Phase 3: Coping with Tomorrow
Focus
In Phase 1 and Phase 2 the emphasis has been to look inward and at the past. In Phase 3 the emphasis changes to looking outward and forward.
Support Worker
The communal experience continues to offer practical support whilst the work with the support worker now concentrates on developing those social and survival skills and strategies necessary to move on to a less supportive living environment without a return to problem gambling.
In order to reduce dependence on any individual and to allow for more specialist resettlement help the support worker who has worked with the client in Phase 1 and 2 now hands over to another support worker who specialises in the issues to be addressed in Phase 3 and provides a link to the outreach support which will continue for at least the first 3 months after a client moves out of a Gordon House Association project.
Relapse Prevention Groups
All residents on Phase 3 attend a series of focused relapse prevention group work sessions. The overall focus of these sessions is centred round the issues of coping with, and maintaining, change whilst resettling into the wider community. There are 3 separate topic areas and residents are able to join the focused group at the start of any of these topic blocks. Some of these sessions are facilitated by our staff whilst others are facilitated by sessional workers who specialise in the subject being dealt with on that day.
Relapse Prevention
- Coping with crisis, being prepared, dealing within dangers, decision making.
- Abstinence versus control, managing lapses, reducing the risks, rewards/self-reinforcement.
- Models of change, self-control, monitoring goals.
- Perceptions of reality.
Survival skills
- Communication skills, listening skills, literacy, letter/application writing, interview techniques.
- Finance management, numeracy, budgeting, income maintenance.
- Accommodation issues, finding and retaining a place to live, cooking, cleaning.
- Employment, work finding/retaining, disclosure issues.
Life skills
- Relationships.
- Self Esteem, self-image, setting personal targets, relaxation.
- Assertiveness, negotiation, anger management, resolving conflict.
- Equal Opportunities and the rights of the individual.
Reviews
The 6 week reviews continue throughout a resident's time on Phase 3 and are supplemented by an individual evaluation and risk assessment after they have attended the group work sessions.
Reducing Support
Individuals are weaned off high support by reducing the frequency of one-to-one sessions with their support worker initially to fortnightly and then to monthly. If appropriate, one-to-one sessions with an outreach worker are phased in as the support worker sessions are phased out.
Moving on
Residents are encouraged, and helped, to identify the area they will resettle to and to seek accommodation in that area. This will normally be through a local Housing Association or through other housing providers such as The Carr Gomm Society who have a National Network of low and medium support houses. Those who do not have family or friends to return to often choose to resettle near to one of our projects so that they are close to continued support.
