Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Plymouth
Online Substance Use Counselling in Plymouth
Online substance use counselling for Plymouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe to the streets around the Sound, 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 Plymouth
Substance Use Counselling for Plymouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Plymouth: from the Barbican and the Hoe to Devonport, Stonehouse and Mutley
- Known for
- Plymouth Hoe, the Barbican and the Sound
- Region
- South West (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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth reach out
Plymouth is a proud ocean city and naval base set far out in the South West, and that remoteness cuts both ways. The forces presence brings deployments and frequent moves, the dockyard economy brings shift work and uncertainty, and the distance from other cities can leave people feeling isolated when times are hard.
Plymouth faces the sea and keeps working. Devonport's dockyard walls run for miles, and the naval base shapes the rhythm of the whole city, with families braced around deployments and postings that come and go. Sailors and dockyard workers share the Barbican's cobbled quay with fishing crews, while students from the university fill the streets above the Hoe. Out at Derriford the hospital never really stops. The city sits a long way down the line, with Dartmoor at its back and the Tamar marking the Cornish border, and that distance can feel like isolation when things are hard. The naval habit of getting on with it runs deep, so a confidential space to speak plainly can matter here.
With deep forces connections, deployments and frequent moves leave their mark; online counselling travels with you and stays consistent through postings.
Plymouth hosts the University of Plymouth and Devonport Royal Dockyard (operated by Babcock), the largest naval base in Western Europe; acute care is provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust at Derriford Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Plymouth
DevonportStonehouseMutleythe BarbicanPeverellMannameadPlymptonPlymstockSt BudeauxEffordStoke
Wherever you are in Plymouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Plymouth
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Plymouth are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 5.9 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).
6.9 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.
Plymouth sits at the far end of a long rail line, with GWR trains to Exeter, Bristol and London, the A38 running east, and ferries across the Tamar and out to France and Spain. That remoteness can make reaching support elsewhere a real undertaking. Secure online sessions close the distance completely, so we meet by video without anyone travelling. The consulting room is in Hove; Plymouth is served online, with in-person appointments only for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Plymouth 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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth come for substance use counselling
In a working ocean city like Plymouth, where shift patterns around the dockyard and hospital break up ordinary rhythms and remoteness can feel like isolation, substances can become the thing that fills the gap. What starts as a way to switch off or stay alert can slowly take on a life of its own. Counselling gives you a calm, non-judgemental space to understand that pattern without anyone travelling anywhere. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Plymouth is served online, with in-person sessions only for those able to travel to the Sussex coast.
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 Plymouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Plymouth, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Plymouth City Council's substance misuse 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.
Plymouth questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Plymouth: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Plymouth?
Yes. I work with people right across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe outwards, and anywhere else in South West, 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.
Plymouth feels a long way from support. Does that make substance counselling harder?
Not at all. Because we meet by secure video, the distance down the line makes no difference and there is no journey to make. The counselling room is in Hove, so Plymouth is served online rather than in person.
Can I begin substance use counselling online in Plymouth this week?
Often yes. After a short message we set up a free 15-minute call, then arrange your first session, frequently within the same week. Because we meet online, you can talk from home anywhere in Plymouth, whether that is Mutley, the Barbican or Peverell, with no waiting list to join.
How much does private substance use counselling cost compared with NHS options in Plymouth?
I charge £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, and the initial 15-minute consultation is free. NHS drug services and GP referrals in Plymouth are free of charge but often have waits, while private sessions can start quickly and stay flexible around you.
Do you offer evening online sessions for substance use counselling in Plymouth?
I hold some appointments later in the day, which helps if you work shifts or long hours around Plymouth. Sessions are online, so you join from wherever feels private, from Mannamead to Plympton. In-person work is only at my Hove room, for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
I'm serving with, or connected to, the naval base at Devonport. Can this stay private?
Yes. Sessions are held by secure video and are completely confidential, which many forces families value during deployments and postings. Nothing needs to go through the base. The counselling room is in Hove, so we would meet online wherever you are stationed.
Plymouth feels a long way from everywhere. Is that a problem for counselling?
Not at all. Because we meet online, the distance down the line makes no difference and there is no journey to make. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast, so Plymouth is served by secure video rather than in person.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Plymouth, 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 South West: Exeter, Torquay. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Plymouth: 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.