Filenews 10 October 2025 - by Dora Christodoulou
The "Kitro" Counseling and Therapy Center in Paphos has completed one year of operation, for people who face problems with gambling and in general. In this one year of its operation, there has been a tripling of our fellow human beings who have resorted to its services to deal with their addiction, as the scientists of the center reveal to "F".
Eleftheria Kazamia, psychologist and psychotherapist, who is one of the four members of the scientific staff of this special center, said that the number of people asking for help from "Motivation" has tripled in this first year of operation.
The people who have already come to us for help and guidance, he stressed, are aged from 16 to 50 years. The majority of them, based on the data we have, said Ms. Kazamia, belong to the age category of 27-35 years old.
According to the Center's scientist, several of the people who turned there for support have already achieved their independence from gambling, completing the scientific program followed for this purpose.
Very important, stressed Eleftheria Kazamia, but also the fact that many of those who have successfully completed the program, continue to keep in touch with "Motivation" even after the end of their treatment, while they are also members of their family environment in communication with us.
The work done at "Motivation", said the psychologist-psychotherapist, essentially consists of five sections: The counselling of addicted people who resort to the Center, the counselling of the families and relatives of these people, the psychological support, the development of their interests and the realization of individual and group sessions-discussions between the individuals.
"Motivation" was inaugurated last May in Paphos by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, with the aim of helping people of all ages who face gambling problems.
Its Director, Dimitris Xenophontos, told "F" that the operation of the Counselling and Therapy Center for these people is carried out by four scientists who are psychologists and in fact two of them specialize in the field of addictions.
With the contribution of KESYSY, the Cyprus Betting Authority and the Addictions Authority, which assist the Center, said Mr. Xenophontos, the residents of Paphos who face a small or large issue with the bad habit of gambling and gambling, can contact our offices, talk without hesitation about their problem and to ask for help which will be generously offered to them by the specialists employed at the Center so that they can start together the journey of their rehabilitation and salvation.
People who are addicted to gambling, said Mr. Xenophontos, in addition to their addiction and bad habit, see their whole lives destroyed day by day and we consider lucky those who realize early on that they have to ask for help before their family breaks up, before they lose property and before they themselves are driven to despair due to their involvement in gambling, which in recent years has been electronic and illegal and difficult to become detection by the authorities.
At the moment, "Motivation" in Paphos, he pointed out, provides help not only to the people who have become addicted to gambling themselves, but also to their relatives, spouses, parents and other relatives, who are close to the person who will express the intention to rehabilitate.
The space in which the Kitro Counselling and Therapy Center operates is located in a building that has been granted by the Diocese of Paphos at 10 Ilision Street.
