Online Addiction Counselling & Recovery Support South Africa
Maybe you've promised yourself this time will be different...
Maybe you've stopped and started more times than you'd like to admit. Maybe other people think you're doing better while you know how much energy is going into holding things together.
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Addiction can become a cycle of urges, relief, consequences, regret and promises to change — only for the same pattern to begin again. Whether you're trying to stop, reduce your use, recover after a relapse or understand why you keep returning to something that is hurting you,
you don't have to figure it out alone.
You might be here because…
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You keep going back to alcohol or drugs despite wanting to stop or cut down.
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You've had periods of recovery but are worried about slipping or relapsing.
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You use substances to cope with stress, anxiety, loneliness, trauma or difficult emotions.
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You're hiding how much you use, or how much it is affecting you.
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Shame and guilt make it harder to ask for help.
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You can identify the consequences but still struggle to change the behaviour.
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You've stopped using but aren't sure how to build a life that makes recovery sustainable.
Recovery involves more than simply removing a substance. Counselling can help you understand what keeps the cycle going and develop practical ways of responding differently. Together, we may work on:​
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Understanding your personal addiction and relapse cycle
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Identifying high-risk situations, triggers and early warning signs
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Managing cravings and urges without automatically acting on them
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Developing a practical relapse prevention plan
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Understanding the role substances may have played in coping or emotional survival
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Working through shame, guilt and self-criticism
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Building healthier coping strategies, routines and support systems
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Repairing relationships and rebuilding trust where appropriate
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Developing an identity and life that are not organised around addiction
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Responding constructively to a lapse or relapse rather than giving up completely
You do not need to have everything under control before starting counselling. You also do not need to wait until things become worse.
How can addiction counselling help?
My approach to addiction counselling is direct, compassionate and practical.
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We look honestly at what is happening without reducing you to your addiction or shaming you for struggling. At the same time, recovery also means accountability, understanding consequences and making meaningful change.
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Together, we identify the patterns beneath the behaviour, what places your recovery at risk and the practical strategies that can help outside the counselling room.
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Our work may include relapse prevention, emotional regulation, coping skills, boundaries, routines, relationships, self-worth and recovery identity.
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There is no single path to recovery. We work from where you are now and focus on what will help you move forward.
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*Online counselling is not a substitute for medical detoxification, inpatient treatment or emergency care where these are required.
How I work
I'm Tracey McDougall, an ASCHP-registered Specialist Wellness Counsellor with a BA Honours degree in Counselling Psychology, completed Cum Laude.
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My background includes experience in addiction treatment and recovery support, alongside lived experience of long-term recovery. This gives me both a professional and personal understanding of the challenges involved in making change and building a sustainable life in recovery.
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I work from a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, combining supportive counselling with practical tools and psychoeducation to help you understand patterns, strengthen coping skills and make meaningful changes.
About Tracey
Online through Google Meet
60 minute sessions
R550 per individual session
Available across South Africa
