Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Substance Use Counselling · Ditchling
Substance Use Counselling in Ditchling
Substance Use Counselling for Ditchling and the surrounding area, in person or online. Ditchling is a beautiful Downs village beneath Ditchling Beacon, long associated with artists and craftspeople. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Ditchling
Substance Use Counselling for Ditchling, at a glance
- Known for
- Ditchling Beacon, the village pond and the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft
- Area
- Lewes & Mid Sussex, East/West Sussex
- Getting to the Hove room
- From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office.
- Local NHS / support route
- Local council drug & alcohol service (see below)
- Format
- In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.
Ditchling sits beneath Ditchling Beacon on the South Downs and has a long artistic heritage reflected in the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft.
Life in Ditchling
Substance Use Counselling for people in Ditchling
Ditchling is one of the loveliest villages on the northern Downs, its crossroads gathered around St Margaret's Church, the timber-framed Wings Place and the pond, with Ditchling Beacon rising steeply above. Long a home for artists and craftspeople, its heritage lives on in the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft, and the surrounding lanes and downland draw walkers all year. It is a small, close village where people know one another well, and that closeness can make privacy feel important when something is troubling you. A confidential counselling room over or around the Downs in Hove offers a quiet, separate space to talk, and online sessions bring the same support to your door.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Ditchling
The village crossroadsSouth StreetWest StreetEast End LaneLewes RoadBeacon RoadCommon Lane
Wherever you are in Ditchling, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Ditchling
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Ditchling are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 3.9 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 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 come from, 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.
Sessions in person or online
Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.
From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes by car over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove room, the nearest stations being at Hassocks or Burgess Hill for the train to Hove. There is parking near the room. When the journey feels like more than you want to manage, the same sessions are available online by secure video from home.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How substance use counselling in Ditchling 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 Ditchling
Why people in Ditchling come for substance use counselling
Beneath Ditchling's artistic, well-heeled calm, substance use can run privately in a village where appearances and reputation carry weight. Substance use counselling here is discreet and one-to-one, working with what the substance has been managing rather than judging the using. The Hove room is around twenty minutes over the Downs, and online sessions keep the work entirely private in a small community where word can travel quickly.
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 Ditchling
My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Ditchling, free local drug and alcohol support is available through West Sussex County Council's drug 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.
Ditchling questions
Substance Use Counselling in Ditchling: common questions
Where do Ditchling sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?
In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. From Ditchling it is around twenty minutes over or around the Downs into Brighton and on to the Hove office. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Ditchling or blend the two.
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 this stay private in a village as small as Ditchling?
Completely. Sessions are held in central Hove away from the village, and online is available too. Nothing is shared with anyone without your consent, under the BACP framework.
Does Ditchling have a station for substance use counselling in Hove?
Not in the village itself; the nearest are Hassocks and Burgess Hill, both a short drive away, with direct trains to Hove. By car the whole trip is around twenty minutes over the Downs. Start with a free fifteen-minute call on 07914 681995 or online.
Free or paid for substance use support in Ditchling?
Both. In West Sussex you can self-refer to Change Grow Live for free substance help with no GP needed. Privately, fees are £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for two hours after a free call, and the two can run side by side.
Do you offer evening or online substance use sessions for Ditchling?
Yes. The drive over the Downs to the Hove room is workable, with evening appointments to fit around life, but secure video is equally private when travelling in is inconvenient. You can move between in-person and online as suits your week.
Does Ditchling have a station for getting to Hove?
Not in the village itself; the nearest stations are Hassocks and Burgess Hill, both a short drive away, with direct trains to Hove. By car the whole trip is around twenty minutes over the Downs. Many Ditchling clients also value online video sessions when travelling in is inconvenient.
Substance Use Counselling in Ditchling, 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 nearby: Hassocks, Lewes, Burgess Hill. See all areas I cover.
All counselling & therapy in Ditchling: Addiction · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Prefer to meet remotely? The same substance use counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.