Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Poole
Online Substance Use Counselling in Poole
Online substance use counselling for Poole, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Poole, from the quay and the old town to the streets around the harbour, 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 Poole
Substance Use Counselling for Poole, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Poole: from the quay and the old town to Branksome, Parkstone and Canford Heath
- Known for
- The harbour, Sandbanks and the quay
- 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 Poole
Why people in Poole reach out
Poole blends one of the world's largest natural harbours and the wealth of Sandbanks with ordinary towns where life is a good deal harder. That contrast can make struggle feel isolating, and the seasonal, tourism-shaped economy adds its own uncertainty.
Poole is a town of contrasts held together by its harbour. On Sandbanks, some of the most expensive homes in the country look across the water, while a short way inland streets in Hamworthy and Oakdale live on ordinary means. The quay mixes pleasure boats with the working port and the ferries to France and the Channel Islands, and Sunseeker's yards build superyachts along the same shore where the RNLI trains its crews. Tourism swells the summers and quietens the winters. That gap between the glossy waterfront and everyday life can make struggle feel isolating, as though everyone else is doing fine. A confidential space, with no need to keep up appearances, can lift a good deal of that weight.
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.
Poole sits on one of the world's largest natural harbours and is home to the RNLI's national headquarters and luxury boat-builder Sunseeker; NHS acute services are provided by University Hospitals Dorset.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Poole
BranksomeParkstoneCanford HeathSandbanksHamworthyBroadstoneOakdaleCreekmoorLilliput
Wherever you are in Poole, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Poole
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Poole are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 11.5 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).
5.3 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.
Poole has a South Western Railway line to Bournemouth and London Waterloo, the A31 and A35 linking it to the wider county, and the Sandbanks chain ferry across the harbour mouth, though summer traffic can bring it all to a crawl. Secure online sessions avoid the journey entirely, so we can meet from somewhere quiet at home. The consulting room is in Hove, meaning Poole is served online; in-person sessions suit only those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Poole 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 Poole
Why people in Poole come for substance use counselling
Around Poole's harbour and seasonal trade, shifting hours and the uncertainty of resort work can leave people reaching for substances to cope with the busy summers and the quiet that follows. What starts as a way to manage insecure work can slowly become harder to control, and the pressure not to appear to be struggling keeps it out of sight. Counselling gives you a non-judgemental space to understand it. We meet by secure video; the room is in Hove, so Poole is served online, with in-person visits only for those able to reach 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 Poole
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Poole, free local drug and alcohol support is available through BCP Council's drug and alcohol support services.
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.
Poole questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Poole: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Poole?
Yes. I work with people right across Poole, from the quay and the old town 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.
I work on the harbour or in tourism and my hours are seasonal. Can sessions adapt?
Yes. Because we meet online, appointments can be arranged around the busy summers and quieter winters of harbour and resort work. We speak by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Poole is served online rather than in person.
Can I begin substance use counselling online in Poole 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 Poole, whether that is Canford Heath, Sandbanks or Hamworthy, with no waiting list to join.
How much does private substance use counselling cost compared with NHS options in Poole?
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 Poole 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 Poole?
I hold some appointments later in the day, which helps if you work shifts or long hours around Poole. Sessions are online, so you join from wherever feels private, from Broadstone to Oakdale. In-person work is only at my Hove room, for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
There's a big gap in Poole between Sandbanks and everywhere else. Does that come up?
It often does. Feeling that everyone around you is doing fine, when you are not, can be isolating, and it is something we can explore. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The counselling room is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
I work on the harbour or in tourism and my hours are seasonal. Can sessions adapt?
Yes. Because we meet online, appointments can be arranged around the busy summers and quieter winters of harbour and resort work. We speak by secure video. The room is in Hove, so Poole is served online rather than in person.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Poole, 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: Bournemouth. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Poole: 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.