People affected by gambling-related harm in Buckinghamshire can now access free financial and mental health support through a partnership between Buckinghamshire Mind and Citizens Advice Bucks
The service is available to people aged 18 and over who live in Buckinghamshire. It can support people who are currently gambling, in recovery, or have completed a recovery programme.
Support is also available to people indirectly affected by gambling harm, including those whose financial or emotional wellbeing has been impacted by someone else's gambling.
The service provides two types of support: financial capability support and mental health support.
Financial support is provided by Citizens Advice Bucks through its Money Advice team. An initial assessment with an adviser will help identify the challenges someone is facing. The adviser can then provide information, advice and practical steps to help them move forward.
Buckinghamshire Mind provides a trauma-informed emotional and behavioural support programme called Money and Me. An initial assessment will determine whether the programme is suitable. If it is, a Supported Self-Help (SSH) practitioner will work with the individual to understand the challenges they are experiencing and develop a tailored programme of support.
The programme consists of six individual 45-minute sessions. It is a one-to-one guided self-help service, supported by materials designed to help people understand and manage their feelings.
There is no charge for the service. It is funded by NHS England through the Gambling Harms Treatment VCSE Grant Fund. Capacity is limited, so there may be a wait before support is available.
People can access the service through self-referral or through a referral from a professional. To self-refer, contact Citizens Advice Bucks for further information on how to access the service.
Visit Citizens Advice Bucks (external site).
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