Dear Friends,
Here at the Sporting Chance residential clinic, we come to the end of spring in our beautiful woodland surroundings just after we have completed our fourth residential treatment of the year so far. Our residential clinic opened over 20 years ago to treat professional sportspeople with addictive disorders. We work with current and retired athletes whose relationship with gambling, alcohol or other drugs is causing significant harm.
Athletes come to us in groups of four and on our most common treatment programme, will stay with us for 26 days. We provide them with the opportunity to change their lives in a caring, supportive and healing environment. We pride ourselves on our psycho-educational programme and holistic therapies, designed to enhance positive mental health and the experience of recovery from addiction.
We are constantly reviewing and developing our practice here at Sporting Chance to meet the demands of professional sport and our residential clinic is no different. In the last 18 months, we have made some complementary adjustments to our provision that now incorporates a more proactive pre-treatment programme and increased support for aftercare.
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We are always looking to assess and progress as we go, adjusting to meet any specific needs of our current group. Each group is different, comprising of individuals from different sports, at different points in their careers and with different presenting issues and it’s part of our job to cater for individual needs as well as fostering an environment in which these individuals can bond and work together as a group.
We have introduced a new acupuncture/meditation four-week course to align with the programme already in place and have made some changes to food provision that has had really positive feedback and include some on-site cooking lessons - and yes, the staff have been able to join in at times too! We also aim to increase our popular aftercare stays this year, as they proved to be a great success.
Our fifth residential treatment episode began this week, a new group of clients, all of whom, by the very fact that they have been assessed and referred to this facility, are in a difficult place. It’s worth saying again – they come into a caring, supportive and healing environment and will be introduced to a twelve step programme which has saved and reshaped many lives before.
We appreciate you being a Friend Sporting Chance and offering to help however you can to improve outcomes, not just for the new group in our residential facility this week, but for all the athletes who rely on us for our services.
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Marcia