Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · London
Online Substance Use Counselling in London
Online substance use counselling for London, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across London, from the inner boroughs to the streets around the City, 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 London
Substance Use Counselling for London, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of London: from the inner boroughs to the outer suburbs, Zone 1 out to the edges of the M25
- Known for
- The City, the West End, the river and the great parks
- Region
- London & South 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 London
Why people in London reach out
London moves fast and rarely pauses. Long hours, high housing costs and crowded commutes leave little room to stop and feel, and the sheer scale of the city can be isolating even when you are never really alone. Time and privacy are the scarce commodities here, which is exactly why a confidential hour that comes to you, rather than one you have to cross the capital for, so often makes the difference.
Life in London is lived at full tilt, whether you are trading in the City, building something in the studios around Shoreditch, nursing at Guy's and St Thomas', or teaching in one of the great universities. The Tube and the Elizabeth line stitch the boroughs together, yet the distance between people can feel vast, from the terraces of Hackney and Brixton to the towers of Canary Wharf. Rent swallows wages, the working day bleeds into the evening, and the parks and the river offer only brief respite. When so much energy goes into simply keeping up, it becomes easy to lose track of how you are really doing, and a private hour to think can feel like a rare luxury worth protecting.
Capital-city life is exhilarating and exhausting at once, with time and privacy always short; an hour that comes to you is often what makes therapy possible.
London is served by major teaching hospitals and universities (UCL, King's College London, Imperial) and the City of London financial district; mental-health and addiction provision is commissioned separately by each of the 32 boroughs.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around London
IslingtonCamdenHackneyShoreditchBrixtonCroydonEalingGreenwichCanary WharfWandsworthWalthamstow
Wherever you are in London, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
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.
Getting across London for anything is its own undertaking, with journeys measured in changes and delays rather than distance. That is the quiet appeal of working online: the session comes to you, at home or on a lunch break, with no cross-city trek at either end. The practice room itself is in Hove, a straightforward train down from the London terminals if you would ever prefer to meet in person on the Sussex coast, but for most Londoners the work is done securely online.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in London 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 London
Why people in London come for substance use counselling
Substance use can slip from something that fits the London weekend into something the working week starts to lean on, and in a city where it is never far away, that shift is easy to miss. Whether it is a powder that props up the long nights, something to switch off after Canary Wharf, or a habit you have kept quiet from flatmates in shared housing, we can talk it through without labels or alarm. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor based in Hove, taken from wherever you have a private half-hour. You set the pace, and nothing said leaves the room.
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 London
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “London”).
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.
London questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in London: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in London?
Yes. I work with people right across London, from the inner boroughs outwards, and anywhere else in London & South 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.
I share a flat. Can I really keep substance-use sessions private?
Usually, yes. We find a time when you have the place to yourself, and a quiet corner with headphones is normally enough. Many Londoners in shared housing find an online session easier to keep private than sitting in a local waiting room where they might be seen.
Can I start online substance use counselling quickly from London?
Yes. We begin with a free 15-minute consultation, then settle on a regular time, often within a week or so. There is no referral to wait for and no clinic to travel to across the capital, so you can get going from home or a quiet room at work.
Is substance use counselling free on the NHS in London?
The counselling here is private: £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, with a free 15-minute consultation. For free NHS support, your GP can refer you, your borough's drug and alcohol service takes self-referrals, and FRANK offers confidential national advice online or by phone.
Is online substance use counselling private if I share a flat in London?
It usually is. We find a time when you have the place to yourself, and a quiet corner with headphones is normally enough, which many in London's shared housing find easier to keep private than a local waiting room. Evening and remote-working slots work well; in-person is possible in Hove.
I work long hours in the City. Can online sessions fit around a London working week?
Yes. Because there is no journey across town to factor in, sessions can be arranged around early starts and late finishes, taken from home or a quiet room at work. Evening slots are often the most practical for people juggling demanding roles in the capital.
Is it genuinely private if I share a flat or house?
It usually is. We find a time when you have the place to yourself, and a quiet corner with headphones is normally enough. Many people in London's shared housing find an online session easier to keep private than sitting in a local waiting room where they might be recognised.
Online Substance Use Counselling in London, 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 London & South East: Watford, Slough, Reading, Guildford. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in London: 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.