Groups Update

Two groups have commenced in the Shoalhaven region (Ulladulla & Nowra) whist an existing gambling support group in Yenda has chosen to affiliate with us to share information and resources. Great news!

The Ulladulla group meets on Mondays at the Ulladulla Resource Centre, Green St., 2.00 – 4.00 fortnightly, whilst the Nowra group meets at the Nowra Community Health Centre 7.30 - 9.00 Tuesdays fortnightly. The Ulladulla group is slowly developing its membership, whist the Nowra group got off to a great start with seven new members last week including people who gamble, family and friends. The group commenced with introductions then spent some time clarifying goals and expectations as well as developing some group agreements as to how the group would meet. Confidentiality was of course a major consideration.

The group is facilitated by Kate Roberts (counsellor from the Shoalhaven Gambling Recovery Program) and a volunteer co-facilitator Dorothy from the Gambling Impact Society.

After some initial information sharing, the group went on to discuss ideas about how the group would function including the balance of time to share personal stories with topic based discussion. The group agreed that future meetings should include both and that the role of the facilitators would be to assist this happening.

The group then viewed the video “My Passionate Affair with the Poker Machines” by Gabriela Byrne. This video tells Gabriela's story of her experience with problem gambling but also shares the experiences of her husband, teenage daughter and young son. It was a moving recount of ones family's experience of the impact of gambling on their lives and their struggle to take a holistic approach to working on the problem.

After watching the video, group members were asked to consider what were the some of the issues they related to in the video. All members found they had some aspect they could relate to and much discussion ensued.

The video proved a good starter for our group, particularly as it covered aspects for both the “problem gambler” and their family members. It prompted ideas for future meetings and encouraged members to talk about their own experiences with gambling. Group members talked about the benefits of sharing their experiences with others who had “been there” as either a gambler or family/friend of someone who was experiencing difficulties. One person said “it is so good to have both sides of the coin here in this room together—we can learn so much from each other and share new ways of dealing with his problem together”. All members felt there were benefits in having both personal time to share but also gaining ideas for strategies to help them combat the gambling problem and deal with its affects on their lives. They identified a preference for a combination of both presented topics, time to discuss the material and share ideas, as well as general group support .

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the groups, please contact Kate Roberts at Nowra Community Health Centre 44228111

The Shoalhaven Gambling Impact Support groups continue to meet fortnightly in both Nowra and Ulladulla. The Ulladulla Group has been gradually increasing its membership and we were happy to receive two new members last meeting. Both had heard of the group through their counsellors. We are very grateful for counsellors to start referring their clients to us. We are aware that some people who start counselling may not see the need for group support as well—perhaps feeling that these two are mutually exclusive. They may need some encouragement and explanation from their counsellor as to the differences in the nature of the support offered by support groups and personal counselling. For many the combination of both can mean greater in –roads into their recovery, be that as a person directly struggling with gambling, or as a family member or friend.

Coming to a group for the first time, can be a rather daunting experience for some and it is very helpful if the person can make contact with the group facilitator first by phone to break the ice and gain some familiarity of how the group functions. This is an opportunity to reassure them about group confidentiality and answer any concerns they may have.

Living in a rural area sometimes poses its own concerns for people and some may be reticent about joining a group because of the fear of meeting someone they know. This is a very real concern to people and one that needs to be addressed sensitively – which is all the more reason for people to get in touch first and share there anxieties. Often just making contact with another person who has “been there” is enough to help them feel more confident. Acknowledging the importance of group rules of confidentiality—that anything said in the room stays there, and helping the person see the value of getting to share support with others who also have their own unique experience of the problem but may be able to assist in sharing another perspective on the problem , can have advantages.

The Gambling Impact Support Groups, unlike some other groups, have no driving philosophy other than a desire to support each other, share ideas and learn about problem gambling. They are facilitated by a professional gambling counsellor and a volunteer from the GIS (NSW) Inc.. At the group a range of gambling related topics are offered, this may include practical exercises for study, videos and/or group sharing time. Opportunities to learn new skills in relaxation, problem solving and self–help are also provided. Sometimes an issue will be brought to the group by a member, others may want to just share their fortnight's experiences. Either way the group provides an opportunity to get to know others who are also sharing the impacts of gambling on their lives and learn new ways of dealing with it.

We are aware that there are other gambling group meetings around the State offering a variety if information and self-help support. We have already been informed about groups meeting at Yende, Albury, Bangalow & Penrith and look forward to hearing about others. We hope that we can support those who are offering groups and provide channel for sharing ideas for group work, resources and ideas for group facilitation. We therefore encourage you to send us details about your groups so that we can make these link encourage each other in this important work.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the groups or would like to share information about a group in their area please contact Kate Roberts at Nowra Community Health Centre 44228111.

Disclaimer - The opinions expressed in this website are not necessarily those held by the Gambling Impact Society (NSW) Inc. No responsibility will be accepted for anything that may occur as a result of anyone relying on the information and opinions contained in the website.