Daily or binge drinking
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Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Poole
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Poole
Online counselling for drinking problems 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
Counselling for Drinking Problems 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
- Local council drug & alcohol service (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Poole
Why people in Poole reach out
Poole blends one of the world's largest natural harbours and the wealth of Sandbanks with ordinary towns where life is a good deal harder. That contrast can make struggle feel isolating, and the seasonal, tourism-shaped economy adds its own uncertainty.
Poole is a town of contrasts held together by its harbour. On Sandbanks, some of the most expensive homes in the country look across the water, while a short way inland streets in Hamworthy and Oakdale live on ordinary means. The quay mixes pleasure boats with the working port and the ferries to France and the Channel Islands, and Sunseeker's yards build superyachts along the same shore where the RNLI trains its crews. Tourism swells the summers and quietens the winters. That gap between the glossy waterfront and everyday life can make struggle feel isolating, as though everyone else is doing fine. A confidential space, with no need to keep up appearances, can lift a good deal of that weight.
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.
Poole sits on one of the world's largest natural harbours and is home to the RNLI's national headquarters and luxury boat-builder Sunseeker; NHS acute services are provided by University Hospitals Dorset.
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
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Poole are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions was 621 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 611.7 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Admission episodes for alcohol-specific conditions (2023/24).
the alcohol-specific death rate was 15.6 per 100,000 in 2024, above the England average of 13.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Alcohol-specific mortality (2024).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
The counselling for drinking problems itself
Counselling for drinking problems here looks beneath the habit at what drives it, you do not need to have hit rock bottom to begin, and signposts medical, detox and peer support where useful.
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 counselling for drinking problems 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.
Poole has a South Western Railway line to Bournemouth and London Waterloo, the A31 and A35 linking it to the wider county, and the Sandbanks chain ferry across the harbour mouth, though summer traffic can bring it all to a crawl. Secure online sessions avoid the journey entirely, so we can meet from somewhere quiet at home. The consulting room is in Hove, meaning Poole is served online; in-person sessions suit only those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online counselling for drinking problems in Poole can help
The cause, not the habit
Looking beneath the drinking to what drives it.
Anxiety and low mood
Working with what the alcohol has been managing.
Privacy at home
Sensitive support without anyone needing to know.
Signposting
Links to medical, detox and peer support where useful.
Without the anaesthetic
Reconnecting with the person beneath the drinking.
Counselling for Drinking Problems in Poole
Why people in Poole come for counselling for drinking problems
In a harbour town like Poole, sociable summers and the quiet stretches between them can both feed a growing reliance on alcohol, while the gap between the moneyed waterfront and ordinary life makes struggle feel like something to hide. When you feel you should be doing fine, admitting a drinking problem is hard. Counselling offers an unhurried, confidential hour to look at your drinking honestly, with no front to keep up. Sessions are by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Poole is served online, with in-person visits only for those who can 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 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.
Poole questions
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Poole: common questions
Can I get online counselling for drinking problems if I live in Poole?
Yes. I work with people right across Poole, from the quay and the old town 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 stop drinking completely to start?
No, and you do not need to have hit rock bottom. We look at the role drinking plays and find a steadier way forward at your pace.
Can you help me cut down rather than quit?
For many people moderation is a valid goal, and we will be honest together about what is realistic for you.
What if I've tried before and relapsed?
Relapse is part of many people's recovery, not a failure. We learn from it rather than start the count again from zero.
I feel I should be coping in Poole, so admitting a drinking problem is hard. Can counselling help?
Yes. A confidential space with no need to keep up appearances is exactly where this can be looked at honestly. We meet online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, so Poole is served online.
How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem in Poole?
Usually within days. We start with a free 15-minute consultation to see whether we are a good fit, then book your first full session. It is all online, so you can begin from anywhere in Poole, from Creekmoor to Lilliput, without joining a local waiting list.
What will drinking problem counselling cost, and is NHS help available in Poole?
My fees are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120 minutes, after a free 15-minute consultation. NHS alcohol support in Poole, through your GP or Poole Hospital, is free but can mean a wait, whereas private online sessions with me are paced around you.
Is online drinking problem counselling private, and can we meet in the evening in Poole?
Yes. Online sessions are discreet, and you speak from home rather than a clinic anywhere in Poole, including Branksome or Parkstone. I offer some evening slots for after work. My only in-person room is in Hove, so face-to-face suits those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
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. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
I work on the harbour or in tourism and my hours are seasonal. Can sessions adapt?
Yes. Because we meet online, appointments can be arranged around the busy summers and quieter winters of harbour and resort work. We speak by secure video. The room is in Hove, so Poole is served online rather than in person.
Online Counselling for Drinking Problems 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.
All counselling & therapy in Poole: Addiction · Substance Use · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same counselling for drinking problems is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.