Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Gateshead
Online Substance Use Counselling in Gateshead
Online substance use counselling for Gateshead, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Gateshead, from the Quays and the centre to the streets around the Angel of the North, 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 Gateshead
Substance Use Counselling for Gateshead, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Gateshead: from the Quays and the centre to Low Fell, Felling and Dunston
- Known for
- The Angel of the North, the Sage and the Millennium Bridge
- Region
- Yorkshire & North East (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 Gateshead
Why people in Gateshead reach out
Gateshead sits across the Tyne from Newcastle, a town reshaped by industrial decline and by regeneration along its quays. Insecure work, money pressure and the contrast between landmark culture and hard-pressed neighbourhoods all shape the pressures people carry.
Gateshead rises on the south bank of the Tyne, facing Newcastle across a river spanned by the graceful, blinking Millennium Bridge. Its quayside has become a cultural landmark: the Baltic, a contemporary art gallery in a former flour mill, and the curved glass concert hall now known as The Glasshouse. On the high ground to the south stands Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, arms outstretched over the A1, one of the most recognised sculptures in the country. The huge MetroCentre and the Team Valley estate anchor retail and business to the west, while Saltwell Park's Victorian grounds give the town green space. Beyond, Low Fell, Whickham and Blaydon climb away towards the Durham countryside.
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.
Gateshead is served by Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust (the Queen Elizabeth Hospital) and is known for landmarks along its Tyne quayside, including the Angel of the North, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Gateshead
Low FellFellingDunstonBenshamSaltwellWhickhamBlaydonBirtleyWrekentonWinlaton
Wherever you are in Gateshead, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Gateshead
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Gateshead are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 14.2 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).
8.4 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.
I'm based in Hove, far to the south, and work with people in Gateshead online, by secure video, rather than in person. You meet from home in Low Fell, Dunston or wherever's quiet, with no need to cross the Tyne or travel to an appointment. We'd keep a steady weekly time that fits around work, shifts or family life.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Gateshead 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 Gateshead
Why people in Gateshead come for substance use counselling
Substance use in Gateshead can build quietly alongside shift work and the pressures of everyday life, where something to take the edge off can slowly become a need. I'm Bradley, working online from Hove with people across Gateshead by secure video. There's no clinic to travel to and nothing visible to anyone locally. We'd find a time that works around your week rather than office hours, and look honestly at what you're using and what you'd like to change - at your own pace, and without being told what you ought to do.
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 Gateshead
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Gateshead, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Gateshead Council's alcohol and drugs 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.
Gateshead questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Gateshead: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Gateshead?
Yes. I work with people right across Gateshead, from the Quays and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in Yorkshire & North East, 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.
Is this separate from the NHS?
Yes. I'm an independent private counsellor, arranged directly with you, not part of any local NHS or council service. You're welcome to use NHS talking therapies alongside or instead - I'm simply another option, available by video at a time that suits your week.
Can I start substance use counselling in Gateshead soon?
Yes. I'm Bradley Riddell, a counsellor based in Hove, and I see people across Gateshead online rather than from a room in the city. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then set a regular weekly slot for substance use support, usually starting within a week or two once you feel ready.
What do you charge for substance use counselling in Gateshead, and is there an NHS option?
My fees are 80 pounds for a 60-minute session, 100 pounds for 90 minutes and 120 pounds for two hours, after a free 15-minute consultation. In Gateshead you can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or ask your GP; that route is free, though waits for substance use help vary, so private work often starts sooner.
Do you offer in-person or evening substance use counselling in Gateshead?
For Gateshead it is online rather than in person, since my room is in Hove on the south coast. Many find secure video suits substance use work well, joining from home in Low Fell or Whickham without a commute. I hold some daytime and early-evening slots, so we can usually find a regular time that fits.
Do you see people in person in Gateshead?
No. I work from Hove and see Gateshead clients by secure video call. Being at a distance makes no difference online, sessions come to you at home, which is often easier to fit around a working week than travelling across the river or into the town.
Is this an NHS or council service?
No, I'm an independent private counsellor, arranged directly with you. You're welcome to use local NHS talking therapies alongside or instead; I'm simply another option, available by secure video at a time that works around your week.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Gateshead, 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 Yorkshire & North East: Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Durham. See all of Yorkshire & North East.
All counselling & therapy in Gateshead: 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.