At the beginning of September, the Association Joc Responsabil released the online 24/7 counseling service, the most recent instrument for the facilitation of access to psychological counseling made available to persons who fight with problems related to the excess practice of gambling. The release took place within the context in which the online psychological counseling is considered as the new tendency in the domain, both by its technological evolution and the benefits offered to the beneficial clients of such services. By releasing the project ”24/7 Counseling”, the Association Joc Responsabil aligns, thus, to the international tendencies in the matter of psychological counseling of persons with problems related to gambling.
The 24/7 counseling is the first service of online psychological counseling of Romania for player with (potential) problems related to gambling and which feel the need of live guidance, even during the game. The main purpose of this project is represented by the increase of self-control capacity of problematic players by the implementation of a technical solution of live online psychological
counseling.
”Even while we are talking, someone is behind a screen and is liable to the requests received from the players who fight with problems. It is very important that this person exists, that it gives support non-stop. We have increased the team of psychologists, they have participated to trainings to offer online support and we are glad that we can offer this new service to beneficiaries”, said Dr. Cristian Andrei, expert and ambassador within the program Joc Responsabil, offering to those present details about the newest project released by the Association Joc Responsabil, 24/7 online counseling.
The official release of the online 24/7 counseling service took place within Entertainment Arena Expo, the international exhibition dedicated to the industry of gambling, which hosted in the second day, the seminar of social responsibility of Joc Responsabil. This seminar represents the most important approach of the market of gambling in Romania concerning the prevention and fighting of problems caused by the practice of excess gambling, as well as education.
Organized with the magazine Casino Life and Business Magazine and the National Office for Gambling (ONJN), the seminar of Joc Responsabil reunited in the discussion panel speakers as Mr. Valentin Korman, Vice-President of the National Office for Gambling, Mr. Liviu Popovici, president of the Joc Responsabil Association, Dr. Cristian Andrei and Mrs. Leliana Parvulescu and Steliana Rizeanu, psychologists within the program Responsible Gambling, as well as Sergiu Sebesi, Managing Director of the Joc Responsabil Association.
In the opening of the seminar, the vice-president of ONJN reconfirmed the support and total opening which the public authority offered to the social responsibility approaches performed by the Joc Responsabil Association and discussed the actions which the Office performed in this regard. Liviu Popovici, president of the Joc Responsabil Association underlined the importance of the dialogue and co-working between industry and regulation authority, as well as the need of social involvement of every actor from the market.
”We do more for awareness, for education, including the services which we offer. We have increased from two evaluation sessions and free therapy to five free sessions and, very important, based on the recommendation of the psychologists from the program, we can offer additional sessions for what we call social cases. The 24/7 counseling is a requested instrument. We have understood that we need it after a good period of interaction with the beneficiaries of the program. If you lose the moment when a player is in a crisis, it might that he relapses and has a serious problem. And then we have to intervene, we are not only at the prevention part”, said Liviu Popovici.
Beside this subject, the seminar ”Joc Responsabil”, by the psychologists Leliana Parvulescu and Steliana Rizeanu, approached other themes for nowadays for the industry of gambling, as well as examples of good practices at international level, or tendencies in the therapy of gambling addiction, with emphasize on the analysis of what is happening in Europe and worldwide concerning the organization, coordination and financing of some programs similar to ”Joc Responsabil”.
”The industry of gambling finances worldwide the initiation and development of responsible gambling programs. The future development focuses on two components which, after studies, have generated optimal results the introduction of psychotherapy sessions in the majority of responsible gambling programs and the live online intervention”, were the conclusions of Dr. Leliana Parvulescu.
”Approach the player calmly and patiently, listen carefully to what he says, but without judging him. Do not lend him money. Inform him about the program Joc Responsabil, about the five free sessions and about the online counseling and recommend him to speak with a psychologist”, these were the recommendation offered by Dr. Steliana Rizeanu.
