Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Worcester
Online Substance Use Counselling in Worcester
Online substance use counselling for Worcester, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Worcester, from the cathedral and the centre to the streets around the river Severn, 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 Worcester
Substance Use Counselling for Worcester, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Worcester: from the cathedral and the centre to St John's, Barbourne and Warndon
- Known for
- The cathedral, the river Severn and the cricket ground
- 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 Worcester
Why people in Worcester reach out
Worcester is a handsome cathedral city on the Severn, prone to flooding and to the quieter pressures of a settled county town. Commuting, money worries and the expectation in a comfortable city to appear that all is well can leave people anxious and slow to reach out.
Worcester is a handsome cathedral city on the Severn, its tower looking out over one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the country at New Road. It gave the world Royal Worcester porcelain and Lea & Perrins sauce, saw the last battle of the Civil War, and shaped the composer Elgar, who grew up nearby. The University of Worcester brings a student presence, while St John's, Barbourne and Warndon are home to commuters and long-settled families alike. The Severn's floods are a recurring worry. In a comfortable county city where appearances count, difficulties can go unspoken, and a confidential hour to talk can be a relief.
Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.
Worcester is home to the University of Worcester and the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, and the city sits on the River Severn, which periodically floods the riverside.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Worcester
St John'sBarbourneWarndonDines GreenRonkswoodBattenhallSt Peter'sDiglisBlackpoleNorthwick
Wherever you are in Worcester, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Worcester
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Worcester are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 4.8 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).
3.4 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.
Worcester has two stations, Foregate Street and Shrub Hill, with links towards Birmingham, Hereford and London Paddington, while the M5 runs just to the east. Buses come in from St John's and Warndon. For online counselling none of it is needed. The consulting room is in Hove and Worcester is served by video, so you can meet from a private space at home rather than adding a commute or a drive into the city to your day.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Worcester 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 Worcester
Why people in Worcester come for substance use counselling
In a comfortable county city, substance use can be all the more isolating, precisely because it sits so awkwardly with the settled, everything-is-fine picture around you. Whether it began as a way to manage stress, commuting or private low mood, it can quietly grow while you keep up appearances. 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 Worcester online, so from Barbourne to Battenhall, you meet by video from home rather than travelling, and nothing said goes any further.
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 Worcester
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Worcester, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Worcestershire County 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.
Worcester questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Worcester: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Worcester?
Yes. I work with people right across Worcester, from the cathedral and the centre 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.
Do you offer in-person substance use sessions in Worcester?
No, the room is in Hove, so Worcester is served online. For people across the city and surrounding villages, meeting by video often works out simpler than travelling in, and it keeps things private. You need only a quiet space and a steady connection.
How quickly can I begin substance use counselling in Worcester?
Usually within a week. Substance use counselling for Worcester is delivered online from Hove, so you avoid a local queue. A free 15-minute consultation comes first, then your first session is booked when it fits, whether you study or work in the city.
What does substance use counselling cost against NHS drug services in Worcester?
Fees are £80 an hour, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Worcester's NHS drug services are free but often busy, whereas private sessions offer earlier appointments and continuity with the same counsellor throughout.
Is substance use counselling online, and can it stay discreet in Worcester?
Yes. The consulting room is in Hove and Worcester is served by video, so you join from somewhere private, from Barbourne to the surrounding villages, without being seen at a clinic. In a city where difficulties often go unspoken, that discretion helps, and evenings can often be arranged.
Do you offer in-person appointments in Worcester?
No, the room is in Hove, so Worcester is served online. For people across the city and the surrounding villages, meeting by video often works out simpler than travelling in, needing only a quiet space at home and a steady internet connection.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Worcester, 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: Gloucester, Cheltenham, Birmingham. See all of Midlands.
All counselling & therapy in Worcester: 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.