Online Addiction Counselling · Canterbury

Online Addiction Counselling in Canterbury

Online addiction counselling for Canterbury, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Canterbury — from the city walls and the centre to the streets around the cathedral — with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, counsellor in Brighton & Hove, introducing his approach to therapy
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Canterbury

Addiction Counselling for Canterbury, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Canterbury: from the city walls and the centre to Wincheap, St Stephen's and Hales Place
Known for
The cathedral, the city walls and the Stour
Region
London & South East (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 Canterbury

Why people in Canterbury reach out

Canterbury blends a world-famous cathedral city with a large student population across its universities, and the two worlds bring different strains: the academic pressure and homesickness of student life, and a high cost of living in a small, historic city. For many, being surrounded by people their own age does little to ease a deeper sense of being unmoored.

Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.

Canterbury is a UNESCO cathedral city home to the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

The local picture

The local picture in Canterbury

These figures are local context from official sources — not a description of you — but they show the scale of what people in and around Canterbury are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The addiction counselling itself

Addiction counselling here treats the pain beneath the habit, not just the symptom — alcohol, drugs, gambling, food or behavioural — so recovery is something you grow into rather than force.

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 addiction 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.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online addiction counselling in Canterbury can help

Alcohol

For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.

Drugs and substances

Compassionate, confidential help with substance use.

Gambling

Breaking the cycle of compulsive gambling, guilt and debt.

Food and behavioural

Support for food and process addictions.

Affected by a loved one

Help for those living alongside someone's addiction.

The pain underneath

We treat the cause, not just the symptom.

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Canterbury

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Canterbury, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Kent 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.

Canterbury questions

Online Addiction Counselling in Canterbury: common questions

Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Canterbury?

Yes. I work with people right across Canterbury, from the city walls and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, by secure video — no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

Do I have to be abstinent before we start?

No. We begin wherever you are. The work is about understanding the need the behaviour has been meeting, not passing a test first.

Can you help with gambling or behavioural addictions, not just substances?

Yes. The same approach applies to gambling, food and other compulsive behaviours, because we work with the underlying pattern rather than only the substance.

Is it really confidential if I'm worried about people finding out?

Completely. Sessions are private, online means no waiting room, and everything is held under the BACP Ethical Framework.

Online Addiction Counselling in Canterbury, 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 London & South East: Ashford, Margate, Maidstone. See all of London & South East.

Other online support from Canterbury: Substance Use, Drinking, Anxiety, Depression, Relationship, Trauma.