Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Dudley
Online Substance Use Counselling in Dudley
Online substance use counselling for Dudley, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Dudley, from the town centre and the castle to the streets around the Black Country Living Museum, 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 Dudley
Substance Use Counselling for Dudley, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Dudley: from the town centre and the castle to Brierley Hill, Sedgley and Netherton
- Known for
- Dudley Castle, the Black Country Living Museum and the Clent Hills
- 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 Dudley
Why people in Dudley reach out
Dudley sits at the heart of the Black Country, a town proud of its industrial roots and marked by their passing. Insecure work, health inequality and money worries weigh on people here, and there can be a strong pull to cope quietly rather than seek support.
Dudley sits at the very heart of the Black Country, a town proud of its industrial roots and shaped by their passing. Dudley Castle and its zoo look down from the hill, the Black Country Living Museum keeps the old ways alive just below, and the limestone caverns and canals tell the story of the trades that built the place. Brierley Hill's Merry Hill draws shoppers from across the region, while Sedgley, Netherton and Gornal keep their strong local character, with the Clent Hills green on the horizon. Insecure work, health inequality and money worries weigh on people here, and where the instinct is to cope quietly, a confidential space to talk can be a real support.
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.
Dudley is served by Russells Hall Hospital and is home to the Black Country Living Museum, at the historic heart of the Black Country.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Dudley
Brierley HillSedgleyNethertonGornalKingswinfordCoseleyQuarry BankLyeWoodsettonHolly Hall
Wherever you are in Dudley, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Dudley
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Dudley are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 5 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).
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.
Dudley has no mainstream railway station of its own, so buses and the road network do most of the work, with the M5 close by and the West Midlands Metro tram extension bringing new links towards Brierley Hill and Wednesbury. That car-and-bus reliance can make getting to appointments a chore. Online counselling avoids it. The room is in Hove and Dudley is served by video, so you can meet from home without travelling anywhere.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Dudley 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 Dudley
Why people in Dudley come for substance use counselling
Where money is tight, health is uneven and work is uncertain, substances can become a private way to manage the pressure, and in Dudley that is often carried without a word to anyone. What begins as something to take the edge off can slowly become part of your daily routine. Bradley Riddell offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to look at your substance use and what sits beneath it, at a pace that suits you. He works from Hove and sees Dudley online, so from Gornal to Kingswinford, you meet by video from home rather than travelling anywhere, and everything stays private.
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 Dudley
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Dudley, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Healthy Dudley's substance misuse 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.
Dudley questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Dudley: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Dudley?
Yes. I work with people right across Dudley, from the town centre and the castle 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.
How do I start substance use counselling from Dudley?
You simply get in touch to arrange a first session. Everything is online, so there is nothing to travel to. You will need a private space and a reliable connection, and the first meeting is a chance to talk over what is going on at your pace.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Dudley?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Dudley is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue and the car-and-bus reliance of getting about town. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then your first session is booked when it works.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Dudley?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Dudley's NHS drug services are free but often busy, whereas private sessions offer earlier appointments and the same counsellor each time.
Is substance use counselling online, and does that help without a station in Dudley?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Dudley is served by video, so there is no need to reach a station or drive across town. You meet from home in Brierley Hill or Gornal, which many find far easier, and evening slots can often be arranged.
There's no easy train from Dudley, does that matter for sessions?
Not at all. Because counselling is online, there is no need to reach a station or drive across town. You meet by video from wherever feels private at home, which many people in Dudley find far more convenient than arranging travel.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Dudley, 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: Wolverhampton, Walsall, Birmingham. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Dudley: 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.