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Disordered Gambling Counselor Training Modules

20 modules 1.5 Hours Each
Total 30 Hours
Title Learning Outcomes
Definitions and Diagnostic Criteria
  • Define DSM-5 criteria for Gambling Disorder and subclinical gambling categories.
  • Define DSM-5 gambling specifiers.
  • Evaluate the characteristics of recreational or social gamblers.
  • Contrast the characteristics of problem gamblers.
  • Apply the DSM-5 criteria.
  • Identify who can treat persons with a gambling disorder.
Special Populations and Gambling Disorders: Women and Multicultural
  • Summarize prevention and intervention issues for women and various cultures in the treatment of Gambling Disorder.
  • Describe strategies for incorporating culture in the treatment of Gambling Disorders.
  • Compare case studies and treatment options for various populations.
  • Scope and Prevalence of Disordered Gambling
Scope and Prevalence of Disordered Gambling
  • Define gambling.
  • Compare social gambling with problem gambling.
  • Summarize the history of gambling in the United States.
  • Discover gambling trends among the youth.
  • Evaluate the normalization of gambling.
  • Justify why public awareness is so important.
Assessing Gambling Disorder
  • Describe the key components of an assessment for Gambling Disorder or Problem Gambling.
  • Assess immediate problems and priorities.
  • Value important family and cultural considerations.
  • Compare the benefits of gambling with its costs.
  • Explain various gambling assessments.
  • Justify the need for a family assessment.
Co-Occurring Disorders and Gambling Disorders
  • Describe common co-occurring disorders with problem gambling.
  • Explain treatment issues associated co-occurring disorders.
  • Justify better assessment of co-occurring disorders.
  • Summarize how to prioritize treatment.
  • Interpret the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Tip 42.
Screening for Gambling Disorder and Impact of Gambling
  • Assess the importance of screening for Gambling Disorder.
  • Compare the screening tools for Gambling Disorder.
  • Evaluate the research related to gambling.
  • Describe the key elements for SBIRT intervention.
  • Support screening across various providers.
Typologies and Subtypes of Gamblers
  • Evaluate the importance of typologies and subtypes in developing treatment.
  • Summarize the 3 subtypes of gamblers.
  • Identify narcissistic traits.
  • Compare past to present risk factors.
  • Define general personality characteristics.
  • Apply affective-motivational variables.
  • Support the Pathways Model.
  • Introduced to the Gambling Pathways Questionnaire (GPQ).
  • Explain what mental health professionals and gambling counselors do.
Engaging Problem Gambling Clients
  • Describe how to prepare for the initial interaction with a client.
  • Explain how a client enters treatment.
  • Engage and assess a client for a treatment plan.
  • Evaluate for co-occurring addictions and mental health concerns.
  • Support a therapeutic relationship.
  • Select the core conditions of treatment.
  • Compare internal versus external motivations.
  • Justify a cost-benefit analysis.
Best Practices and Evidence-Based Strategies for Treatment of Gambling Disorder
  • Summarize what makes an approach evidence based.
  • Compare evidence-based treatments.
  • Evaluate case studies.
CBT for Gambling Disorder
  • Identify treatment-related predictors of treatment outcome.
  • Explain the Integrative Disordered Gambling Case Conceptualization (IDGCC).
  • Describe how to structure treatment.
  • Analyze clinical cases studies.
Best Practices and Evidence-Based Strategies for Treatment of Gambling Disorder: Motivational Interviewing
  • Explain the key components of motivational interviewing (MI) applied to disordered gambling.
  • Support the MI principles in disordered gambling treatment.
  • Apply motivational interviewing principles/process to clinical cases of disordered gambling.
  • Summarize updates of alleviation of motivational enhancement (i.e., FRAMES/brief interventions, MI group therapy).
Family Intervention
  • Defend the family is the client.
  • Evaluate clinical cases.
  • Interpret research to identify the family and social impacts of problem gambling.
  • Summarize family integration in treatment.
Financial Issues and the Meaning of Money
  • Compare gambling money and real money to someone with a gambling disorder.
  • Summarize key elements of a budget and restitution plan for disordered gambler.
  • Support the role of Pressure Relief Groups.
  • Assess critical factors in developing an asset protection plan for clients, while addressing their gambling disorder.
  • Evaluate financial strategies for educating re-entry citizens from incarceration as disordered gambling prevention.
Gambling and the Law
  • Summarize common legal issues and therapeutic approaches to address them.
  • Evaluate elements of alternative sentencing plans for disordered gamblers and the basic “R’s” for court reports.
Harm Reduction
  • Explain definitions and principles of harm reduction.
  • Support at least 3 ways harm reduction strategies can be utilized in the treatment of Gambling Disorder.
  • Compare harm reduction strategies nationally/internationally.
  • Evaluate Reduction Containment and Limit Setting Strategies in the creation of a harm reduction plan.
Neurobiology and Psychopharmacology
  • Describe neurobiology and psychopharmacology.
  • Evaluate clinical cases.
  • Interpret Reward Deficiency Syndrome.
  • Explain the role of dopamine related to learning and memory.
  • Summarize how gambling affects the brain.
  • Analyze psychopharmacology options.
Prevention, Responsible Gambling, and Public Health Perspective
  • Describe disordered gambling prevention
  • Explain prevention strategies and messages for gambling disorder
  • Summarize public health approaches including gambling industry-based strategies to promote responsible gambling
  • Argue the need for more Public Health research on gambling.
Recovery Oriented Systems of Care
  • Summarize SAMHSA’s definition of recovery.
  • Describe elements of recovery and recovery-oriented systems of care.
  • Evaluate guiding elements of recovery/recovery-oriented systems of care to gambling disorder cases.
  • Choose and apply at least 2 ways you can enhance a recovery orientation in your work.
Special Populations and Gambling Disorders: Youth and Older Adults
  • Interpret important research findings regarding adolescents and older adults, who gamble problematically.
  • Describe prevention and intervention strategies for these age groups.
Treatment Planning and Levels of Care
  • Assess the features of effective and ineffective treatment plans.
  • Describe key elements in developing treatment plans and determining ASAM levels of care for clients with gambling disorder.
  • Evaluate key elements in developing individual goals for clients with gambling disorder.
  • Summarize key elements in developing a couple of goals

