Online Substance Use Counselling · London

Online Substance Use Counselling in London

Online substance use counselling for London, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across London — from the inner boroughs to the streets around the City — 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 London

Substance Use Counselling for London, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of London: from the inner boroughs to the outer suburbs, Zone 1 out to the edges of the M25
Known for
The City, the West End, the river and the great parks
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 London

Why people in London reach out

London moves fast and rarely pauses. Long hours, high housing costs and crowded commutes leave little room to stop and feel, and the sheer scale of the city can be isolating even when you are never really alone. Time and privacy are the scarce commodities here, which is exactly why a confidential hour that comes to you, rather than one you have to cross the capital for, so often makes the difference.

Capital-city life is exhilarating and exhausting at once, with time and privacy always short; an hour that comes to you is often what makes therapy possible.

London is served by major teaching hospitals and universities (UCL, King's College London, Imperial) and the City of London financial district; mental-health and addiction provision is commissioned separately by each of the 32 boroughs.

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.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online substance use counselling in London can help

Drugs and substances

Confidential support for any kind of substance use.

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.

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in London

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “London”).

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.

London questions

Online Substance Use Counselling in London: common questions

Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in London?

Yes. I work with people right across London, from the inner boroughs 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.

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.

Online Substance Use Counselling in London, 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: Watford, Slough, Reading, Guildford. See all of London & South East.

Other online support from London: Addiction, Drinking, Anxiety, Depression, Relationship, Trauma.