Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Derry
Online Substance Use Counselling in Derry
Online substance use counselling for Derry, by secure video, wherever you are. For many people in Derry, online sessions are not a compromise but the thing that finally makes therapy possible: flexible, private and fitted around your life.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
Substance Use Counselling for Derry, without the journey
Known for the city walls, the Peace Bridge and the river Foyle, Derry is a place of real character, with clients coming to me from from within the walls and the centre to the Bogside, the Waterside and Creggan. Wherever you are across it, online counselling means experienced support without the travel, fitted around work, family and everything else.
Hove is where my room is, but the support is not tied to Sussex. Over a secure link I work with people in Derry and far beyond, with the same depth and confidentiality as meeting face to face.
I also work online with people elsewhere in Northern Ireland, including Lisburn, Craigavon, Belfast.
If you would still prefer to meet in person and can travel to the Sussex coast, you are welcome to, but for most clients in Derry online substance use counselling is the natural and effective choice.
Life in Derry
Why people in Derry reach out
Derry, the walled city on the Foyle, carries a particularly deep history of the Troubles alongside long-standing economic hardship and its distance from Belfast. Intergenerational trauma, insecure work and isolation in the north-west all shape the pressures people here carry.
In towns shaped by the loss of their industries, hardship can run deep and quiet, and there is often a strong culture of just getting on with things. Online counselling offers a private, judgement-free space to set that down for an hour, without anyone needing to know.
What I help with
How online substance use counselling 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.
Why online works in Derry
Why people in Derry choose online counselling
Confidential and close
Life on the border can feel far from services and privacy matters; online brings discreet support to you.
The comfort of your own space
Many people find it easier to open up from their own sofa than in an unfamiliar room. From Derry, that comfort is part of the work, not a compromise.
Begin sooner
Rather than waiting for a local appointment to come free, an online slot often means you can start the work much sooner.
Human, even on a screen
The technology fades within minutes. What remains is a real, attentive conversation, the same one we'd have sitting in the room together.
How online sessions work
Once the practical side is sorted, this is what the work looks like. My approach is integrative and humanistic, starting from a simple premise: you are the expert on yourself. With support you can find yourself again, without the anaesthetic, working at a pace that always protects your sense of safety.
Practically, it couldn't be simpler: a quiet room, a device with a camera, and a steady internet connection. After a free fifteen-minute call to check the fit, you'll get a private link to join at our agreed time.
Read more about online counselling, about substance use counselling, or about my methods, sessions and fees.
Start the conversationFinding support in Derry
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally, and it can be worth knowing what else is there. In Derry, your GP can refer you to talking therapies and counselling through Health and Social Care. You can find support through Lifeline, Northern Ireland's crisis helpline, free on 0808 808 8000.
Private sessions with me usually mean you can start sooner, stay with the same counsellor throughout, and work at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and I'm glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.
If you need urgent help now
This practice is not a crisis service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.
For urgent mental health support, call Lifeline free on 0808 808 8000. Lifeline is free on 0808 808 8000, and the Samaritans are on 116 123.
Derry questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Derry: common questions
Can I have online substance use counselling if I live in Derry?
Absolutely. Derry is well within reach, because we meet by secure video rather than in person. You'll get exactly the same specialist support as someone sitting in my Hove room.
How does online substance use counselling work from Derry?
We meet over a secure, private video link at a time that suits you. You'll need a quiet space, a device with a camera and a steady connection. We always begin with a free fifteen-minute call so you can ask questions and check the fit.
Does online therapy really work?
Online and in-person therapy are similarly effective for most people, and clients usually settle quickly once the screen fades into the background and the conversation takes over.
Can I use the NHS in Derry as well as seeing you?
Yes, and many people do both. You can access support from your local NHS talking therapies or counselling service alongside our work; private counselling simply means you can usually start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout. I'm happy to work alongside any NHS support you're receiving.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Derry, whenever you are ready
When you're ready, book a free fifteen-minute call. It costs nothing, commits you to nothing, and is the simplest way to find out if I'm the right counsellor for you in Derry.
Online Substance Use Counselling in nearby places
Prefer to meet face to face? See counselling across Brighton, Hove & Sussex, or read more about how online counselling works and about substance use counselling in depth.