in Swansea face to face, but I work with people right across the bay and the wider region by video, wherever in Wales you happen to be.

Online Addiction Counselling in Swansea, 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 Wales: Neath, Llanelli, Cardiff. See all of Wales.

All counselling & therapy in Swansea: 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.