Kelly Preece was practising as a financial counsellor in Victoria for the last few years, before moving to Western Australia. FCVic’s Professionalisation and Service Integration (Gambling) Lead, Annette Devereaux, caught up with her before she left in December 2023. Thank you, Kelly, for giving us insight into your time in the Victorian financial counselling sector and good luck in WA!

Kelly has been one of those special financial counsellors who slips quietly into the role and seems like she’s been in it for 15 years and yet, Kelly started at Banyule in 2019 after moving from WA for her partner’s work.

Kelly recently decided to return to WA to be closer to family and better weather. Our Gambling Issues Working Group and FCVic miss her already. Kelly was always the first to offer support to other financial counsellors and take on advocacy or gambling harm projects to improve services and support for those experiencing gambling harm.

Annette: Kelly, what were your impressions of the financial counselling sector in Victoria?

Kelly: I really enjoyed working in the financial counselling sector in Victoria. I found the whole sector very professional, they had a lot of support, provided a variety of training and, most importantly, I found the sector very supportive and welcoming.

And moving straight into a Gamblers Help program – was that a challenge? Any tips for others moving into a speciality such as gambling harm financial counselling?

“Eye-opening” is the first term that comes to mind! I was very shocked coming from WA where pokies are only legal in the Casino. The amount of harm they can cause is not only financial harm, which is astronomical but also psychological harm and so many other knock-on effects on themselves, family and friends. 

Even though it can be challenging, there is such a variety of work with no case being the same, which I find enjoyable. The biggest and quickest lesson I learned was not to assume because you have organised a payment plan, it will not fail (sometimes very quickly), and you may be re-negotiating many times in a client’s journey while they try to minimise the harm gambling has caused them.

One of my top tips is: to join the Gambling Issues Working Group and absorb as much of their knowledge as you can. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and work with therapeutic counsellors if you can – I found you get better outcomes for clients if they are engaged with both financial counsellors and therapeutic counsellors.

Your role within the FCVic Gambling Issues Working Group (GIWG) was one of sharing information and offering support to others. What did you like about the GIWG or the financial counselling work in general?

I would recommend anyone working with clients affected by gambling to join. The group has so much knowledge they openly share with colleagues. I found it invaluable when I listened to what was happening between the agencies and how to approach creditors with gambling harm, so the clients felt supported and not judged. I also picked up different counselling techniques to help keep clients engaged and to help the client in their journey – this is just to name a few of the things I got assistance with when attending the meetings.

Tell us about your time within the Gamblers Help program at Banyule, what were some of the highlights for you?

I had many highlights. A lot were the people I worked with at Banyule, and the Gamblers Help Team especially. It didn’t matter what your role was – from Venue worker, health promotion, or lived experience – we all worked together assisting each other. I don’t think I ever got the answer “No, sorry, I can’t help with that”. It was an amazing team and so client-focused; extremely rewarding. But also working with the clients and watching them go through their journey. Sometimes it wasn’t all good, they would have a lapse, but how they moved forward past that and kept on, was a highlight.

If I had to mention one highlight: I had a client who had managed to stop gambling and I received a message from them a couple of years later, well after they were no longer engaged with the service, to let me know they were still doing okay and looking to buy their first house with their partner! When they first came to see me they had a lot of debt and their relationship was very tenuous. Of course, the client does all the work, you just guide them, but hearing how they are doing – you can walk around smiling for the rest of the day!

And now, back in Western Australia can you share any of your Gamblers Help financial counselling knowledge or tips?

I really hope I can and am very keen to share the knowledge I have learnt while in Victoria with the West Australian financial counsellors, as I don’t think this is an area that is focussed on as much in Western Australia. We don’t have Pokies here but the continual rise in online gambling apps and the harm that it is causing I am sure is impacting WA more and more.

I have already spoken to FCAWA (WA’s peak body) and let them know I am back here and happy to assist any financial counsellors if they have gambling harm-related questions.

Thank you so much Kelly for being you! Any last words?

A massive thank you to Victoria, I loved living here. I loved my work, and it has been such a difficult decision to move back.

To Banyule, Gamblers Help, the GIWG, FCVic and all the financial counsellors – an extra special thank you and hopefully I will see some of you at the Financial Counselling Australia conference in Western Australia in May 2024.