Dr Ben Riley1,2, Prof Malcolm Battersby1,2,3, Prof Michael Baigent1,2, Dr David Smith2
1Statewide Gambling Therapy Service, Flinders Psychological Therapy Services, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, Australia, 2Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health, Adelaide, Australia, 3Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
Biography:
Ben has a 25-year background in public mental health and has worked with behavioural addictions for 15 years. He holds a degree in social work, a master's in cognitive behavioural therapy, and a PhD from Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health. He is currently employed as a senior clinician and researcher with Flinders Psychological Therapy Services and team leader of the Statewide Gambling Therapy Service in Adelaide South Australia. His research interests include working with individuals and their families concerning gambling and video gaming addictions.
Abstract:
It is a commonly held belief that little can be done in situations where an individual with a gambling problem is unadmitted or resistant to change until the gambler admits they have a problem and agrees to accept help. This can add to families’ feelings of helplessness and powerlessness regarding their ability to encourage the gambler to change their behaviour. Research has clearly shown that families can play an important role in motivating a non-treatment-seeking or unadmitted individual with an addiction, to reduce their harmful behaviour and to seek help. Our intervention for families and partners living with a heavy gambler has been influenced by the work of Professor James Barber and colleagues who in the mid-1990s at Flinders University South Australia, developed the ‘Pressures to Change’ approach (PTC) for partners living with a heavy drinker. We have drawn from both Barber’s work and our research, to update and carefully adapt the approach for use by concerned families and friends of heavy gamblers. We have recently completed a pilot randomised control trial of this intervention. Thirty family members or friends of non-help-seeking heavy gamblers were randomised to the intervention or treatment as usual control. Outcomes comprised the participants’ well-being and the heavy gamblers’ behaviour including whether they entered treatment. Our preliminary findings indicate the intervention was effective in encouraging gamblers to enter treatment. This talk will present some background literature on unilateral family interventions, describe the main components of the Flinders FRCM-Gam, and present our preliminary findings.