Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Stoke-on-Trent
Online Substance Use Counselling in Stoke-on-Trent
Online substance use counselling for Stoke-on-Trent, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Stoke-on-Trent, from across the six towns, Hanley and Stoke to the streets around the bottle kilns, 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 Stoke-on-Trent
Substance Use Counselling for Stoke-on-Trent, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Stoke-on-Trent: across the six towns, from Hanley and Stoke to Burslem, Tunstall, Longton and Fenton
- Known for
- The bottle kilns, the Potteries and the canals
- Region
- Midlands (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 Stoke-on-Trent
Why people in Stoke-on-Trent reach out
Stoke-on-Trent grew as the Potteries, six towns knitted into one, and the long decline of the pottery and mining industries has left real hardship behind. Insecure work, money worries and a sense of being overlooked all shape the pressures people here carry, often quietly.
Stoke-on-Trent is unlike anywhere else, six towns knitted into one city, from Hanley's centre to Burslem, Tunstall, Longton, Fenton and Stoke itself. The Potteries made the world's tableware, and names like Wedgwood, Emma Bridgewater and Steelite carry that craft on, with the bottle kilns still marking the skyline. Staffordshire University and the bet365 Stadium sit alongside canals, the oatcake shops and Trentham Gardens on the edge. The long decline of the pottery and mining trades has left real hardship, and a sense of being overlooked runs deep. When that weighs on someone, a quiet, confidential hour to talk things through can help.
Where the old industries have gone and there is a strong culture of just getting on with things, online keeps support discreet and within reach however stretched the week.
Stoke-on-Trent is home to Staffordshire University, the Royal Stoke University Hospital, and the bet365 headquarters, alongside its surviving ceramics firms such as Steelite and Portmeirion.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Stoke-on-Trent
HanleyBurslemTunstallLongtonFentonStokeMeirBentileeTrenthamBucknall
Wherever you are in Stoke-on-Trent, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Stoke-on-Trent
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Stoke-on-Trent are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 6.9 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).
7.1 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).
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.
Stoke sits on the West Coast Main Line, with the station at Stoke around an hour and a half from London Euston and quick links to Manchester and Crewe, while the A50 and the M6 nearby carry much of the traffic between the six towns and beyond. For online counselling none of that is needed. The consulting room is in Hove and Stoke-on-Trent is served by video, so you can meet from a private space wherever you are across the Potteries.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Stoke-on-Trent 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 Stoke-on-Trent
Why people in Stoke-on-Trent come for substance use counselling
Where insecure work and a feeling of being left behind weigh on people, substances can become a private way to get through, and in Stoke that struggle is often carried quietly. What begins as taking the edge off can slowly become something that shapes your days. Bradley Riddell offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to look at your substance use and what drives it, at a pace that suits you. He works from Hove and sees Stoke online, so from Tunstall to Meir to Fenton, you meet by video from home rather than travelling, and nothing you say goes further than the session.
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 Stoke-on-Trent
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 “Stoke-on-Trent”).
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.
Stoke-on-Trent questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Stoke-on-Trent: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Stoke-on-Trent?
Yes. I work with people right across Stoke-on-Trent, from across the six towns, Hanley and Stoke outwards, and anywhere else in Midlands, 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 my counselling be private from people I know?
Yes. Sessions are confidential, and because they are online you choose where you join from, so there is no local clinic to be seen at. Everything discussed stays between you and your counsellor. For many people in the Potteries that discretion makes reaching out easier.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Stoke-on-Trent?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Stoke is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, giving you a feel for how sessions work, then your first appointment is booked when it suits.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Stoke-on-Trent?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Stoke's NHS drug services are free but often stretched, whereas private sessions offer earlier appointments and continuity with the same counsellor throughout.
Is substance use counselling online, and how does it work in Stoke-on-Trent?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Stoke is served by video, so sessions happen from wherever you feel private, whether in one of the six towns or somewhere quieter nearby. You need only a reliable connection, and evening slots can often be arranged.
How does online counselling work if I've not tried it?
It is straightforward. Sessions happen over a video call at an agreed time, from wherever you feel private, whether that is one of the six towns or somewhere quieter nearby. You need only a reliable connection and a space where you won't be interrupted.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Stoke-on-Trent, 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 Midlands: Derby, Telford, Tamworth. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Stoke-on-Trent: 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.