Alcohol
For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.
Online Addiction Counselling · Torquay
Online Addiction Counselling in Torquay
Online addiction counselling for Torquay, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Torquay, from the harbour and seafront to the streets around the English Riviera, 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 Torquay
Addiction Counselling for Torquay, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Torquay: from the harbour and seafront to Babbacombe, St Marychurch and Chelston
- Known for
- The harbour, the seafront and the English Riviera
- 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 Torquay
Why people in Torquay reach out
Torquay is the heart of the English Riviera, but behind the palm trees the bay carries seasonal, insecure work and some of the sharpest deprivation in the South West. When the summer crowds leave, the quiet months can feel long, and good local support is not always close at hand.
Torquay lives by its seasons. Through the summer the harbour, the marina and the beaches at Babbacombe fill with visitors, and the hotels and cafes along the front take on staff to match. When autumn comes the crowds thin, the seasonal contracts end, and the bay settles into long quiet months. Away from the palm-lined seafront, neighbourhoods such as Ellacombe and Watcombe carry real hardship, and Torbay Hospital serves an older-than-average population strung along the coast. The town's Agatha Christie heritage and Riviera charm draw people to visit and to retire, yet that same transience can leave others feeling adrift. When the winter feels long, a steady, confidential conversation can be an anchor.
A seaside town can feel cut off once the season ends and the front goes quiet, so online support that does not depend on who happens to practise nearby matters here.
Torquay is the principal resort of the English Riviera on Tor Bay and the birthplace of Agatha Christie; Torbay Hospital (Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust) serves the area.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Torquay
BabbacombeSt MarychurchChelstonEllacombeWellswoodCockingtonShiphayTorreWatcombe
Wherever you are in Torquay, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Torquay
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Torquay are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (narrow definition) was 672.3 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 4.6 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.
Torquay sits on a branch line from Newton Abbot, with the A380 the main road in, and both can clog badly through the summer season. For a bay strung out along the coast, getting about is not always easy. Secure online sessions remove the journey completely, letting us meet from somewhere private at home. The room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online; in-person appointments are only practical for those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online addiction counselling in Torquay 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 Torquay
Why people in Torquay come for addiction counselling
Torquay lives by its seasons, and when the summer crowds thin and the seasonal contracts end, the long quiet months can leave people adrift, which is exactly when a habit can take a firmer grip. Behind the palm-lined seafront, real hardship in neighbourhoods away from the front adds to the strain. Counselling offers a steady, confidential conversation to anchor to, with no journey to make. Sessions are held by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Torquay 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 Torquay
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Torquay, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Torbay Council's drugs 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.
Torquay questions
Online Addiction Counselling in Torquay: common questions
Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Torquay?
Yes. I work with people right across Torquay, from the harbour and seafront 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.
The bay can feel isolating, especially in winter. Can regular sessions help?
They can. A steady, confidential conversation offers a fixed point through the long off-season, whatever else is changing around you. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
How soon can I start addiction counselling in Torquay?
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 Torquay, from Babbacombe to St Marychurch, you can begin without waiting for a local referral.
What are your fees, and how do they compare with NHS support in Torquay?
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 Torquay, through your GP or services around Torbay 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 Torquay?
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 Torquay near the harbour, and I keep some later appointments for busy weeks.
My work in Torquay is seasonal and my hours change. Can counselling fit around that?
Yes. Online sessions can be arranged around shifting hospitality and tourism hours, and continued through the quieter winter months when the crowds have gone. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online rather than in person.
The bay can feel isolating, especially in winter. Can regular sessions help with that?
They can. A steady, confidential conversation offers a fixed point through the long off-season, whatever else is changing around you. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
Online Addiction Counselling in Torquay, 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: Exeter, Plymouth. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Torquay: 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.