A Guide To Online Addiction Counselling

A growing number of people in the UK struggle with addictive behaviours. These range from gambling and alcohol addiction to prescription drug addiction. Whether it’s you or a loved one who needs help, online addiction counselling offers a solution. It’s a relatively new approach to address behavioural addictions, promote recovery, and maintain sobriety. Providers, such as Substance Rehabilitation, have designed online counselling programs for people struggling with addiction. They allow people to seek quality support and care through online mediums. 

If you or someone you know is considering seeking online therapy for an addiction, here’s a helpful guide to get you started. We’ll walk you through what it us, the different kinds of addiction it addresses, who it can benefit the most, and what you can expect.

What Is Online Addiction Therapy?

How Much Does Online Rehab Cost

Online therapy for addiction is an accessible approach to undergoing treatment for addiction and mental health concerns. It involves the use of different methods like CBT, person-centered therapy, and group therapy. You can choose an online therapy program as your primary option for treatment, or in conjunction with a current outpatient rehab program.

Your therapist will use mediums like live chats and calls to provide support and help you build skills to cope with stressful situations. It’s a convenient approach that allows you to receive care without travelling to a physical location. Just like with in-person psychotherapy, it reduces addictive behaviour and withdrawal symptoms.

What Kind of Addiction Can Online Counselling Address

Counsellors offering online services have likely completed an addiction counselling level 3 course. Therefore, they’re qualified to assist clients diagnosed with different kinds of substance use disorders and addictions. Online counselling can be helpful for the following addictions: 

  • Alcohol 
  • Prescription drugs
  • Opioids
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Gambling 

Whether you struggle with the aforementioned or some other addiction, we recommend speaking with our specialists to know if we can aid in your recovery process.

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Who Can Benefit From Online Therapy For Addiction

Online addiction therapy is suitable for anyone who is seeking continued treatment options after successful completion of a rehab program. Online therapy is a source of additional support that helps you stay accountable and stick to your recovery goals. 

It’s also suitable for people who travel frequently and can’t stay in one area for too long. With this approach, you’ll be able to access professional support and care at a flexible schedule. You should consider seeking online addiction therapy if you: 

  • Have completed a rehab program and want continued support 
  • Can’t afford residential rehab and are eligible for online treatment. 
  • Work full time, making it hard to take time off or attend sessions between shits. 
  • Look after children, elderly relatives, or disabled family members. 
  • Feel anxious about going to a new place or meeting new people. 
  • Are disabled and or use a mobility aid, making it difficult to commute. 

While online therapy is suitable for the above-mentioned situations, your eligibility can vary depending on personal circumstances and the severity of your addiction. For people who have a history of relapsing, struggled with addiction for a long time, or inadequate family support systems at home, simply relying on online treatment isn’t recommended.

Advantages of Online Addiction Counselling

Here’s a look at some of the advantages of online addiction counselling:

Personalised Therapy

For starters, a major benefit of seeking online therapy is that it’s personalised. The whole course of treatment is designed to meet your specific needs, which depend on how long you’ve suffered from addiction, what support you have at home, and whether you have a history of relapsing. 

Besides understanding addiction through psychoeducation, you can expect other learning outcomes like stress management, emotional regulation, and mindfulness techniques. 

Judgment-Free Environment

Many people feel hesitant about seeking addiction counselling because they’re worried about being judged. Switching to an online medium allows you to experience the benefits of accessible therapy without worries about someone judging your mistakes. A judgment-free environment is essential for recovery because it encourages you to open up and reflect on yourself. 

Building Core Skills

After rehab, much of counselling involves learning to do things again without the rewarding yourself with a dose of your preferred substance. Your counsellor will help you develop skills to deal with unpleasant cravings, peer pressure, and triggers to prevent relapse. These skills prepare you to navigate the challenges of everyday life with productive strategies. 