Training Series for Disordered Gamblers

18 modules 1.5 Hours Each
Total 27 Hours
Title Learning Outcomes
Adverse Childhood Experiences Training
  • Describe Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
  • Explain types of ACES and components of ACEs assessment.
    Summarize research on ACEs, trauma, and disordered gambling.
  • Evaluate prevalence of ACEs, trauma, and disordered gambling.
Gamblers and Their Families
  • Assess the effects of disordered gambling on the family, friends, and children of the gambler.
  • Describe the warning signs of disordered gambling.
  • Evaluate the ways to assist the family in getting help.
  • Summarize emotional regulation and coping strategies to effectively deal with the loved one’s gambling.
Integrating Spirituality, Religion, and Indigenous Healing Practices in Addictions and Mental Health Prevention and Treatment Part 1
  • This course will focus on using these practices in addictions and mental health prevention and treatment. The course content delves into describing religion, spirituality, and Indigenous practices and evidence-based adaptive psychosocial coping and cultural resources, supporting the intake/counseling assessment approach for exploring religious, spirituality, and Indigenous beliefs and practices during counseling, relating 3 techniques to illustrate addictions/mental health cases, and assessing resources available to integrate into prevention and treatment.
Integrating Spirituality, Religion, and Indigenous Practices in Addictions and Mental Health Prevention and Treatment Part 2
  • This course will focus on using these practices in addictions and mental health prevention and treatment. The course content delves into summarizing spiritual cultural competencies, analyzing case studies, and justifying incorporating religion, spirituality, and Indigenous practices into prevention and treatment.
Integrating Unresolved Grief and Complex Grief into Addictions and Mental Health Treatment Part A
  • The course content delves into relating the influence of unresolved loss experiences in addictions and mental health prevalence, comparing the differences between normative grief reactions and complex bereavement, describing three bereavement techniques to integrate into addictions and mental health treatment and wellness, and selecting grief recovery adjunctive resources.
Integrating Unresolved Grief and Complex Grief into Addictions and Mental Health Treatment Part B
  • This course will focus on clinical applications for grief. The course content delves into comparing the differences between normal grief and prolonged grief, assessing the characteristics and sequelae of prolonged grief disorder, describing 2 research based instruments for assessing prolonged grief disorder and acute grief, summarizing treatment components of prolonged grief disorder, and choosing resources to incorporate into prolonged grief disorder treatment.
Internet Gambling Disorder
  • Explain Internet Gambling Disorder (IGD).
  • Evaluate Research of IGD.
  • Summarize screening and diagnostic criteria of IGD.
  • Describe key elements of IGD.
Isn't Self-management Possible for Addictions and Mental Health, Too?
  • This course will focus on self-management strategies for persons struggling with addictions and mental health challenges. The course content delves into the parallels between self-management models for chronic health concerns, understanding the factors influencing addiction/mental health treatment, the advantages of self-management tools, and the community and online resources available for self-management and recovery of addictions/mental health distress.
Need a Cultural Competency Tune Up?
  • This course will focus on cultural competency updates. The course content delves into evaluating three updates in cultural competency, explaining these updates and how they relate to disordered gambling treatment, and supporting new gambling and mental health wellnesses opportunities.
Pathways to Disordered Gamblers
  • To explore the co-occurrence of Disordered Gambling and other mental health and addictive disorders.
  • To learn the three pathways of entry into Disordered Gambling.
  • To understand the pervasiveness of Disordered Gambling.
Screening and Assessment for Gambling Disorder
  • Explain the meaning, function and difference in screening and assessment.
  • Summarize and present several types of tools for screening and assessment.
  • Explore tools that may best fit clinician agency and setting.
  • Review the correlation between suicide and disordered gambling.
Show Me the Money! Risky Gambling and Low Risk Gambling Wellness
  • This course will focus on community wellness. The course content delves into defining problem gambling and gambling disorder, identifying characteristics of low to high risk gambling, how to have the conversation about risky gambling, and identifying resources for disordered gambling treatment.
Sports Betting and Gambling Disorders
  • Explain sports betting.
  • Interpret the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018.
  • Compare the different types of sports betting.
  • Evaluate gambling treatment goals for clients engaging in sports betting.
The Link Between Addictions and Surviving Life's Challenges
  • This course will focus on recovery and healthier coping strategies for persons struggling with addictions and mental health challenges. The course content delves into the finding of the link between gambling, substances, and mental health challenges, relating of cultural experiences, evaluating strategies to support a person learning recovery and healthier coping skills, and summarizing various models for recovery.
The Process/Behavioral Addictions
  • Describe addiction as a brain disease.
  • Summarize the effects of addiction on the brain.
  • Explain the different types of addiction and prevalence rates.
  • Interpret the Etiology of Addiction.
Trauma and Disordered Gambling
  • Describe trauma and how it affects a person over the lifespan.
  • Assess the neurodevelopmental view of childhood trauma.
  • Select practical tools to identify trauma as it relates to disordered gambling.
  • Explain the brain’s role in trauma and addiction.
Trauma and Disordered Gambling Treatment and Wellness
  • Define trauma and SAMHSA’s trauma-informed approach.
  • Describe components of a trauma-informed approach.
  • Evaluate the prevalence of trauma and disordered gambling and co-occurring mental health disorders/mental health wellness.
  • Summarize research on trauma and disordered gambling.
Women and Gambling Disorders
  • Explain risk factors influencing gambling patterns of women gamblers.
  • Assess clinical presenting issues of women gamblers in treatment.
  • Choose evidence-based components of treatment with women gamblers.
  • Describe cultural considerations with diverse women gamblers.

