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About The Primary Care Gambling Service
About the service
The Primary Care Gambling Service (PCGS) is a free and confidential NHS service for adults over 18, who experience harms from gambling. The service also provides support with physical, social, and mental health problems.
The Primary Care Gambling Service is a national service working in partnership with third sector organisations to provide integrated support services to anyone experiencing gambling harms. All of our services are free and confidential.
We offer a range of support and therapy, which can be provided face-to-face, online or, over the phone. These are provided in forms of short-term or longer-term therapy. We can support those suffering from gambling harm, as well as those who are affected by someone else’s gambling behaviour.
Understanding the role gambling plays in your life can be the first step in making changes to reduce the harm it causes. It is unlikely that there will be a single answer, and you may need a combination of strategies to make lasting changes. You are more likely to be successful if you have support from others.
If you are affected by someone else’s gambling, there is a range of support available to you. We can help you understand why people gamble despite the negative consequences, as well as helping you work through your thoughts and feelings about your own situation.
We also offer group therapy sessions, which come in the form of men’s group, women’s group, neurodiversity group for those with ASD/ADHD, mixed group settings, and affected others' group. These sessions are conducted online on a weekly basis.
We may be able to offer couples therapy to patients once their initial allocation of individual sessions has been completed.
Signs of gambling harm
Recognising your gambling harm is the first step towards recovery. The five points below may be indicators that you're experiencing gambling harm.
Preoccupation
If you are spending much of your day thinking about gambling, or if thoughts of gambling are distracting you at work or during time with loved ones, it might be a sign that you’re experiencing gambling harm. Thinking about gambling often or planning gambling can be one of the first indicators of harm.
Withdrawal
Removing yourself from professional or social situations to gamble is another sign that you may be experiencing harm as urges impact your ability to engage in other areas of life.
Escape
Life can be overwhelming at times, but using gambling as a coping mechanism to escape the stresses of life can lead to significant harm.
Chasing losses
Gambling to try and win back previous losses is a major indicator of gambling harm and can lead to serious impacts on your financial and mental health.
Lying
If you find yourself lying about the amount of money or amount of time you're spending while gambling, that’s a sign that you’re experiencing harm.
If you’re concerned about your own or someone else’s gambling, the Primary Care Gambling Service provides free and confidential support for those affected by gambling harm. We know that opening up about gambling can be hard, which is why we take an empathetic, person-centered approach to care.
To find out more or self-refer today, click here, or outside referral click here
To find out more or self-refer today, visit our website or give us a ring on 0300 0300 111.
Signs to look out for if you’re concerned about someone else’s gambling
It can sometimes be hard to tell if someone else is experiencing negative consequences because of gambling. These five signs may be indicators that someone is experiencing gambling harm.
Withdrawn
Not wanting to join in or losing interest in usual activities or hobbies like going out with friends or spending time with family can be one of the early warning signs that gambling could be harmful. Wanting to stay at home more frequently and needing to check their phone frequently could also be indicators of harm.
Changing mood
There could be noticeable changes to their mood and behaviour, including looking worried, agitated or upset for no apparent reason.
Sleeping problems
If someone is chasing losses and losing money they might not be sleeping. Anxiety or constant worrying can lead to people being up all hours. Continuing to gamble on their phone during the night could lead to sleep patterns being affected
Financial signs
If you notice money missing from joint bank accounts or if someone is regularly short of money, it could be a sign that they’re gambling more than they can afford to lose. There may also be more pressure to get loans out, chasing losses now not just to generate income.
Lying
You may notice that this person is lying about what they’re doing with their time or perhaps asking for money to cover bills that could be for gambling. This can be risky as they will feel very vulnerable at being found out and very low that they have let people down.
If someone else’s gambling is starting to affect you, the Primary Care Gambling Service offers free and confidential support to all affected others impacted by someone else’s gambling activity. This can include psychoeducation, counselling interventions, and access to our group therapy sessions.
To find out more or self-refer today click here, or outside referral click here
To find out more or self-refer today, visit our website or give us a call on 0300 0300 111. We’re here to help.
Talking about gambling harm
We understand that talking about your own experiences with gambling harm, especially for the first time, can be a daunting prospect. Unfortunately, stigmatisation and feelings of guilt often prevent people from feeling able to talk about their own feelings and experiences.
But those that do open up about experiences of gambling harm see real benefits. An Ipsos poll found that over 75% of people who spoke to someone about gambling felt better for it, and almost two-thirds of people wished they’d spoken to someone sooner.
At PCGS, we want to empower our patients to talk about their experiences of gambling harm and make sure that they feel comfortable expressing their feelings. Whilst there’s no right or wrong way to talk about mental health, here’s some tips for having a conversation about your wellbeing:
Find a way that feels right for you
Make sure that the method of communication you use feels right for you. This could be talking to someone face-to-face, or over the phone if you’re more comfortable that way.
Find a suitable time and place
You might feel more comfortable taking time to sit down and chat, or it might help you to chat whilst doing something else such as walking or cooking.
Practice what you want to say
It can help to prepare yourself for the conversation before it starts. You could do this in your head or write down some key notes ahead of time.
Be honest and open
It can feel uncomfortable sharing something so personal but explaining how gambling is affecting you and your life can help others to understand.
Suggest ways the person you’re talking to can help
Try and think about what support you need during and after the conversation. This could be as simple as them listening, or it could be more practical advice and support.
At PCGS we know that talking about gambling harm is difficult. That’s why we use an empathetic, non-judgemental approach to care in our service. Our therapy team has a wide range of experience and specialities so we can find the right support for our patients.
To find out more or self-refer today click here, or outside referral click here
To find out more about our support offers or to self-refer, visit our website or give us a ring on 0300 0300 111.
We’re here to help.
Supporting someone else experiencing gambling harm
At PCGS we understand that supporting someone experiencing gambling harm can be a daunting prospect, particularly if it’s the first time you’re broaching the topic in conversation. If you want to start that conversation with someone you’re concerned about but you’re not sure where to start, here’s some tips for supporting someone by talking to them:
Ask questions and listen
Asking questions can give the other person space to share their feelings and what they’re going through. Try using open questions like ‘what does that feel like?’ to give them the chance to express themselves.
Use positive body language and encourage them
Show the person that you’re talking to that you’re actively listening to them. Small comments such as ‘what happened next?’ show that you’re paying attention to what they’re saying.
Don’t try and fix it
It can be a natural instinct to offer quick fixes or practical steps for what someone is going through, but just having the conversation can be really powerful. Unless they ask for advice directly, it might be best to just listen and encourage them.
Challenge myths
Gambling harm problems are more common than people think, and anyone could be at risk of experiencing it. Comments like ‘pull yourself together’ or ‘you’re just having a bad day’ could be harmful.
Be patient
Even if you’re ready to support someone, they might not be ready to talk about what they’re going through yet. That’s ok and showing that you’re willing to listen and support them when they need it will make it easier for them to open up at another time. It’s important that you let the person you want to support set the pace themselves.
If you’re worried about someone else’s gambling or if it’s affecting you as well, the Primary Care Gambling Service offers free and confidential support for anyone affected by gambling harm. This also includes affected others – those negatively impacted by someone else’s gambling activity.
To find out more or self-refer today, click here , or outside referral click here
To learn more about our support offers or to self-refer today, visit our website, or give us a ring on 0300 0300 111.
We’re here to help.