A Clinician S Guide To Working With Problem Gamblers

This is a comprehensive reference book on the psychiatric condition of problem gambling for mental health professionals and trainees.

Problem gambling is a recognised mental disorder and a significant public health issue internationally. A Clinician’s Guide to Working with Problem Gamblers introduces the reader to the concept of problem gambling as an illness, it describes the current gambling habits and explores the way problem gambling may present in an individual. This guide is the product of a collaboration between two of the country’s most eminent experts on problem gambling as a psychiatric disorder. Bowden-Jones and George bring together contributions from leading clinicians working in the field to provide an outline of the epidemiology, aetiology, research, assessment procedures and treatment practices which are discussed and presented in an accessible and engaging manner. The inclusion of questionnaires and screening tools adds to the ‘hands on’ feel of the book. The book covers a range of topics that clinicians and trainees need in order to review and understand the disorder, including, amongst others: Cognitive behavioural models of problem gambling Psychiatric co-morbidity Family interventions Gambling and women Remote gambling A Clinician’s Guide to Working with Problem Gamblers will be essential reading for mental health professionals working with problem gamblers, as well as those in training, it is a comprehensive reference point on all aspects of this psychiatric condition. It is also aimed at various other groups of people who have an interest in the field of problem gambling, including academics, researchers, policy makers, NHS commissioners, probation officers, other health care professionals, the lay reader and family members of those affected by gambling.

Over the past decade, legal wagering has expanded rapidly in North America. In 1998 alone, people lost 50 billion dollars in legal betting and it is estimated that illegal wagering is twice that amount. A recent government report, based on the broadest population survey, concludes that the lifetime and pathological gamblers in the U.S. range between 4 and 10 million persons and is growing. If we include the families affected by problem gambling then the potential impact is indeed prodigious. Virtually no community in the U.S. and Canada is left untouched by entertainment or problem gambling. Treating problem gambling has evolved from a small group of practitioners in the 1980's working in specialty impatient units into an international enterprise that affects the caseload of many mental health professionals. Owing to its quiet origins, problem gambling treatment strategies are not well known throughout the clinical community. Consequently the average clinician is him/herself "learning as they go." This approach does not benefit either client or therapist. As the book's first chapter makes clear, problem gambling differs significantly from substance abuse, its nearest clinical relative. Not attending to these differences leads to poor results and clinical failure. This book is the one essential tool needed by clinicians treating or likely to treat problem gambling. Written by a clinician with wide experience, it is intended for the general clinician treating or likely to treat problem gambling desiring a comprehensive, yet user-friendly guide. Assessment and treatment of problem gambling and those affected by it is discussed Includes diagnostic instruments developed by the author An integrative approach is taken with a special focus on cultural concerns and clinical applications for women and minorities Integration of spirituality in treatment is covered

Seventeen years since the first edition and eight years since DSM-5 reclassified "pathological gambling," Gambling Disorder: A Clinical Guide to Treatment is here to provide clinicians with the latest thinking about gambling disorder. It is an exciting moment in the history of gambling research, with scholarly inquiry into the epidemiology, etiology, neurobiology, and treatment of this disorder growing by leaps and bounds. However, many clinicians remain unaware of the disorder's symptoms, though common, and are uninformed about available treatments, many developed quite recently. Acting on this knowledge, the editors set out to compile a guide that would equip clinicians to recognize patients exhibiting signs of the disorder, competently assess them, and work to identify effective treatment options. In addition, the book explores different ways the disorder may manifest across genders and among older and younger patients, forensic issues, and the relatively new area of study, online gambling and gambling-gaming convergence. Not so much a revision as a reconceptualization, Gambling Disorder: A Clinical Guide to Treatment brings a new cast of contributors, a totally restructured text, and the research and clinical wisdom amassed over the past decade and a half to bear on this critically important, yet often overlooked, disorder.

Problem gambling is a recognised mental disorder and a significant public health issue internationally. A Clinician’s Guide to Working with Problem Gamblers introduces the reader to the concept of problem gambling as an illness, it describes the current gambling habits and explores the way problem gambling may present in an individual. This guide is the product of a collaboration between two of the country’s most eminent experts on problem gambling as a psychiatric disorder. Bowden-Jones and George bring together contributions from leading clinicians working in the field to provide an outline of the epidemiology, aetiology, research, assessment procedures and treatment practices which are discussed and presented in an accessible and engaging manner. The inclusion of questionnaires and screening tools adds to the ‘hands on’ feel of the book. The book covers a range of topics that clinicians and trainees need in order to review and understand the disorder, including, amongst others: Cognitive behavioural models of problem gambling Psychiatric co-morbidity Family interventions Gambling and women Remote gambling A Clinician’s Guide to Working with Problem Gamblers will be essential reading for mental health professionals working with problem gamblers, as well as those in training, it is a comprehensive reference point on all aspects of this psychiatric condition. It is also aimed at various other groups of people who have an interest in the field of problem gambling, including academics, researchers, policy makers, NHS commissioners, probation officers, other health care professionals, the lay reader and family members of those affected by gambling.

This Therapist Guide provides clinicians with session-by-session instructions for implementing an effective, CBT-based treatment for pathological gambling. The treatment outlined helps clients to not only overcome their problem, but also to deal with the many consequences of their excessive gambling including financial problems and interpersonal conflicts.

The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Disordered Gambling is a complete guide to the current empirical literature relating to the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of disordered gambling. The international contributors are all experienced, practicing clinicians who discuss gambling within a global context. Best-practice guidelines for the clinical management of problem and disordered gambling Contains empirically derived findings that translate research into practical clinical applications that clinicians and counselors can use in understanding and treating problem gamblers Brings together a distinguished international group of scholars whose contributions discuss gambling as it occurs around the globe Clearly organized into sections that cover conceptualization, research, assessment, treatment, and special topics

Gambling in recent years has become a major mainstream leisure activity. For most of us this enjoyable and exciting entertainment remains an occasional social activity, but for an increasing minority it becomes a destructive dependency. In this practical book, the author explores some of the motivations and attractions of gambling and the transition from social to problem gambling and how gambling dependency develops. He also describes strategies for breaking through the barrier of denial and explores relapse prevention and the vital role of helping agencies. This book is essential reading for anyone involved with a problem gambler either as a client, partner, or family member. It will be of interest to therapists, practitioners who are in contact with problem gamblers and their families, regulators and those working in the gambling industry.