Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Reading
Online Substance Use Counselling in Reading
Online substance use counselling for Reading, by secure video, wherever you are. The hardest part is often just starting. Online substance use counselling keeps that first step small for people in Reading: a private hour from your own space, with no journey and nobody to bump into.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
Substance Use Counselling for Reading, without the journey
From the heart of Reading, near the Thames, the Oracle and the Kennet, out to its edges, from the centre and the university quarter to Caversham, Tilehurst and Earley, online sessions make it possible to get the right support without rearranging your whole day around a single appointment.
Hove is where my room is, but the support is not tied to Sussex. Over a secure link I work with people in Reading and far beyond, with the same depth and confidentiality as meeting face to face.
I also work online with people elsewhere in London & South East, including Slough, Oxford, Basingstoke.
If you would still prefer to meet in person and can travel to the Sussex coast, you are welcome to, but for most clients in Reading online substance use counselling is the natural and effective choice.
Life in Reading
Why people in Reading reach out
Reading sits at the heart of the Thames Valley tech corridor, and with that comes a particular kind of pressure: demanding jobs, a long daily commute into London or along the M4, and a cost of living that keeps the foot on the accelerator. It is easy here for the days to blur together and for stress to harden quietly into something heavier.
Student and academic life can be intense and surprisingly lonely, even surrounded by people your own age. Working online keeps support steady through term and vacation alike, wherever you are.
What I help with
How online substance use counselling 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.
Why online works in Reading
Why people in Reading choose online counselling
Around terms and deadlines
Sessions flex around the academic calendar and shift work, so support holds steady through the busiest weeks.
The comfort of your own space
Many people find it easier to open up from their own sofa than in an unfamiliar room. From Reading, that comfort is part of the work, not a compromise.
Begin sooner
Rather than waiting for a local appointment to come free, an online slot often means you can start the work much sooner.
Human, even on a screen
The technology fades within minutes. What remains is a real, attentive conversation, the same one we'd have sitting in the room together.
How online sessions work
The method itself is the same online as it is in the room. My approach is integrative and humanistic, starting from a simple premise: you are the expert on yourself. With support you can find yourself again, without the anaesthetic, working at a pace that always protects your sense of safety.
Sessions run over a secure video link. All you need is a private space where you won't be interrupted, a laptop, tablet or phone, and a reasonable connection. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call, then I send a simple link you click at the agreed time.
Read more about online counselling, about substance use counselling, or about my methods, sessions and fees.
Start the conversationFinding support in Reading
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally, and it can be worth knowing what else is there. In Reading, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies Berkshire for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed. You can also find your nearest service through the NHS Talking Therapies finder.
Private sessions with me usually mean you can start sooner, stay with the same counsellor throughout, and work at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and I'm glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.
If you need urgent help now
This practice is not a crisis service. If you or someone else 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.
Reading questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Reading: common questions
Can I have online substance use counselling if I live in Reading?
Absolutely. Reading is well within reach, because we meet by secure video rather than in person. You'll get exactly the same specialist support as someone sitting in my Hove room.
What do I need to start online sessions in Reading?
Very little: a private space where you won't be interrupted, a laptop, tablet or phone, and a reasonable internet connection. After a free fifteen-minute call, I send a secure link you click at our agreed time.
Does online therapy really work?
Online and in-person therapy are similarly effective for most people, and clients usually settle quickly once the screen fades into the background and the conversation takes over.
Is online counselling private and confidential?
Yes. Sessions run on a secure, encrypted video link, and everything we discuss is held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as work done in person. All you need at your end is a private space.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Reading, whenever you are ready
A free fifteen-minute consultation is the easiest place to start. No commitment, just a chance for both of us to see if this feels right for you in Reading.
Online Substance Use Counselling in nearby places
Prefer to meet face to face? See counselling across Brighton, Hove & Sussex, or read more about how online counselling works and about substance use counselling in depth.