Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Exeter
Online Substance Use Counselling in Exeter
Online substance use counselling for Exeter, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay to the streets around the university, 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 Exeter
Substance Use Counselling for Exeter, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Exeter: from the cathedral quarter and the quay to St Thomas, Heavitree and Pinhoe
- Known for
- The cathedral, the quay and the university
- 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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter reach out
Exeter pairs a historic cathedral core with a large and growing university, and the two can pull in different directions: the quiet expectations of a county city and the intense pressure of student and academic life. Rising costs and a sense of being the regional outlier in a rural county add to the strain people carry.
Exeter carries itself as a county capital. The cathedral green fills with lunch breaks and the restored quay draws walkers down to the canal, while up on the ridge the university keeps expanding and drawing students from across the country. The Met Office, headquartered here, and the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital anchor a steady professional class, yet housing costs push many out towards St Thomas and Pinhoe. Set among Devon's farms and moor, Exeter can feel like the one busy place for miles, which brings its own quiet loneliness for anyone who arrives without roots. Behind the settled, well-kept surface, the pressure to appear coping is real, and a confidential hour offers somewhere honest to set it down.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Exeter is home to the University of Exeter and the Met Office headquarters; its main hospital is the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, run by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Exeter
St ThomasHeavitreePinhoeSt LeonardsExwickWhiptonAlphingtonWonfordTopsham
Wherever you are in Exeter, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Exeter
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Exeter are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 6.4 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).
2.5 adults per 1,000 were in treatment at specialist drug-misuse services in 2020/21, below 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.
Exeter has two central stations at St Davids and Central, the M5 close by and its own airport out to the east, but rural Devon spreads far beyond the city and journeys in can be long. Secure online sessions mean none of that matters, letting us meet from wherever you feel settled. The counselling room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online; in-person sessions suit only those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Exeter 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 Exeter
Why people in Exeter come for substance use counselling
Exeter's expanding university draws students from across the country, and the intense pressure of student and academic life can make substances feel like a way to keep up or wind down. For others, arriving in the one busy place for miles without any roots brings its own quiet loneliness that something can seem to ease. Counselling gives you a private, non-judgemental space to understand what the substance is really doing for you. We meet by secure video, fitting around lectures or shifts. The room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online, with in-person appointments 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 Exeter
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Exeter, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Devon County Council's alcohol and drug 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.
Exeter questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Exeter: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Exeter?
Yes. I work with people right across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay 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'm a student at Exeter concerned about my drug use. Can we work online?
Yes. Secure video sessions fit around lectures and deadlines and can be taken privately from your accommodation, without crossing the city. We look together at what sits underneath the use. The counselling room is in Hove, so Exeter is served online.
Can I begin substance use counselling online in Exeter 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 Exeter, whether that is Pinhoe, St Leonards or Exwick, with no waiting list to join.
How much does private substance use counselling cost compared with NHS options in Exeter?
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 Exeter 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 Exeter?
I hold some appointments later in the day, which helps if you work shifts or long hours around Exeter. Sessions are online, so you join from wherever feels private, from Whipton to Alphington. In-person work is only at my Hove room, for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
I'm a student at the University of Exeter. Can we work together online?
Yes. Online sessions fit around lectures and deadlines and can be taken from your accommodation without travelling across the city. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet by secure video wherever you are in Exeter.
I work at the Met Office or the hospital and keep irregular hours. Does that fit?
It does. Online sessions can be arranged around shifts and long days, so you are not tied to a set commute. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove, meaning Exeter is served online rather than in person.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Exeter, 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: Plymouth, Torquay, Taunton. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Exeter: 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.