How to support a client
As a psychologist, you may not have specialist knowledge about gambling advice or counselling. After screening and identifying clients with issues related to gambling, there are various steps you can take to support them.
Psychological interventions
Cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) are effective methods for treating harmful gambling. Clinical guidelines recommend individual or group CBT and MI delivered by trained practitioners to reduce gambling behaviour and symptom severity.
Other effective psychological treatments may include psychoeducation, mindfulness-based therapies, solution-focussed brief therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, and family interventions.
Effective behaviour change techniques for harmful gambling may include:
- Relapse prevention – education about relapse, identifying high-risk situations (such as specific places), and creating a coping plan for potential setbacks.
- Goal setting – setting a goal to limit, reduce or quit one or more gambling behaviours during treatment.
- Motivational enhancement – addresses awareness of the problem, boosts capability and commitment to change, and supports change talk and self-efficacy.
- Information provision – education about harmful gambling, its consequences, potential harms, risk factors, as well as the psychology of addiction.
- Cognitive restructuring – identifying and challenging abnormal gambling-related thoughts and beliefs to generate more adaptive approaches.
- Financial regulation – providing guidance on reorganising finances, budgeting, or banking to better manage money.
- Information gathering – assessing the problem through targeted questions, focusing on gambling history, motivations, help-seeking, and related issues such as mental health conditions.
- Planning social support – encouraging the use of support networks for emotional or practical support, such as family, friends, or online groups.
- Problem solving – identifying gambling-related problems and solutions to address these. It focusses on removing the barriers to change and addressing gambling-related problems, like finances, relationships, and employment.
- Decisional balance – weighing the pros and cons of behaviour change, including imagining positive outcomes of change or identifying how gambling fits with life goals and values.
Peer support
Peer support programs, such as the Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART), can be effective in supporting people experiencing gambling harm. The SMART program is an evidence-based approach incorporating CBT and motivational interviewing. Virtual/online gambling communities are also increasingly used by people experiencing harmful gambling.
Pharmacological interventions
Opioid antagonists (naltrexone, nalmafene) and atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine) may reduce gambling symptom severity in the short-term, but their impacts on other aspects of gambling or psychological functioning are unclear.
Advice should be sought from a qualified medical professional, or you should encourage your client to speak to their prescribing healthcare practitioner for guidance on using medication to reduce the severity of gambling symptoms.
Relapse and ongoing support
Clinical guidelines emphasise relapse as part of recovery, recommending ongoing support, follow-up care, and additional help for high-risk individuals.
Refer your clients to specialist services
You may find that referring your client to a specialist service is not necessary. They may just need some additional GambleAware information that you can support them through. There’s a lot they can explore in their own time, including access to specialist services.
As a starting point:
- Provide them with resources that provide accurate information and encourage them to think about their situation.
- Encourage them to talk to a trusted friend or existing resource.
- Provide the GambleAware I need support link.
Your client can access free and confidential support from GambleAware to help steer them in the right direction, including online chats or face-to-face counselling – even financial assistance. Aboriginal people can find culturally appropriate services, and services are also available in over 40 community languages.