Address Underlying issues 

For many people, dealing with underlying issues is crucial to achieve and maintain long-term sobriety. That’s because underlying mental health concerns or a traumatic event could be what’s reinforcing your addictive behaviours. By discussing and processing them with a professional, you can take the next step towards recovery. 

Access To A Support System

Just because you’re receiving therapy from home, doesn’t mean you should feel isolated. Many online counselling programs for addiction include group sessions, where you can interact with people who have gone through similar experiences. Though they don’t offer the closeness of face to face sessions, they act as a source of support in your life that holds you accountable. 

Holistic Care

Holistic therapy for addiction goes beyond a detox, rehabilitation, and abstaining from alcohol and drug use. Rather, it focuses on your physical and mental health to promote overall well being. It encourages you to look beyond addiction and set goals, whether it’s continuing professional development or education, or working on your relationships.

What To Expect With Online Therapy for Addiction

Is Online Addiction Counselling Different From In-Person Counselling? 

If you’ve gone to in-person sessions before, you’ll notice that online counselling mainly differs in terms of communication. Because the modes of communication differ, your counsellor may miss some non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions. 

However, the qualifications and quality of treatment are the same. The professionals providing online counselling have the specialist skills required to perform therapeutic interventions through digital mediums. They’ve been trained on the same key theoretical principles as professionals offering in-person counselling, so you’ll notice key similarities between the two. 

You’ll still attend sessions where you’ll understand which problems contribute to your addiction. But due to the comfort and convenience of online sessions, you’ll find it easier to focus on discussions without worries about time constraints or other responsibilities.

What To Look For When Seeking Online Addiction Counselling

These days, you’ll find a lot of online practitioners claiming to offer addiction counselling services. But how do can you decide which practitioner to see? Here’s a list of what you should look for:

Professional Qualifications

The first thing you should look at is their accreditation and qualifications. Preferably, they should have accreditation from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Checking their qualifications helps ensure that they follow proper therapeutic guidelines. 

You should also see if they have specific qualifications relevant to addiction, like an addiction counselling level 3 course. This specific course covers both substance and alcohol addiction, while covering client and support issues commonly encountered during treatment. 

Experience 

Experience is crucial when you’re deciding which counsellor to see for professional help. An experienced counsellor will know how to build and maintain a therapeutic relationship, as well as relationship boundaries. 

Similarly, if you have co occurring diagnoses, they’ll have the knowledge to address depression and anxiety symptoms alongside your addiction. Make sure you consult an addiction counsellor who has worked with clients for a few years. 

Therapeutic Approach 

Remember that there’s no one therapeutic approach used for all clients who struggle with addiction. Therapists may use different approaches, like CBT, DBT, or motivational interviewing, all of which are effective in addressing some component of addiction. 

Even if you’re not aware of which approach will work the best for your needs, it’s best to see a counsellor who actively practices more than one therapy approach. This way, they can adopt a combination of different approaches or switch to another method if one doesn’t work.

Confidentiality 

Ensuring confidentiality is one of the main ethical principles of providing online addiction counselling. Whether you’re seeing a specific therapist or signing up with a program like Substance Rehabilitation, make sure that they adhere to GDPR regulations. This includes conducting sessions over encrypted platforms to protect your information and the content of your discussions. 

Flexible Options

The main reason anyone seeks online addiction counselling is to benefit from improved accessibility and flexibility. However, not all platforms offer this by default. If this is a priority for you, we recommend asking about how the service schedules appointments. Just remember that whatever time they agree to, you’ll need to be consistent and regular when attending. If needed, you should consider looking for counsellors who offer weekend sessions. 

Free Consultation 

You should never commit to a treatment program before knowing if it’s the right choice for you. To help you make an informed decision, many programs offer free consultations where the conduct a pre-assessment check. This is to determine whether you’re eligible for online addiction counselling.


Jason Sheirs
Author / Jason Shiers / Dip. Psych MBACP
Jason Shiers is a Certified Transformative Coach & Certified Psychotherapist who is a specialist in addiction, trauma and eating disorders. He has been working in the field of addiction for 25 years now.