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Our Model of Care

What we offer

GamCare offers a range of options for people struggling with the impact of gambling on their lives – both gamblers and their loved ones. We can help you: 

  • Over the phone
  • Face-to-face 
  • Online

Our treatment is free, flexible and confidential. It is available for adults affected by gambling across England, Scotland and Wales.

We can also provide dedicated support for young people under 18 across the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland.

What you can expect from GamCare services 

We will give you a safe, confidential space to talk about how gambling affects you. We will work with you to find ways to help you take control of your life, move forward and feel better.

Our practitioners will tailor the support they offer to your specific needs and your goals. You may work one to one or take part in group sessions.

GamCare practitioners can help you understand your relationship with gambling. They will also help you develop strategies to deal with difficult situations in ways which don’t rely on gambling.

 

Find local treatment >>

For more information about our services speak to one of our Advisers >>

“These sessions have helped me understand more about my gambling and that was key for me – not just the practical aspects about restricting my access to money …but understanding how much pain I was causing for myself and my family.”

– Steve, Norwich

GameChange Course

We also offer an online course called GameChange, which aims to fit into your busy life. The course is informed by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), an effective treatment that has been shown to change negative thought patterns and improve how you feel. Before you can access these modules you will need to complete a brief screening process. Please note these modules are only available in Great Britain.

Start Your Screening Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GamCare's Model of Care?

Our Model of Care

The National Gambling Helpline

GamCare operates the National Gambling Helpline funded by GambleAware. We provide one-to-one information, advice and support for anyone affected by gambling – the gambler themselves as well as others who may be affected or impacted, such as family and friends.

Our Advisers are available 24 hours a day. The team provide a range of brief and extended brief interventions to callers, including call backs to callers where appropriate. Advisers also moderate our online group chatrooms and provide support to our online Forum community, where more than 30,000 people contribute their experiences to seek support for themselves and give support to others.

GamCare Treatment Services

GamCare also provides a range of treatment for those affected by problem gambling, funded by GambleAware. We have treatment locations in London, and we work with a network of partner agencies across England, Scotland and Wales who we train to deliver this free, specialist service. We work individually and in groups, and provide services face to face, online or over the telephone. Where appropriate we make links with other local services to provide the best support to meet the client’s needs.

A Recovery Based Approach

A fundamental part of our approach is the belief that for someone who has experienced gambling problems, successful, sustained behaviour change is significantly helped by putting into practice the skills learnt within a supportive network. This means providing ways for people to build their networks to sustain their goals long after treatment has ended.

A recovery focus builds on the individual’s strengths, instilling hope that change is possible, increasing their positive identity of themselves, and their mastery of their own life.

Service User Choice

GamCare ensures that service users can make informed choices regarding the range of options open to them at every step of their treatment journey. The service user’s goals and decisions are central to the care plan. Our aim is to give service users healthier options regarding how they respond to situations and their internal triggers to gambling.

Evidence Based Practice

Our interventions are based on well researched ways of working, primarily that the gambling provides a function in the person’s life. Utilising a cognitive behavioural approach, we focus on goal setting, the identification of internal and external triggers, relapse prevention and management and the identification of alternatives to gambling. The use of opportunities to develop and practice skills is integral to this approach.

We encourage support from family members, as well as providing support to family members in their own right. All of this is underpinned by a motivational way of working within a recovery model.

Safe, Effective Services

We work within a robust governance framework to ensure the delivery of safe, effective services. Our priority is the safeguarding of our service users, their families and others who may be vulnerable to harm because of problem gambling.

All engagement with service users is driven towards helping them to achieve their desired outcomes. Our governance processes define and manage an agreed set of quality indicators and outcome measures against which we benchmark the effectiveness of our services through audit.

Stepped Care

It is important that we provide our service users with the right level of care for their needs. This ensures that we maximize the impact of the resources available to us, and ensures we neither under-treat, nor over-treat.

Our service offers both low- and high- intensity courses of treatment through a stepped-care model of service delivery. At the point of delivery, the steps are seamless to the service user. We aim to offer the right service at the right time.

How can GamCare treatment help?

Your treatment will be tailored to your individual needs. The main aims of GamCare treatment are:

  • To help stop or reduce the frequency of problem gambling
  • To help develop ways of coping with problem gambling behaviour
  • To help understand some of the underlying reasons why gambling has become a problem
  • To help address related issues that are causing harm or damage
  • To help develop a productive and healthy life without problem gambling

You and your GamCare practitioner will agree your treatment plan and goals together.

So you’ll tell me what to do?

No. Your practitioner is there to support you, and they will help you to understand your situation better so you can identify the goals which matter to you, make positive changes in your life and make strides to achieve them.

Where can I receive face-to-face treatment?

We work with several partner agencies to deliver GamCare treatment across Great Britain. If you would like to receive face-to-face treatment near you, take a look at our interactive map to find your nearest service.

If you cannot see a listing for your area, contact our Advisers for more ideas about support and treatment. You can also ask the team about online treatment.

How quickly will I be seen?

This will depend on your availability to attend a regular session. When your initial assessment is completed, we will allocate you to a practitioner as soon as possible. If you are able to commit to an appointment time, you should be able to start treatment within two weeks at the most.

What if it doesn't work?

Treatment can work differently for all of us. The process of change is also different for each person, but receiving support is a good way to begin to understand and make lasting changes to harmful gambling behaviour. It’s often worth talking through what’s going on for you with someone you trust, and GamCare can help you with this.

Lapses may happen, and your practitioner will work with you, supporting you through this towards your goals for recovery.

If you change your mind about treatment at any time this is your choice, however you can speak to your practitioner about other options which may be available too.

How can I register?

Contact our Advisers for a free referral into our treatment network.

Can I refer someone else for treatment?

If there is someone you know who might benefit from our services please do recommend GamCare, and encourage them to contact the National Gambling Helpline to talk through all of the options available to them for support.

Professionals working with someone affected by gambling can make a referral for treatment through the Helpline or through our online forms, as long as they can have written consent from the individual.

 

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We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.

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