[janey1]

Hi Everyone

We’ve been doing a bit of thinking here at Gambling Therapy and we thought, “We have a new site…why not look at everything we do and maybe have some new groups and services!?!”  So, we put our heads together and looked at some of the feedback we have received from you and from other members of the Gambling Therapy Team over the years and we came up with this:

What the Groups Look like Now

Peer Support for Problem Gamblers – These groups will ALWAYS be run by someone who has personal experience of overcoming problem gambling.  Problem gamblers can offload in these groups and be as frank as they like knowing the people they are with have been there too.

Drop in – These are two hour groups open to everyone who wants to chat with a member of the Gambling Therapy Team or peers.   You can enter at any time and talk about recovery or other, more general, issues you’re facing as a result of the effects of gambling.

Topic Groups – We’ll be keeping our topic groups, which are structured discussions around a specific theme advertised in the topic forum beforehand.  These are a great way of focussing on specific aspects of recovery and talking them over with people who understand.

Ex-residents Outreach Group –The ex residents outreach group will continue to be run by a member of staff from the Gordon Moody Residential team.  This group has gone from strength to strength since the new site was launched and we hope that even more people who’ve been through the GMA residential programme will make use of it this year

New Members Practical Advice– This group is for people who are new to the site, new to recovery, or both!  You will find emotional support and practical tips in this group but most importantly you’ll receive a warm welcome from us.

Community Therapy Group–The community therapy group is open to anyone using the Gambling Therapy website.  It’s run by a trained counsellor with experience of working with problem gamblers and their friends and family.  If you want to look at the why’s or how’s of your situation, this would be a good and a safe place to start

Friends and Family Therapy Group – The therapy groups for friends and family are run by qualified counsellors with experience of working with the friends and families of problem gamblers.  If you want to talk about the emotional impact of being involved with a problem gambler, or focus on how to feel better about YOU, you can do that here.

Problem Gamblers Therapy Group – Our therapy groups for problem gamblers are run by qualified counsellors with experience of working with problem gamblers.  If you’re ready to look at the emotional cost of gambling and maybe even some of the reasons you feel you developed the problem, this group is for you!

Friends and Families of GMA Residents Drop in Support– These groups take place once a month and they offer support and information to t he friends and families of people in the residential programme.  If someone you care about is in the GMA programme and you want to talk about the impact on you, or learn more about the kind of things they will be learning, please come along.

Friends and Family Peer support– These popular groups are ALWAYS run by someone who has personal experience of supporting a problem gambler.  If someone you care about is a problem gambler you can offload in these groups and be as honest as you like knowing the people you’re with have been there too.

Open  Groups – These groups are open to all, you can enter at any time and talk to your peers.  As the name suggests, there are no members of the Gambling Therapy Team in these groups so feel free to talk about anything you like but always remember to follow our T’s and C’s and respect your friends on the site.

What’s new? 

The Meeting Place Forum – Some of you might have noticed the new section in our forums called “The Meeting Place”.  We noticed that sometimes people came into our un moderated groups and found themselves alone L  so we thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could arrange to meet beforehand so you can catch the people you want to talk to?” So we set up this forum for you!

The Problem Gambler Buddy Programme – If you want someone who’s a problem gambler like you, but not a member of the Gambling Therapy Team, to talk to via e-mail, on the forums and in one to one private sessions using the site, you may be interested in this programme.  Alternatively, if you feel you can support someone and you’ve been gambling free for over a year you might be interested too.  Either way, let us know and we’ll put you in touch with your new “Buddy”!

F&F Helpline – For one hour every two weeks the helpline will be manned by an individual experienced in supporting friends and family.  If you are a friend or family member of a problem gambler and you want to talk to someone one to one, just connect to the helpline during this hour.  We’ll let you know the days and times using the friends and family forum so keep your eyes peeled! 

 

We hope you like our changes and additions and we look forward to supporting you in these new and interesting ways!

Goodbye for now

The Gambling Therapy Team

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