Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Derby
Online Substance Use Counselling in Derby
Online substance use counselling for Derby, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Derby, from the Cathedral Quarter and the centre to the streets around the Silk Mill, 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 Derby
Substance Use Counselling for Derby, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Derby: from the Cathedral Quarter and the centre to Littleover, Mickleover and Allenton
- Known for
- The cathedral, the Silk Mill and the river Derwent
- Region
- Midlands (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 Derby
Why people in Derby reach out
Derby is an engineering city built around firms like Rolls-Royce and the railways, and so much of its wellbeing is tied to a few big employers and the security of skilled work. The pressure of shift patterns, restructuring and a city on the edge of the Peak yet far from the coast can leave people stretched.
Derby is an engineering city through and through. Rolls-Royce, the Alstom train works and Toyota nearby anchor a proud tradition of skilled making, and the Silk Mill, reborn as the Museum of Making, marks it as one of the birthplaces of the factory. The Cathedral Quarter and the Derwent give the centre its character, while Littleover, Mickleover and Chaddesden are home to many who work in those industries. With the Peak District on the doorstep yet the sea far off, life here can feel tied to a few big employers. When shift patterns, restructuring or uncertainty start to weigh, a confidential hour to think can help steady things.
Where the old industries have gone and there is a strong culture of just getting on with things, online keeps support discreet and within reach however stretched the week.
Derby is a major aerospace and rail engineering city: Rolls-Royce has a large civil aerospace presence here, the University of Derby and the Royal Derby Hospital are based in the city, and Toyota's UK car plant is nearby at Burnaston.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Derby
Cathedral QuarterLittleoverMickleoverAllentonChaddesdenAlvastonNormantonSpondonOakwoodSinfin
Wherever you are in Derby, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Derby
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Derby are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 7.7 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).
7 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.
Derby sits on the Midland Main Line, with fast trains to London St Pancras and easy links to Nottingham, Leicester and the north, while the A38, A52 and the M1 nearby carry the daily traffic. Buses run in from Mickleover and Chaddesden. For online counselling none of this is needed. The consulting room is in Hove and Derby is served by video, so you can meet from a private space at home rather than fitting a journey around shift work.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Derby 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 Derby
Why people in Derby come for substance use counselling
In a city built around skilled manufacturing, substances can become a private way to manage the pressure of shift work, job insecurity or a life that can feel tied to the factory gates. What begins as unwinding can gradually become something you plan your days around. Bradley Riddell offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to look at your substance use and what lies beneath it, at a pace that suits you. He works from Hove and sees Derby online, so from Littleover to Chaddesden to the Cathedral Quarter, you meet by video from home rather than fitting another journey into a demanding week.
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 Derby
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Derby, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Derby City Council's drugs advice and 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.
Derby questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Derby: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Derby?
Yes. I work with people right across Derby, from the Cathedral Quarter and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in Midlands, 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.
Do you have a room in Derby for substance use sessions?
No, the consulting room is in Hove, so Derby is served online. For people working long or rotating shifts across the city's engineering firms, meeting by video from home often proves easier than travelling. You need only a private space and a reliable connection.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Derby?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Derby is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then your first session is booked around your pattern, whether you work days, nights or rotating shifts.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Derby?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Derby's NHS drug services are free but often stretched, whereas private sessions offer earlier appointments and continuity with the same counsellor throughout.
Is substance use counselling online, and can it fit shift work in Derby?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Derby is served by video, so there is no travel from Littleover or Spondon. Appointments can often be set outside standard hours, which tends to suit people on rotas at the big plants across the city.
I work shifts at one of the big plants, can sessions fit around that?
Yes. Because everything is online, appointment times can often be arranged outside standard office hours, which tends to suit people on rotating shifts at Rolls-Royce, Toyota or across the city's engineering firms. It is worth raising the times that work for your pattern.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Derby, 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 Midlands: Nottingham, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Derby: 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.