Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Leicester
Online Substance Use Counselling in Leicester
Online substance use counselling for Leicester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Leicester, from the centre and the Cultural Quarter to the streets around the market, 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 Leicester
Substance Use Counselling for Leicester, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Leicester: from the centre and the Cultural Quarter to Belgrave, Highfields and Clarendon Park
- Known for
- The market, the King Richard III centre and the universities
- 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 Leicester
Why people in Leicester reach out
Leicester is one of the most diverse cities in the country, a place of many communities living closely together. The pressures of city life, money, housing and the work of holding family and tradition alongside modern life, can build quietly, and privacy can matter all the more in close-knit communities.
Leicester is one of Britain's most diverse cities, where many communities live closely together. Belgrave Road's Golden Mile lights up for Diwali, the covered market has traded for centuries, and the discovery of Richard III under a car park put the city on the world's front pages. There are two big universities in the University of Leicester and De Montfort, a Cultural Quarter around Curve and the Phoenix, and a textiles and food trade that still employs many. Amid the closeness of family and tradition and the everyday pressures of city life, a private, unhurried hour to talk something through can be a real help, especially where discretion matters.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Leicester is home to the University of Leicester and De Montfort University, and Leicester Royal Infirmary is one of the busiest emergency departments in the country.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Leicester
BelgraveHighfieldsClarendon ParkEvingtonKnightonAylestoneBraunstoneStoneygateWestcotesOadby
Wherever you are in Leicester, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Leicester
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Leicester are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 6.5 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).
5.9 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.
Leicester sits on the Midland Main Line, with the station roughly an hour and a quarter from London St Pancras and quick links to Nottingham and Derby, while the M1 and M69 ring the city. Buses gather at the Haymarket and St Margaret's. For online work none of that applies. The counselling room is in Hove and Leicester is served by video, so you can meet from a private space at home rather than travelling anywhere.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Leicester 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 Leicester
Why people in Leicester come for substance use counselling
Substance use in Leicester can carry an added layer of secrecy, especially where family and tradition sit close and there is a strong wish to keep private things private. That silence can make it harder to reach out, even as the substance takes up more of your thoughts and time. Bradley Riddell offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to look honestly at what is happening and what is driving it. He works from Hove and sees Leicester online, so from Belgrave to Clarendon Park to Evington, you meet by video from a private space, without travelling anywhere or explaining yourself to anyone nearby.
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 Leicester
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Leicester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Leicester City 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.
Leicester questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Leicester: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Leicester?
Yes. I work with people right across Leicester, from the centre and the Cultural Quarter 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.
Is online counselling private enough in a close community?
Yes. Because sessions are online, you choose where you join from, so there is no clinic to be seen entering and no local waiting room. Everything discussed stays confidential. For many people in Leicester that added discretion is exactly what makes reaching out feel possible.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Leicester?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Leicester is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then book your first session when it suits, whether you study at De Montfort or work in the city.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Leicester?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Leicester's NHS drug services are free but often stretched, whereas private sessions offer sooner appointments and continuity with the same counsellor throughout.
Is substance use counselling online, and can it stay private in Leicester?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Leicester is served by video, so you join from wherever feels most private, from Highfields to Clarendon Park. There is no clinic to be seen entering, and evening slots can often be arranged around your week.
Is everything kept private?
Yes. Sessions are confidential, and because they take place online you can join from wherever feels most private to you. In close-knit communities that discretion often matters, and meeting by video means no waiting room and no chance of bumping into a familiar face.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Leicester, 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, Coventry, Derby. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Leicester: 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.