1661 Montreal Rd. Ottawa, Ontario K1J 9B7 Fax 613-738-4891. The Gambling Support Network provides online and phone support for Nova Scotians and their families who may have gambling-related concerns. The services are free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 1-888-347-8888 or TTY access through 711 GamblingSupportNetwork.ca. Nova Scotia: Gambling Support Network More Info. Description of Services. Initiate a Secure Chat with one of our counsellors by logging into the. The Gambling Support Network provides online and phone support for Nova Scotians and their families who may be affected by gambling-related harms. The network’s services are provided by trained professionals and are free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Contact 1-888-347-8888 or TTY access through 711.

NSHA’s Mental Health and Addictions Program is here to help.
We know we have an important role in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From the beginning, we knew it was vital to continue to deliver a continuum of mental health and addictions services including outpatient, crisis and inpatient care to meet people’s needs. We are committed to service excellence - with patient, staff and physician safety being the top priority.
OUTPATIENT - Since the state of emergency was declared, we have continued to provide quality care to our existing patients safely and to accept new patients throughout the pandemic. Outpatient services have been supported primarily using Telemental Health (telephone and video platform visits). Telemental Health is reported to be as satisfactory as face-to-face services for clients, patients, and their families. If someone needs an in-person appointment to best meet their needs, an appointment is arranged with a clinician.
INPATIENT - We continue to provide inpatient admission for individuals who require that level of care to support their recovery, working within public health protocols to ensure the safety of patients, staff and physicians.
CRISIS - Crisis Response Services are available in emergency departments in many communities across NS. The provincial Mental Health Crisis Line is available 24/7 for an individual or someone concerned about them, (toll-free) 1-888-429-8167.

Gambling Support Network Nova Scotia Online

Support
You can self-refer to our Community Mental Health and Addictions clinics, Withdrawal Management Services, or Opioid Replacement and Treatment Program, using the Mental Health and Addictions Intake Service. Call (toll-free) 1-855-922-1122, to be connected to a clinician weekdays 8:30 to 4:30*. *This line has voicemail only evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Gambling support network nova scotia bahamas
We have several online mental health and addictions resources meant to expand the options to access care and support.
  • ICAN (Conquer Anxiety and Nervousness) – Anxiety Program: People looking for help for anxiety and depression can benefit from doing this program. In this program, you will learn and understand anxiety.
  • Mindwell U: A free online challenge that takes just five minutes a day, and can be accessed anywhere and on any device.
  • Therapy Assistance Online (TAO): A free and private online resource available to Nova Scotians. It includes interactive activities and videos for people having challenges with their mental health.
  • Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support: Free online resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals when needed.
Gambling

For more information on Mental Health and Addictions Programs, please visit our website MHAhelpNS.ca

'They make a lot of their money off problem gamblers,' says Elizabeth Stephen

A gambler sits at a slot machine at Casino Nova Scotia. Nick Cantar

By and

February 14, 2020, 5:49 pm ASTLast Updated: March 12, 2020, 4:56 pm

Scotia

A gambling addictions therapist has doubts about a gambling literacy campaign being developed for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation (NSGC).

Elizabeth Stephen was shocked to hear that the NSGC will be running this campaign. The therapist, who has treated gambling addiction in Halifax for 20 years, is skeptical that NSGC is the right candidate to teach gambling literacy.

“Their goal is to make money, and they actually have no business doing this part of it,” said Stephen in an interview. “That really should be coming from the Department of Health, but the government has it set up that way because, of course, they want to keep making money.”

The gambling literacy campaign is organized yearly by the Crown corporation. In 2018 and 2019, The NSGC spent $6.6 millionout of their $145.2 million revenue on “responsible gambling campaigns.”

Nova Scotia has two casinos, 1,012 ticket lottery retailers, and 2,030 video lottery ticket machines (VLTs), with 651 of them located in Mi’kmaw communities.

A 2013 study indicated around 50,000 Nova Scotians were at gambling-related risk, and approximately 5,000 were experiencing financial and social harm due to gambling.

In 2014 and 2015, Auditor General Michael Pickup made recommendations to the Department of Health to address gambling rates. He requested the department provide accurate and current information about problem gambling rates. He also recommended the department set goals that could determine if prevention efforts and treatment were effective.

In 2018, Pickup followed up on both of these proposed recommendations and determined they were not met.

According to a request for proposals, this new NSGC campaign aims to increase the public’s understanding of how the games work and the unpredictability of outcomes. It also recommends people gamble for entertainment, not money.

But Stephen stresses this individual-responsibility approach does little to address problem gambling.

“It’s not that they’re saying anything wrong, and they probably won’t with this literacy thing, but the onus is completely on the individual who does the gambling,” said Stephen.

“There will be no recognition that we gamble in an environment. We gamble with many factors. The reality is that they make a lot of their money off problem gamblers.”

Stephen believes the prevalence of VLTs in the province compounds problem gambling.

“It’s very accessible in Nova Scotia because they put VLTs in the bars that are in the lower socio-economic parts of the province,” said Stephen.

She believes addictions therapists should be consulted when designing a gambling literacy campaign because the NSGC won’t acknowledge its part in gambling addiction.

“They’re not going to say, ‘If you gamble on the VLT machines, you’re at high risk for developing a problem,” said Stephen.

But the number of therapists with adequate training to treat gambling addictions has declined in Nova Scotia, said Stephen.

“We were involved in a lot of the education and campaigns and that all ended about eight years ago,” said Stephen.

The NSGC does provide the phone number to the Gambling Support Network inside the casino in Halifax and on the sides of all VLT machines. But Stephen said some problem gamblers don’t feel safe using these services.

“Some people will call it because they’re desperate, but other people are suspicious of calling it because they think it’s just something run by the industry. So, can you really trust it? And they don’t,” said Stephen.

Also, the Gambling Support Network only offers help through the phone rather than one-on-one, consistent counselling.

Martine Marleau, a representative with NSGC, explained what the literacy campaign might look like.

In an email, she said: “We are expecting that it will include a creative concept, media buy, activation activities, a dedicated week of activities in the fall and other campaign ideas that leverage our existing responsible gambling programs and venues.”

Gambling Support Network Nova Scotia Canada

The tender closes on March 6.

Gambling Support Network Nova Scotia Bahamas

Gambling Support Network Nova Scotia

Gambling Support Network Nova Scotia Toronto

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