Supporting professionals
We created an online awareness session to give professionals a greater understanding of our service, who we are, what we do, where we cover and how to refer. The session also provides you with key facts about gambling and its harms, as well as guidance on your approach when speaking to someone who may be experiencing gambling harms.
You are working with someone and you suspect that their gambling has got out of control.
The signs you may notice are:
- Reports of financial problems – debts
- Family tensions and arguments
- Stress, low mood and anxiety and thoughts of suicide.
- Difficulties at work or with studies, days off sick and unexplained absences
- Impending court cases
- Poor sleep and appetite
- Drug and or alcohol misuse
Reflect with them on the pattern of events you have observed. Raise a question as to whether they are linked to gambling. The person may not be willing to admit they have a problem yet. However, you have created an open door. When the person is ready and wants to talk, they can approach you as a ‘trusted’ professional in whom they can confide in.
Your approach
It is helpful if you:
- Maintain a non-judgemental and compassionate approach towards the individual and their specific circumstances.
- Talk about gambling in practical, everyday terms
- Explore reasons for change with the person through reflection, reframing and inviting new perspectives (avoid arguing or confrontational approaches which provoke defensiveness and resistance).
- Instil a realistic sense of hope that with the right help and support, things can get better
Alternatively, the person may not have told family members because of shame, guilt, fear of recrimination and loss of trust if they reveal the full extent of their difficulties. You can help them identify their worries and discuss the options for help and support available to them.
Screening questions
If the person is worried that gambling has taken over their life and is creating serious problems, answering the following Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) questions may help.
Gathering further information
It is helpful if you can check out with the person:
- How long they have been gambling, when they started to be worried by it and the reasons why.
- Other problems they consider to be linked to their gambling; such as debt, depression, and using alcohol to cope.
- Safety issues – risks of self-harm and/or harm to other people, and actions to take.
- What their overall aims are
You can refer the person to the West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic, with their consent, by clicking here.
If, for any reason, the person does not feel an NHS service will work for them, you can discuss other options for help with them through the NHS website.
Additional help required
The person may need help with other problems that are linked to gambling, to support positive outcomes.
The West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic can offer brief interventions with some of these. However, if intensive or longer-term support is required, referral or signposting to another service would be a preferred approach, for example, an NHS Talking Therapies service for depression or anxiety-related conditions.
You can also take a look at our recommended support sites below.