This event was held on March 12, 2024. Stay tuned for information on next year’s conference.
GAMBLING ADDICTION: EXPLORING NEW TRENDS IN TREATMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND GAMBLING
TRAINING FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS – Earn 5.5 CE Hours!
Sponsored by
When: March 12, 2024 8am-4:30pm
Where: Sandia Resort & Casino Albuquerque, NM 87113
SPEAKERS AND TOPICS:
- Brain Connections: Start Talking with Clients about Gambling and the Brain Iris Balodis, PhD, and Deirdre Querney, MSW
- Overcoming Barriers to Change: How Longing for the Past can be Used to Facilitate a Better Future Michael Wohl, PhD
- Motivational Interviewing for Clients with Gambling Disorder David Hodgins, PhD
- PANORAMIC VIEWS: Self and Gambler in Helping Relationships Cindy Anderson, MSW, LCSW, ICGC-I
Attendees will receive up to 5.5 continuing education hours. The ICRG will issue certificates of approval from the following organizations:
- NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals
- The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
- The American Psychological Association
- New Mexico affiliate of the National Association of Social Workers (approval will be sought once speakers are confirmed)
SCHEDULE
8AM-9AM
Registration & Continental Breakfast
9AM-9:15AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:15AM-10:15AM
Brain Connections
10:15AM-10:30AM
Refreshment break
10:30AM-11:30AM
Brain Connections continued
11:30AM-12:30PM
Lunch (provided)
12:45PM-1:45PM
Overcoming Barriers to Change
1:45PM-2:45PM
Topic TBA
2:45PM-3PM
Refreshment Break
3PM-4:30PM
Motivational Interviewing for Clients with Gambling Disorder
SPEAKERS
Cindy Anderson, MSW, LCSW, ICGC-I, Founder and Executive Director People Works-New Mexico
This workshop addresses a helping professional’s need for a panoramic view of the interiors and exteriors of a gambler’s life while not neglecting the impact of our own interiors/exteriors. This presentation provides an overview of issues to look for: comorbidities, the shame and stigma associated with gambling disorder, and need for assessment and intervention in multiple domains of a gambler’s life. As a helping professional, willingness to converse about difficult subjects such as trauma, shame, sex, cultural influences, and money become critical.
Iris Balodis, PhD, McMaster University and Deirdre Querney, MSW, City of Hamilton’s Alcohol, Drug & Gambling Services
The session explores common gambling queries: “Why do I keep gambling when it’s not fun anymore?” “Why do I feel like I need to gamble?” “How do slot machine features affect my brain?” How do you answer these kinds of questions? This session describes Brain Connections (www.brainconnections.ca): free clinical handouts for healthcare professionals and educational handouts for the public about gambling addiction and the brain. Come to this session and increase your confidence and competence in talking about gambling neurobiology!
David Hodgins, PhD, University of Calgary
This presentation will review Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles and their use with different levels of client readiness to change. Although MI utilizes specific therapeutic strategies/tools, it is fundamentally a style of interpersonal interaction rather than a scripted protocol. As such, an MI-style can be used in any encounter by therapists and non-therapists alike to facilitate service engagement and behavior change. This training will provide a review and practice of MI principles and skills.
Michael Wohl, PhD, Carleton University
Behavior change is a challenging endeavor undertaken by millions annually, with most attempts failing. Many individuals refuse to alter their unhealthy habits, leading to self-harm and impacting others. This presentation explores leveraging nostalgia—a sentimental yearning for the past—to facilitate behavior change. It emphasizes using nostalgic reflections on a pre-addiction life as a powerful, yet underexplored, motivator. Additionally, it delves into the potential negative aspects of nostalgia for individuals in recovery.