Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Portsmouth
Online Substance Use Counselling in Portsmouth
Online substance use counselling for Portsmouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Portsmouth, from across Portsea Island, Southsea and Old Portsmouth to the streets around the Spinnaker Tower, 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 Portsmouth
Substance Use Counselling for Portsmouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Portsmouth: across Portsea Island, from Southsea and Old Portsmouth to Fratton, Cosham and Copnor
- Known for
- The Spinnaker Tower, the harbour and the seafront
- 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 Portsmouth
Why people in Portsmouth reach out
Portsmouth is the most densely populated city outside London and a historic naval base, and the forces connection runs deep. Long deployments, frequent moves and the strain on families left behind leave their mark, and on a tightly packed island city privacy can feel in short supply. Reaching out here often means doing so quietly, without anyone needing to know.
Portsmouth is packed tightly onto Portsea Island, a city where the sea is never far and the naval base and Historic Dockyard sit at its heart. Life around Southsea, Fratton, Cosham and Copnor is bound up with the Royal Navy and the ferry port, alongside the University of Portsmouth and the wards of Queen Alexandra Hospital up at Cosham. The forces connection shapes many families here, with deployments, postings and long stretches apart, and on such a densely built island there is rarely much distance between neighbours. That closeness can make privacy feel scarce, and reaching out for support something people would rather do quietly. Having a confidential ear, away from the base and the street, can make all the difference.
With deep forces connections, deployments and frequent moves leave their mark; online counselling travels with you and stays consistent through postings.
Portsmouth is home to His Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth (a principal Royal Navy base), the University of Portsmouth and Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Portsmouth
SouthseaOld PortsmouthFrattonCoshamCopnorNorth EndPortseaMiltonBuckland
Wherever you are in Portsmouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Portsmouth
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Portsmouth are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 11.8 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).
6.2 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.
On a crowded island city, even a short trip can mean traffic across the few roads on and off Portsea, so many people welcome not having to travel at all. Online sessions are held securely from home, whenever suits. The practice room is in Hove, a train along the coast if you can reach the Sussex side for an in-person meeting, but for Portsmouth the work is done online, discreetly and without anyone needing to know.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth
Why people in Portsmouth come for substance use counselling
On an island city with deep forces roots, substances can become a way to manage the strain of service life, of deployments and moves, or simply the pressure of holding a household together while a partner is away. In a place where everyone seems to know everyone, that can feel impossible to raise. Here you can, without judgement. Sessions are held securely online with a male counsellor based in Hove, taken privately from your own front room whether your partner is home or away. Nothing is reported anywhere, nothing is judged, and you decide what you want to change.
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 Portsmouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Portsmouth, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Portsmouth City Council's drug and 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.
Portsmouth questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Portsmouth: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Portsmouth?
Yes. I work with people right across Portsmouth, from across Portsea Island, Southsea and Old Portsmouth 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.
Will getting substance-use support affect anyone's service record?
No. This is private, independent counselling with nothing reported to any employer or the forces. You join securely from home, and everything stays confidential between us. Many people in Portsmouth value that separation, knowing they can be fully honest without it touching anything official.
Can I get online substance use counselling quickly in Portsmouth?
Generally yes. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then a regular time, often within a week. There is no clinic to reach across Portsea and no referral queue, so you can join securely from home in Old Portsmouth, Copnor or Cosham, discreetly and without travel.
Is substance use counselling free on the NHS in Portsmouth?
There are free routes: your GP can refer you, Portsmouth's drug and alcohol service takes self-referrals, and FRANK offers confidential national advice. Serving personnel have military support too. This practice is private, at £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 and £120 for 120, with a free consultation.
With deployments and long stretches apart, is online more practical?
Often, yes. Online sessions hold a steady, confidential thread through postings and time apart, reaching you wherever you are without a trip across the island. Evening slots suit many forces families here. In-person meetings are possible in Hove, a train along the coast, if you can reach the Sussex side.
My partner is often away on deployment and I'm managing at home alone. Can counselling help with that?
Yes. The strain of deployments, moves and long separations is something many forces families in Portsmouth carry. Online sessions fit around childcare and the up-and-down of a service routine, and can be held whether your partner is home or away, entirely privately from your own front room.
It's such a close-knit island city. How private is this really?
Very private. There is no local waiting room to be seen in and nobody on your street need know. You join securely from home, and everything discussed stays confidential, which many people in Portsmouth value given how closely the city is packed together.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Portsmouth, 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: Southampton, Chichester. See all of London & South East.
All counselling & therapy in Portsmouth: 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.