Create a Support Plan
A Support Plan created in partnership with the person experiencing gambling harm will support them to take ownership of the plan and to use techniques that they feel may benefit their journey.
When creating a Support Plan with someone you should consider:
- Their motivations and drivers for gambling
- Their level of gambling harm
- The gambling products and activities they use and interact with
- Their main harms that gambling is causing them
- How often you will check-in to discuss their gambling harm
To create a Support Plan you can use resources such as:
- Gambling Harm Support Services
- Harm Reduction techniques
- Budget Tracker
- Pros and Cons list
- Podcasts
- Documentaries and film resources
One of the biggest motivations for people to game is isolation, loneliness or boredom. Including activities, new hobbies or wellbeing techniques into people’s Support Plan could support their journey.
Why are regular checks important?
To understand if the Plan created is supporting them effectively or if it has to be adapted. Over time as the person’s relationship with gambling changes, the Support Plan will need to be altered to fit the level of harm they are experiencing.
Continuous check-ins also allow you to have further conversations surrounding the persons gambling in a safe space. As gambling is highly stigmatised people may not share the full extent of their gambling harm during your initial conversations, and this may only become apparent as you build a relationship and Support Plan together over weeks
or months.
Including lived experience stories into someone’s Support Plan helps them to know that they are not alone in their journey and can reduce the stigma associated with gambling harm.