Counselling

Mr.T had been "problem gambling" for 20 years on the horses and more recently on sports and internet gambling. He had been to counselling before but it was sporadic and by his own admission Mr T was not fully ready to face that he had a problem. Recently he had been made redundant and on receiving a sizable payout gambled the entire amount in a gambling binge which lasted 4 days. When he presented to Gambler’s Help Southern he was in suicidal state, had enormous anxiety and needed ongoing support. Through counselling, Mr. T began to explore deeper issues and motivations behind his gambling behaviour, however it was becoming apparent that his financial situation was also in need of management. It was clear that in order to make sustainable and long lasting changes in his gambling behaviour, he also needed to explore ways of dealing with his financial situation.

Financial Counselling

Mr. T was referred to me after seeing a problem gambling counsellor for many months. He presented in a depressed state and reported feeling extremely anxious about his financial situation. After an initial assessment, it was evident that he to pay back his debts but needed to concentrate on gaining employment in order to be able to set up a payment plan with his creditors. Within a couple of months he had found employment and had decided to put all his energies into this with ongoing support from his problem gambling counsellor, and at a later stage, to address his financial situation.

Mr. T recontacted a month later and had recognised the reality of his debts. It became evident after subsequent financial counselling appointments that the level of debt was such that it would be extremely difficult to pay back. After careful consideration of all his options, Mr. T decided that Voluntary Bankruptcy was his best option. With ongoing problem gambling counselling, a fresh financial start, and a Money Management Plan for his future, Mr. T was able to look towards a positive, gambling free future.

In this instance, the integrated approach of providing financial and problem gambling counselling concurrently, worked extremely well, as it provided psychological containment as well as clear financial options. Managing Mr. T’s financial situation was essential in order for him to manage his anxiety and subsequently contributed to positive behaviour change.