Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Telford
Online Substance Use Counselling in Telford
Online substance use counselling for Telford, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Telford, from the town centre and Wellington to the streets around the Wrekin, 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 Telford
Substance Use Counselling for Telford, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Telford: from the town centre and Wellington to Dawley, Madeley and Hadley
- Known for
- The Wrekin, Ironbridge nearby and the town park
- 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 Telford
Why people in Telford reach out
Telford is a new town stitched together from older settlements in largely rural Shropshire, and that mix of new estates and a spread-out layout can make it harder to feel rooted. Many came for work and housing without the family networks that hold people up, and the nearest specialist help can be a fair way off.
Telford is a new town, stitched together in the 1960s and 70s from older Shropshire settlements like Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, and named after the engineer Thomas Telford. The Ironbridge Gorge nearby, a birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and a World Heritage Site, sits close to modern distribution parks, the Telford Centre and the green expanse of the Town Park, with the Wrekin rising over it all. Because the town is spread out and many arrived for work and housing, the family networks that hold people up are not always close by. When someone feels unrooted or stretched, a steady, confidential space to talk can help them find their feet.
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.
Telford is served by the Princess Royal Hospital and is one of the West Midlands' largest manufacturing and distribution centres, with major employers clustered on estates such as Hortonwood and Halesfield, close to the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Telford
WellingtonDawleyMadeleyHadleyOakengatesIronbridgeStirchleyRandlayPriorsleeDonnington
Wherever you are in Telford, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Telford
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Telford are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 5.3 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
4.4 adults per 1,000 were in treatment at specialist drug-misuse services in 2020/21, below 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.
Telford has its own station on the line between Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and the M54 links it quickly to the wider West Midlands, but the town's spread-out, car-shaped layout means most journeys are by road. For online sessions that spread is no obstacle. The counselling room is in Hove and Telford is served by video, so wherever you are, Wellington, Madeley or the newer estates, you can meet from home without a drive.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Telford 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 Telford
Why people in Telford come for substance use counselling
In a town as spread out as Telford, where support can feel far off and roots are not always deep, substances can become a private way to cope with isolation or stress. What starts as something occasional can gradually take up more room than you intended, especially when there is no one close by to notice. Bradley Riddell offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to look at your substance use and what lies beneath it. He works from Hove and sees Telford online, so distance is no obstacle, and from Dawley to Oakengates you meet by video from home rather than driving anywhere.
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 Telford
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Telford, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Telford & Wrekin Council's drugs and alcohol 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.
Telford questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Telford: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Telford?
Yes. I work with people right across Telford, from the town centre and Wellington 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.
The town is so spread out, does that make getting help harder?
Not with online counselling. Because sessions are by video, Telford's car-shaped, spread-out layout stops mattering. You meet from home wherever you are, with no drive across town, needing only a private space and a reliable connection to talk things through.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Telford?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Telford is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue and any awkward journey somewhere unfamiliar. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then your first session is arranged when it works for you.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Telford?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Telford's NHS drug services are free but often busy, whereas private sessions offer earlier appointments and the same counsellor each time.
Is substance use counselling online, and does that help in a spread-out town like Telford?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Telford is served by video, so its spread-out, car-shaped layout is no obstacle. You meet from home in Madeley, Hadley or the newer estates, with no drive, and evening slots can often be arranged.
I'm new to the area and don't know many people, can counselling help?
Yes. Feeling unrooted after a move is common in a new town like Telford, and talking it through can help. Sessions are online, so you can meet from home without needing to find your way somewhere unfamiliar, just a private space and a connection.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Telford, 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: Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Telford: 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.