Online Counselling for Drinking Problems · Swansea

Online Counselling for Drinking Problems in Swansea

Online counselling for drinking problems 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 counselling for drinking problems for Swansea, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Swansea

Counselling for Drinking Problems 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 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.

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 counselling for drinking problems in Swansea can help

Daily or binge drinking

Support whatever your pattern looks like.

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 Swansea

Why people in Swansea come for counselling for drinking problems

With its sociable centre and its rugby and choir traditions, Swansea is a place where a drink is woven into good times and hard ones alike. That can make it difficult to spot the point where alcohol shifts from pleasure to prop. My work gives you space to look at your drinking honestly, without shame or a lecture, and to decide what you want to change. I am Hove-based, so rather than a room in the city we meet by secure video, letting the conversation happen privately from home, whether you are in Brynmill, Morriston or out on Gower.

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 Counselling for Drinking Problems in Swansea: common questions

Can I get online counselling for drinking problems 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 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.

Do I need to want to give up drinking entirely?

Not at all. Some people want to stop, others to cut back or simply understand their drinking better. The goals are always yours. We start from where you are and work at your pace, by secure video, wherever you are in Swansea.

How quickly can I get help for a drinking problem in Swansea?

Often within days. We start with a free 15-minute consultation, then book your first full session. Because everything is online by secure video, wherever you are in Swansea, from Sketty to St Thomas, there is no queue and no journey across the bay to be seen.

What does drinking problem counselling cost compared with NHS help in Swansea?

NHS alcohol services through Swansea Bay health board and the free Dan 24/7 line cost nothing but can carry a wait. My fees are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, beginning with a free 15-minute consultation.

Are there evening online sessions for a drinking problem in Swansea?

Yes. Evenings, especially around a lively centre like Wind Street, are often when drinking feels hardest, so I keep some later slots. You meet me by secure video from home anywhere in Swansea, which keeps the work private and removes any travel at the end of the day.

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 Counselling for Drinking Problems 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: 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.