Counselling services

Individual Counselling

We provide free counselling for people living in Edinburgh concerned about their stimulant and other drug use, for example cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, GHB/GBL, ketamine or amphetamines. If alcohol is the main drug that you would like to talk about we can signpost or refer you to other services in Edinburgh such as Edinburgh and the Lothians Council on Alcohol and if opiates or benzodiazepines are the main drugs causing you concern to Simpson House.

We offer up to 30 weekly sessions, on a Monday to Friday daytime, for individual counselling with a qualified counsellor. We offer evening sessions, but there may be a longer wait for these appointments.

Our counselling is person centred, which means that we work with what feels important to each individual client. For some people, this might mean looking directly at their drug taking, and for other people it might mean exploring more about underlying issues or things from their past. 

We welcome people of all cultures, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious and ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. If you have particular access needs we can discuss how we can support you to access our service. Crew can also offer short-term counselling for people affected by another’s drug use. Please ask us about this if it is relevant to you or someone you know.

Accessibility

Our counselling service is located on Anchor Close, just off Cockburn Street, and there are 22 steps up to our door. If this is not possible for you to access, please let us know and we can discuss alternative arrangements. For example, we can offer some counselling sessions in our Drop-in space which is at street level at a time when the Drop-in space is closed to the public, and can also offer some telephone and online counselling sessions.

What clients have said 

I’ve made such amazing progress since starting counselling here, I only wish I’d had the courage to do it 10 years ago.

This therapy has allowed me to understand what aspects of my personality, history, and emotional states are driving my unhealthy behaviour, and to challenge these ideas and thoughts.

Counselling for people affected by someone else’s drug use 

We offer short-term counselling of six weekly sessions for people affected by another’s drug use, for example, a partner, a friend or a family member. We can also signpost people in this situation onto longer term support.

I feel mine and Mum’s relationship has improved, I feel more listened to and I feel I understand why my Mum can worry as much and how I can stop that by being honest.

Need help now?

Here are some services that offer immediate support.