Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Torquay
Online Substance Use Counselling in Torquay
Online substance use counselling for Torquay, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Torquay, from the harbour and seafront to the streets around the English Riviera, 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 Torquay
Substance Use Counselling for Torquay, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Torquay: from the harbour and seafront to Babbacombe, St Marychurch and Chelston
- Known for
- The harbour, the seafront and the English Riviera
- Region
- South West (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 Torquay
Why people in Torquay reach out
Torquay is the heart of the English Riviera, but behind the palm trees the bay carries seasonal, insecure work and some of the sharpest deprivation in the South West. When the summer crowds leave, the quiet months can feel long, and good local support is not always close at hand.
Torquay lives by its seasons. Through the summer the harbour, the marina and the beaches at Babbacombe fill with visitors, and the hotels and cafes along the front take on staff to match. When autumn comes the crowds thin, the seasonal contracts end, and the bay settles into long quiet months. Away from the palm-lined seafront, neighbourhoods such as Ellacombe and Watcombe carry real hardship, and Torbay Hospital serves an older-than-average population strung along the coast. The town's Agatha Christie heritage and Riviera charm draw people to visit and to retire, yet that same transience can leave others feeling adrift. When the winter feels long, a steady, confidential conversation can be an anchor.
A seaside town can feel cut off once the season ends and the front goes quiet, so online support that does not depend on who happens to practise nearby matters here.
Torquay is the principal resort of the English Riviera on Tor Bay and the birthplace of Agatha Christie; Torbay Hospital (Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust) serves the area.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Torquay
BabbacombeSt MarychurchChelstonEllacombeWellswoodCockingtonShiphayTorreWatcombe
Wherever you are in Torquay, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Torquay
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Torquay are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 4.6 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).
7.8 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.
Torquay sits on a branch line from Newton Abbot, with the A380 the main road in, and both can clog badly through the summer season. For a bay strung out along the coast, getting about is not always easy. Secure online sessions remove the journey completely, letting us meet from somewhere private at home. The room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online; in-person appointments are only practical for those able to reach the Sussex coast.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Torquay 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 Torquay
Why people in Torquay come for substance use counselling
Around Torquay's seasonal hospitality trade, changing hours and the boom-and-quiet rhythm of a resort can leave people reaching for substances to keep going through the summer or to fill the empty winter. What starts as a way to manage insecure, shifting work can quietly become harder to step back from. Counselling gives you a calm, non-judgemental space to understand it. We meet by secure video, around whatever hours you keep. The room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online, with in-person visits only for those able to reach the Sussex coast.
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 Torquay
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Torquay, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Torbay Council's drugs 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.
Torquay questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Torquay: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Torquay?
Yes. I work with people right across Torquay, from the harbour and seafront outwards, and anywhere else in South West, 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.
My work in Torquay is seasonal and my hours change. Can counselling fit around that?
Yes. Online sessions can be arranged around shifting hospitality hours and continued through the quieter winter months once the crowds have gone. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online rather than in person.
Can I begin substance use counselling online in Torquay this week?
Often yes. After a short message we set up a free 15-minute call, then arrange your first session, frequently within the same week. Because we meet online, you can talk from home anywhere in Torquay, whether that is Chelston, Ellacombe or Wellswood, with no waiting list to join.
How much does private substance use counselling cost compared with NHS options in Torquay?
I charge £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, and the initial 15-minute consultation is free. NHS drug services and GP referrals in Torquay are free of charge but often have waits, while private sessions can start quickly and stay flexible around you.
Do you offer evening online sessions for substance use counselling in Torquay?
I hold some appointments later in the day, which helps if you work shifts or long hours around Torquay. Sessions are online, so you join from wherever feels private, from Cockington to Shiphay. In-person work is only at my Hove room, for those who can reach the Sussex coast.
My work in Torquay is seasonal and my hours change. Can counselling fit around that?
Yes. Online sessions can be arranged around shifting hospitality and tourism hours, and continued through the quieter winter months when the crowds have gone. We meet by secure video. The counselling room is in Hove, so Torquay is served online rather than in person.
The bay can feel isolating, especially in winter. Can regular sessions help with that?
They can. A steady, confidential conversation offers a fixed point through the long off-season, whatever else is changing around you. Sessions are held online by secure video from home. The room itself is in Hove, on the Sussex coast.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Torquay, 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 South West: Exeter, Plymouth. See all of South West.
All counselling & therapy in Torquay: 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.