Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Middlesbrough
Online Substance Use Counselling in Middlesbrough
Online substance use counselling for Middlesbrough, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Middlesbrough, from the centre and the Transporter to the streets around the Transporter Bridge, 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 Middlesbrough
Substance Use Counselling for Middlesbrough, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Middlesbrough: from the centre and the Transporter to Linthorpe, Acklam and Ormesby
- Known for
- The Transporter Bridge, the Riverside and the Cleveland Hills
- 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 Middlesbrough
Why people in Middlesbrough reach out
Middlesbrough grew on iron, steel and chemicals on Teesside, and the decline of that heavy industry has left some of the sharpest deprivation in the country. Insecure work, money pressure and health inequality weigh heavily here, and pride can make asking for help feel hard.
Middlesbrough grew almost overnight in the nineteenth century as an iron and steel town on the south bank of the Tees, and its blue Transporter Bridge, still carrying cars across the river in a swinging gondola, remains the emblem of that industrial age. The Riverside Stadium sits by the water near the old dock, while in the centre mima, the modern art gallery, and Teesside University bring a different energy. Albert Park offers green space, and the town looks south to the Cleveland Hills and the edge of the North York Moors, with Roseberry Topping a landmark on the skyline. The chemical and process works strung along the Tees still shape the local economy, now amid the vast redevelopment of the Teesworks site.
Where work follows shifts and the rhythm of the docks, online sessions bend around unsociable hours rather than asking you to fit your life around them.
Middlesbrough is home to Teesside University and to South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the James Cook University Hospital, a major regional trauma centre; the town grew on the Teesside iron, steel and chemicals industries.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Middlesbrough
LinthorpeAcklamOrmesbyMartonNunthorpeBerwick HillsGrove HillCoulby NewhamNorth OrmesbyGresham
Wherever you are in Middlesbrough, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Middlesbrough
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Middlesbrough are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 12.5 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).
15.4 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 Middlesbrough online, by secure video, rather than in person. Distance is no obstacle by video, you meet from home in Linthorpe or Acklam, or wherever's quiet, without any trip across Teesside. We'd keep a steady weekly time that fits around shift patterns, work or family.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough
Why people in Middlesbrough come for substance use counselling
Substance use in Middlesbrough often sits alongside shift-based work and the ups and downs of the Teesside economy, where something to take the edge off can quietly become a need. I'm Bradley, working online from Hove with people across Middlesbrough by secure video. There's no clinic to travel to and nothing visible to anyone locally. We'd find a slot that works around rotas 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 Middlesbrough
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Middlesbrough, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Middlesbrough Council's drug and alcohol 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.
Middlesbrough questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Middlesbrough: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Middlesbrough?
Yes. I work with people right across Middlesbrough, from the centre and the Transporter 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.
I work shifts - can sessions fit awkward hours?
Yes. Because everything is online, we can find a time that works around rotas rather than office-hours appointments. If a shift changes, moving a video session is far simpler than rearranging a trip across Teesside, so a regular slot is easy to keep.
Is there substance use counselling available in Middlesbrough, and how quickly?
There is no consulting room in Middlesbrough, but I work right across the area by secure video from Hove. Whether you are near Linthorpe or Acklam, we can arrange a free 15-minute call first and then a weekly time for substance use counselling, often within days of you getting in touch.
How much is substance use counselling for Middlesbrough, and can I get it on the NHS?
There is a free 15-minute consultation first, then it is 80 pounds for a 60-minute hour, 100 pounds for 90 minutes and 120 pounds for two hours. Locally, South Tees Hospitals and NHS Talking Therapies provide free substance use support, but waiting lists differ, so many people choose private counselling for a quicker start.
Is substance use counselling for Middlesbrough done online or face to face?
I do not offer face-to-face sessions in Middlesbrough; everything is by confidential video call. For substance use, that often helps, as you can speak openly from a private space rather than a waiting room. I keep a few evening slots alongside daytime ones, so working around the Teesside chemical and process industry is manageable.
Do you offer counselling in person on Teesside?
No. I work from Hove and see Middlesbrough clients by secure video call rather than face to face. Being at a distance makes no difference online, sessions come to you at home, which many find easier to keep up than travelling to an appointment across town.
I work shifts in the process industry, will that fit?
Yes. Because sessions are online, we can find a time that works around rotas and awkward hours, and moving a video session when a shift changes is far simpler than rearranging a journey. We'd aim for a regular slot and flex it when needed.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Middlesbrough, 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: Darlington, Sunderland, Durham. See all of Yorkshire & North East.
All counselling & therapy in Middlesbrough: 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.