Win Back Your Life Gambling Support

VASS is funded by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) through the Win Back Your Life program. This program provides support for people that are directly affected by the consequences of problem gambling as well as affected others, such as family members. VASS works closely with people from Arabic speaking backgrounds, inclusive of Assyrian and Chaldean communities in order to tackle the issue. The program offers therapeutic and financial counselling for clients who are ready to make behavioural and lifestyle changes. Different principles of support are applied with the focus placed on the most urgent presenting problem expressed by clients.

Therapeutic counselling helps clients combat or minimise their problematic gambling, and in turn reduce their associated stress, anxiety and dysfunction. VASS focuses on ongoing casework with a holistic approach linking clients with VASS’ financial counselling services as well as other support services available at VASS. Financial counselling seeks to assist clients in gaining increased financial literacy and control as well providing support to people wishing to self-exclude from pokie venues. Both the services can be provided in English, Arabic or Chaldean.

The program also facilitates community awareness sessions in order to educate and increase understanding of gambling and ways to discuss and address gambling harm. We are able to provide community information sessions to interested groups in either English, Arabic or Chaldean.

Costs:

All VASS programs and activities are free of charge.

Contact information:

For more information on therapeutic counselling please contact Shireen Francis or Kieran Hough for more information at VASS Head Office (03) 9359 2861 or [email protected]

For more information on financial counselling please contact Roni Hanna or Kieran Hough for more information at VASS Head Office (03) 9359 2861 or [email protected]