Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Stockport
Online Substance Use Counselling in Stockport
Online substance use counselling for Stockport, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Stockport, from the centre and the old town to the streets around the viaduct, 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 Stockport
Substance Use Counselling for Stockport, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Stockport: from the centre and the old town to Heaton Moor, Reddish, Bramhall and Cheadle
- Known for
- The viaduct, the hat works and the river Mersey
- Region
- North West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS drug & alcohol service finder (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Stockport
What is going on for people in Stockport?
Drug use in Stockport does not match the picture the borough has of itself. Cocaine is thoroughly established in the pubs of the old town and the bars of Heaton Moor, cannabis is routine across Reddish and Cheadle Hulme, and prescription medication quietly overstays its purpose in every kind of street. The borough sits above the national rate for drug-related deaths while looking, from most angles, entirely comfortable. That contrast is the difficulty. When a place appears to be doing fine, the person who is not doing fine has fewer places to say so and more reason to keep it to themselves.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Stockport
the town centre and old townHeaton MoorReddishBramhallCheadleCheadle HulmeMarpleEdgeleyHazel Grove
Wherever you are in Stockport, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Stockport
Official figures for Stockport, for context rather than as a description of you.
5.1 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).
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 7.2 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).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together in substance use counselling?
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 method travels; only the geography changes. the substance use counselling page explains it properly, session lengths and fees answers the practical questions, and professional standards and registration shows how the practice is held to account.
What happens in an online session?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
There is no room in Stockport; Bradley works from Hove and this is done by video. For drug use in a borough where a lot of people know a lot of people, that removes the visible step. No car outside a service, no reception, nothing local with your name attached. It also fits round a commute, since an hour on a screen does not require an afternoon off. Somewhere private and a decent signal is all that is needed.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What sort of things do people bring?
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 Stockport
Why people in Stockport come for substance use counselling
This is drug-focused counselling and stopping is not a precondition. Stockport's rate of deaths from drug misuse was 7.2 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, above the England average of 5.8 per 100,000, and 5.1 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. Neither figure fits the borough's own image of itself, which is part of why people here are slow to speak. The hour is spent on the specifics: what you take, what it does, what the next day costs, and what would need to change before any of it could shift. Mosaic and the NHS 'find a service' directory are the routes to medical support, and Bradley will help you weigh whether that is the right step.
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 Stockport
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “Stockport”).
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.
If you drink heavily or use drugs daily, do not stop suddenly on your own. Withdrawal can cause seizures and can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or a local drug and alcohol service first, and they can arrange a safe, medically supported withdrawal. Counselling works alongside that, not instead of it.
Stockport questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Stockport: common questions
Will I be pushed towards abstinence?
You will not be pushed anywhere. Some people decide on abstinence and some decide on less, or on a change in circumstances, or on nothing at all for now. Being clear about what you actually want is more productive than adopting an aim to please whoever is listening.
How would I reach Mosaic?
Stockport Council holds the details for Mosaic, the borough's drug and alcohol service, and the NHS 'find a service' directory will confirm what covers the area. It is confidential health care, not a police or employment matter. Contacting it does not interrupt counselling and counselling does not delay it.
What are the charges per session?
Sessions are £80 / 60 min, £100 / 90 min and £120 / 120 min, with the initial 15-minute consultation free. Payment is session by session with nothing bought in advance. That suits people whose work travel is unpredictable, because a missed fortnight costs nothing at all.
I use on the train home and nobody has ever noticed. Is that a sign?
It is at the very least worth examining. A habit that has been fitted so precisely into a routine has usually become part of the routine rather than an occasional choice. The question is not whether anyone has noticed but whether you could leave it out of the journey without difficulty.
Would this be recorded with my GP?
Not unless you ask for it. Private counselling is separate from your NHS record, and nothing is written to a GP without your agreement. The only exception concerns serious risk to life, which is explained in full before the first session so there are no surprises.
Is online counselling as effective as sitting in the room?
For most people working on substance use, yes. Research supports online talking therapy, and many find it easier to be open from their own space. What matters most is the relationship and the honesty, and both work well by secure video for people across Stockport.
How quickly can substance use counselling begin online in Stockport?
Usually within a week of a free 15-minute consultation, once we have checked we are a good fit. Everything runs online from my Hove base, so whether you are in Reddish, Cheadle Hulme or Hazel Grove, there is nothing to travel to first.
Is substance use counselling free on the NHS in Stockport, or do you charge?
Stockport has free NHS drug and alcohol services, which can carry a wait. I am independent, with clear fees: a free 15-minute consultation, then £80 for an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours.
Can we meet online in the evening rather than a Stockport clinic?
Yes. I have no Stockport premises; I work from Hove online. For people whose days already revolve around the trip into Manchester, evening and lunchtime sessions with no added travel often come as a real relief, and they are usually easy to arrange.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Stockport, 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 North West: Manchester, Oldham. See all of North West.
People who come for substance use counselling in Stockport often also look at addiction counselling, counselling for drinking problems and anxiety counselling.
If you would like to read more first, I have written about calming a craving as it rises and once an addict, always an addict?.
Within reach of Sussex? substance use counselling is offered in the room in Brighton as well as online; see the full list of areas.