International Women’s Day – 8 March 2021
Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma.
Gordon Moody will join many organisations around the world in marking International Women’s Day on Monday 8 March. On the day itself we will be taking part in an event for Women’s Voices 2021 as part of our aim of raising awareness of the issue of gambling harm and its effect on women.
The theme of women achieving an equal future free from stigma resonates strongly with us and our plans this year to increase our provision of support for women affected by gambling harm.
Our current provision of support for women exists through our Retreat and Counselling Programme. Attendees experience a three-night stay in a retreat setting where they can disengage from their day-to-day life and take part in a series of therapeutic group workshops surrounded by and supported by women facing similar problems.
Eight weeks of weekly one-to-one group sessions follow, before another two-night retreat stay where participants can meet and share their learnings before completing the programme with some further one-to-one sessions. The programme is 12 weeks duration in total.
Due to restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic we have been unable to offer the retreat part of the programme in recent times. However, our team have adapted to run an online service that has been a great success allowing us to reach those most needing help during a difficult time.
We hope to be running our Retreat and Counselling service in physical locations again soon. And our learnings from our online delivery will not be lost and we aim to provide more flexible and agile versions of the programme reaching more women who need support or who may be isolated and unable to access other forms of treatment.
If you are concerned about your own or a loved one’s gambling don’t suffer in silence. We are here to help and together we can tackle gambling addiction.
To apply for treatment at Gordon Moody visit www.gordonmoody.org.uk or for more information call us on 01384 241292.
The National Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 call free on 0808 802 0133.
Raising Awareness of Women’s Gambling Issues
There is not enough support out there for women affected by gambling harm, fact.
Recent reports have shown that out of 9,000 women seeking help and advice 59% are affected others and 41% are seeking help for their own gambling issues. Only 2,000 women accessed treatment for disordered gambling last year, this figure is thought to be only 3% of the actual number that need treatment.
Some of that is due to the amount of treatment currently out there not being anywhere near enough
Another factor is that gambling is still seen as a male-dominated pursuit and there remains a huge stigma around women seeking help.
We have been busy raising awareness in the media with our appearance on Steph’s packed lunch which we mentioned in last week’s blog as well as earlier pieces on BBC News, ITV news and Times radio.
This week our women’s outreach therapist Kerri shared her story along with other women in a feature in the Daily Mail’s Female magazine. You can read the article here.
Along with the potential for additional retreat programmes, we are opening a specialist residential treatment service for women this year.
Our programme design will be solely based on the needs of the women we are looking to treat and providing a higher level of intervention not currently available but very much needed.
We provide treatment for those most severely affected by gambling harm and our mission is to ensure that women severely affected by gambling have equal access to this level of treatment.
Have you heard about Gambling Therapy?
Sticking with the international theme, did you know that Gordon Moody also supports people suffering from gambling harm internationally.
In 2004 the Gambling Therapy service was set up to provide support, advice and signposting to anyone around the world through online information, groups, forums, and a text-based helpline.
Available in many different languages, and with advisors based around the world, Gambling Therapy provides help and support that is tailored to your needs – regardless of nationality or culture.
Today the Gambling Therapy service has grown to reach a global audience of more than five million users. An updated and improved version of the Gambling Therapy website has recently gone live and now provides information in more than 240 different languages.
Over 2,000 interactions take place each month through our helpline and support. The service can also be accessed through our free to download GT App.
You can find out more by visiting www.gamblingtherapy.org
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Until next week stay safe, look after yourselves and each other.
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