About
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The Women’s Gambling Support Network (WGSN) is Ireland’s first and only specialist service dedicated solely to supporting women impacted by gambling harm. Developed as a project within Extern, WGSN was officially launched in June 2024 in response to a growing, unmet need for gender-specific gambling recovery support across the island of Ireland.
As a leading social justice charity, Extern has long supported people experiencing disadvantage, marginalisation, and addiction. In recent years, Extern recognised a critical gap in services for women affected by gambling — an issue that is often hidden, misunderstood, and surrounded by stigma. From this realisation, the Women's Gambling Support Network was born. WGSN evolved from its original launch as the EmpowerHER Recovery Network. The name change reflects the expansion and growing ambition of the service to reach more women across the island of Ireland, while remaining true to its core values: empowerment, lived experience, and holistic healing. |
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A Service Created by Women, For Women
What makes WGSN truly unique is that it is a service designed and delivered by women with lived experience of gambling harm. From the development of the program structure to the delivery of therapeutic support, WGSN centres the voices of women who have walked this path and now stand ready to support others on their own recovery journeys.
We understand that the experience of gambling harm for women is often shaped by hidden trauma, shame, and silence. That’s why WGSN offers a trauma-informed, compassionate, confidential, and non-judgmental space — one where recovery is possible, dignity is restored, and each woman is met with care, respect, and understanding.
We understand that the experience of gambling harm for women is often shaped by hidden trauma, shame, and silence. That’s why WGSN offers a trauma-informed, compassionate, confidential, and non-judgmental space — one where recovery is possible, dignity is restored, and each woman is met with care, respect, and understanding.
What We Offer
Gambling Addiction Recovery Coaching
Women’s Group Support Meetings
Module-based recovery program
Online Platform
Workshops & Webinars
Women’s Group Support Meetings
Module-based recovery program
Online Platform
Workshops & Webinars
Join the Women’s Gambling Support Network
Just fill out this form and we will be in contact, as soon as possible: https://forms.office.com/e/cdkf3DBusr
Our Vision
We envision an Ireland where every woman harmed by gambling has access to specialist, supportive, and empowering care — and where her story is met with empathy, not stigma.
Our Mission
To empower women experiencing gambling harm to reclaim control of their lives through compassionate, evidence-based therapy, coaching, and community support, fostering long-term healing, resilience, and self-worth.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to provide a safe, structured, and female-centred pathway to recovery from gambling harm — one that honours the complexity of addiction, supports emotional wellbeing, and builds a future grounded in personal values and strength.
Our Values
- Compassion
We meet every woman with empathy and respect, understanding the emotional weight of gambling harm. - Empowerment
We focus on restoring autonomy, confidence, and the ability to make powerful, values-based choices. - Confidentiality
We offer women a confidential, non-judgemental space to begin their journey of recovery. - Integrity
We uphold ethical practice, honesty, and transparency in all therapeutic and coaching relationships. - Evidence-Informed Practice
Our approach integrates CBT, counselling, hypnotherapy, coaching, and recovery frameworks rooted in best practice and emerging research. - Inclusivity
We welcome and support women from all walks of life and lived experiences. - Connection
Community is a critical part of healing. We believe in the power of shared stories, peer support, and group recovery.
Claire Donegan
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Gambling Addiction Recovery Coach
Claire is a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist and a Practitioner of Coaching with Neuroscience who has spent the past four years working in the gambling harm prevention, research, and support space, both nationally and internationally. Claire is a member of the Gamble Aware Research Advisory Group, the GREO Community Investment Program Advisory Committee, and the Lived Experience Panel for the National Centre for Social Research. Before entering recovery in July 2020, Claire spent nearly a decade of her life in the grips of gambling and as such, is deeply passionate about helping others to access recovery. Claire is an advocate for the involvement of lived experience in all aspects of harmful gambling prevention and in areas such as research, education, and treatment services. |
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