My name is Alice and I work at the Gambling Helpline, assisting people in South Australia with gambling related problems as well as assisting people who are affected by someone else’s gambling behaviour.

 

Many people who access this service do so for the first time. They may never have discussed issues surrounding their own or someone else’s gambling before and are often afraid of calling to discuss the “gambling problem” through fear of being judged. Staff at the Helpline are professional and non-judgemental.  They deal with a variety of gambling related issues on a daily basis. Our counsellors adopt a therapeutic approach to empower the caller to make informed choices regarding available treatment options.

 

An additional benefit of the Helpline is that, as a 24-hour telephone service, callers can choose to make contact from any location at a time that suits them. Our counsellors are always available.  Often gamblers hide their gambling behaviour from others and report a great sense of relief by sharing what is happening in their lives.

 

Beyond the provision of telephone counselling, brief interventions or relapse prevention strategies, the Gambling Helpline can arrange referrals to face-to-face counselling services – both therapeutic and financial. The option of voluntary barring from gaming venues as well as mutual support groups can also be explored.

 

Through these services, callers can establish a longer-term treatment or management plan with services beyond the Helpline. However, our counsellors will still encourage callers to ring back for assistance whenever needed, particularly in times of stress or vulnerability and when other support structures may not be available.  Staff can spend as much time on the call as needed; there are no time constraints on the length of the call.

 

Callers to the service may feel overwhelmed by their situation and a call to the Gambling Helpline can be the first step to resolving the distress and fallout created by problem gambling.

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