International Gambling Counseling Certification Board (IGCCB) Problem Gambling

8 modules 2 Hours Each
Total 16 Hours
Title Learning Outcomes
Introduction to Gambling Disorders This course will focus on gambling disorder. The course content delves into explaining basic knowledge on scope and prevalence of disordered gambling, describing definitions and criteria of disordered gambling, and summarizing resources for increasing public awareness in your spiritual and community outreach.
Co-occurring Disorders and Addiction/Mental Health The course content delves into assessing the dynamics of secrecy and trust when a person engages in risky and disordered gambling, explaining forgiveness as a challenge during disordered gambling recovery (self-forgiveness and forgiveness from the persons affected by the gambling), and supporting doubt, fear, and spiritual challenges as opportunities for spirituality during recovery and support.
Cultural Diversity This course will focus on gambling disorder. The course content delves into introducing the concepts of Hope and New Life and Making Amends, reviewing the Twelve Step Recovery Program, highlighting the Spiritual Implications and Responses to the Twelve Steps, understanding  the Operational Forces within the Twelve Steps, and highlighting Steps 4 and 5 and Perspectives for Clergy and Spiritual Supporters.
Community Outreach This course will focus on gambling disorder. The course content delves into supporting March Problem Gambling Awareness Month and the importance of year-round public awareness/advocacy/spiritual outreach, summarizing how to have a conversation about problem gambling strategies with gamblers/affected others, and comparing the do’s and don’ts recommendations for conversations with persons/affected experiencing gambling problems.
Nonclinical Module 1 This course will focus on spirituality needs and tips for spiritual support. The course content delves into evaluating experiences of guilt and shame, disconnecting and connecting with reality and responsibilities, and addressing spirituality needs with tips for support.
Nonclinical Module 2 This course will focus on spirituality needs and tips for spiritual support. The course content delves into assessing the dynamics of secrecy and trust, explaining forgiveness as a challenge, and supporting spiritual challenges during recovery.
Nonclinical Module 3 This course will focus on spirituality needs and tips for spiritual support. The course content delves into introducing the concepts of Hope and New Life and Making Amends, reviewing the Twelve Step Recovery Program, highlighting the Spiritual Implications and Responses to the Twelve Steps, understanding the Operational Forces within the Twelve Steps, and highlighting Steps 4 and 5 and Perspectives for Clergy and Spiritual Supporters
Nonclinical Module 4 This course will focus on spirituality needs and tips for spiritual support. The course content delves into summarizing updates to understanding recovery and the spiritual challenges/opportunities you can support, explaining the definition of recovery, evaluating the components of an empirical measure of recovery, and valuing the spirituality support resources and tools you can incorporate.