Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Bath
Online Substance Use Counselling in Bath
Online substance use counselling for Bath, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Bath, from the Georgian centre and the river to the streets around the Roman Baths, 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 Bath
Substance Use Counselling for Bath, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Bath: from the Georgian centre and the river to Widcombe, Oldfield Park and Twerton
- Known for
- The Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent and the Abbey
- 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 Bath
Why people in Bath reach out
Behind Bath's honey-stone elegance and World Heritage streets sit a high cost of living and a large student population, and the pressure to match the city's polished image can make struggle feel out of place. Tourism and term times set a restless rhythm that can leave residents feeling oddly unsettled in such a beautiful place.
Bath lives with the crowds. Coaches and day-trippers pour towards the Roman Baths and the Royal Crescent while residents get on with ordinary life in Oldfield Park and Twerton, where the honey-stone gives way to something plainer. The universities send students up the steep hill to Claverton and into shared houses across the city, and the Royal United Hospital keeps its own long shifts running. Rents track the World Heritage postcard rather than local pay, and the hills that make Bath beautiful also make it tiring to get around. In a place so used to being admired, admitting that things feel heavy can seem out of step, which is exactly when a private, unhurried conversation helps.
In a well-heeled town the pressure to look in control runs high, so online sessions stay discreet, with no clinic to be seen entering.
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage city and home to the University of Bath and Bath Spa University; its main acute hospital is the Royal United Hospital (RUH Bath NHS Foundation Trust).
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Bath
WidcombeOldfield ParkTwertonBathwickLarkhallWestonCombe DownBear FlatBatheastonOdd Down
Wherever you are in Bath, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Bath
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Bath are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 6.7 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).
4.9 adults per 1,000 were in treatment at specialist drug-misuse services in 2020/21, above the England average of 4.5 per 1,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Adults in treatment at specialist drug misuse services (2020/21).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
The substance use counselling itself
Substance use counselling here is non-judgemental and one-to-one, working with the pain, fear or loneliness the substance has been managing, at a pace that protects your sense of safety.
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 substance use 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.
Bath is compact but steep, with GWR trains from Bath Spa towards Bristol and London and park-and-ride buses easing the pinch on the centre. The hills and the tourist traffic can still make even a short journey wearing. Secure online sessions take the trip out of it, so we can meet from somewhere quiet at home. The room is in Hove, meaning Bath is served online; in-person visits suit only those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Bath can help
The false self
Letting go of the protective self that no longer serves you.
Specialised attention
One-to-one sessions shaped entirely around you.
Self-discovery
Rediscovering the authentic self beneath the coping.
Anxiety and low mood
Treating what the substance has been masking.
Sustainable change
Growing into recovery rather than forcing it.
Substance Use Counselling in Bath
Why people in Bath come for substance use counselling
With two universities sending students up the hill and the polished pace of a World Heritage city, substance use in Bath can stay well hidden beneath the postcard surface. Something that began socially, or as a way to keep going through demanding studies or shift work at the hospital, can quietly become harder to step back from. Counselling gives you a private, non-judgemental space to understand the pattern and what sits underneath it. We meet by secure video, so the hills and tourist crowds are no obstacle. The room is in Hove, meaning Bath is served online, with in-person visits 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 Bath
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Bath, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Bath and North East Somerset Council's drug and alcohol 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.
Bath questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Bath: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Bath?
Yes. I work with people right across Bath, from the Georgian centre and the river 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.
Can I get support while I'm still using?
Yes. This is non-judgemental, one-to-one work that meets you where you are, and it can run alongside any medical or detox support you have.
How is this different from a group or 12-step programme?
It is individual and shaped entirely around you. Some people use it instead of groups, others alongside them.
Will you tell my GP or employer?
No. What you share is confidential within the BACP framework; nothing goes to anyone else without your consent.
I study at Bath and use substances to cope with pressure. Can we work online?
Yes. Secure video sessions save the climb to campus and fit around a busy timetable, taken privately from your accommodation. We look together at what the substance is doing for you. The counselling room is in Hove, so Bath is served online.
Can I begin substance use counselling online in Bath this week?
Often yes. After a short message we set up a free 15-minute call, then arrange your first session, frequently within the same week. Because we meet online, you can talk from home anywhere in Bath, whether that is Twerton, Bathwick or Larkhall, with no waiting list to join.
How much does private substance use counselling cost compared with NHS options in Bath?
I charge £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, and the initial 15-minute consultation is free. NHS drug services and GP referrals in Bath are free of charge but often have waits, while private sessions can start quickly and stay flexible around you.
Do you offer evening online sessions for substance use counselling in Bath?
I hold some appointments later in the day, which helps if you work shifts or long hours around Bath. Sessions are online, so you join from wherever feels private, from Weston to Combe Down. In-person work is only at my Hove room, for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
I study at the University of Bath or Bath Spa University. Can we meet online?
Yes. Online sessions save the climb up the hill to campus and fit around a busy timetable, taken from wherever you feel private. The counselling room is in Hove, so Bath is served by secure video rather than in person unless you can reach the Sussex coast.
The hills and the tourist crowds make getting around Bath tiring. Does that matter?
No. Meeting online means you never have to cross the centre or manage the steep streets to attend. We speak by secure video from somewhere quiet at home. The room is in Hove, so in-person visits suit only those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Bath, 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: Bristol, Swindon. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Bath: Addiction · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same substance use counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.