Online Substance Use Counselling · Newcastle upon Tyne

Online Substance Use Counselling in Newcastle upon Tyne

Online substance use counselling for Newcastle upon Tyne, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Newcastle upon Tyne, from the Quayside and the centre to the streets around the bridges, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor offering online substance use counselling for Newcastle upon Tyne, introducing his approach
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Newcastle upon Tyne

Substance Use Counselling for Newcastle upon Tyne, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Newcastle upon Tyne: from the Quayside and the centre to Jesmond, Heaton, Byker and Gosforth
Known for
The bridges, the Quayside and the two universities
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 Newcastle upon Tyne

Why people in Newcastle upon Tyne reach out

Newcastle is the lively heart of the North East, famous for its warmth, nightlife and fierce local pride, and that pride can make admitting to struggle feel hard. A region shaped by the loss of heavy industry, insecure work and money worries all weigh on people behind the good humour.

Newcastle rises from the north bank of the Tyne, its famous chain of bridges, the arched Tyne Bridge, the tilting Millennium Bridge, the High Level, linking it to Gateshead across the water. Richard Grainger's honey-stone streets sweep up Grey Street to the Monument at the heart of Grainger Town, and the Quayside below fills for its Sunday market. Two universities sit close to the centre, feeding the bars of the Bigg Market and the studios of the Ouseburn valley, while the Metro carries the city out to the coast and the airport. St James' Park stands right in the centre, home to a football club woven into local identity, and leafy Jesmond and Gosforth give way north towards Northumberland.

Newcastle UniversityNorthumbria Universitythe Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals (the RVI and the Freeman)the science and digital quarter at Newcastle Helix

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.

Newcastle is home to Newcastle University and Northumbria University and to The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Freeman Hospital.

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Newcastle upon Tyne

JesmondHeatonBykerGosforthOuseburnFenhamSandyfordBenwellWalkerKenton

Wherever you are in Newcastle upon Tyne, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Newcastle upon Tyne

These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Newcastle upon Tyne are living with, and why local support matters.

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 Newcastle online, by secure video, rather than in person. The distance is exactly why video suits, you can meet from Jesmond, Heaton or wherever you are without any of it depending on my being on Tyneside. We'd hold a steady weekly time that fits around your work and week, and sessions come to you.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online substance use counselling in Newcastle upon Tyne can help

Drugs and substances

Confidential support for any kind of substance use.

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 Newcastle upon Tyne

Why people in Newcastle upon Tyne come for substance use counselling

Newcastle's nightlife around the Bigg Market and its two universities can make substance use feel like part of the fun, until it starts to take more than it gives. It doesn't always look like a problem from the outside. I'm Bradley, working online from Hove with people across Newcastle by secure video. There's no clinic to attend and nothing anyone locally need know. We look honestly at what you're using and why, and at what you'd like to be different - moving at a pace that feels right rather than forcing a change before you're ready.

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 call

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Newcastle upon Tyne

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Newcastle upon Tyne, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Newcastle City Council's drugs 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.

Newcastle upon Tyne questions

Online Substance Use Counselling in Newcastle upon Tyne: common questions

Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Newcastle upon Tyne?

Yes. I work with people right across Newcastle upon Tyne, from the Quayside 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.

I'm a student at one of the universities here - can you help?

Yes. Online sessions carry on through term, placements and trips home, so a move between Newcastle and elsewhere doesn't interrupt things. I work privately, separate from the universities' own counselling services, which you're also free to use alongside this.

Is there substance use counselling available in Newcastle upon Tyne, and how quickly?

There is no consulting room in Newcastle upon Tyne, but I work right across the area by secure video from Hove. Whether you are near Jesmond or Heaton, 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 Newcastle upon Tyne, 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, Newcastle upon Tyne 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 Newcastle upon Tyne done online or face to face?

I do not offer face-to-face sessions in Newcastle upon Tyne; 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 Newcastle Helix science and digital quarter is manageable.

Are you actually in Newcastle?

No. I work from Hove on the south coast and see Newcastle clients by secure video call. Being hundreds of miles away makes no difference online, sessions come to you at home rather than needing a trip to the Quayside or the centre, which is often easier to keep up week to week.

I'm a student at one of the universities here, can you help?

Yes. Online sessions carry on through term, placements and trips home, so a move between Newcastle and elsewhere doesn't interrupt things. I work privately, separate from the universities' own counselling services, which you're also free to use alongside this.

Online Substance Use Counselling in Newcastle upon Tyne, 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: Sunderland, Gateshead, Durham. See all of Yorkshire & North East.

All counselling & therapy in Newcastle upon Tyne: 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.