Counseling Problem Gamblers

Joseph W. Ciarrocchi completed his doctorate in clinical psychology at Catholic University of America. For eight years he was Director of a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient treatment program for problem gambling and substance abuse at Taylor Manor Hospital in Maryland. In that capacity he coordinated a team of clinicians that included as its psychiatrist, Robert Custer, M.D., the individual most responsible for the inclusion of problem gambling in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Throughout this experience Dr. Ciarrocchi conducted some of the earliest empirical research with pathological gamblers as well as with their spouses. Since that time his accomplishments in the field are recognized by his certification as a Gambling Counselor Supervisor by the National Council on Problem Gambling and by his presentations at national and international conferences. He has conducted training workshops on problem gambling treatment in Iowa, Missouri, Delaware, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisiana, and Maryland in the U.S., and in New Zealand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong internationally.His broad-based knowledge of the addictions field is acknowledged by his certification of proficiency in the treatment of alcohol and other psychoactive substance use disorders by the American Psychological Association’s College of Professional Psychology.Dr. Ciarrocchi has written four books in the area of mental health treatment including his popular treatment manual for obsessive compulsive disorder, The Doubting Disease: Help for Scrupulosity and Religious Compulsions (Paulist Press). He currently is membership chair and newsletter editor for the special interest group, Spiritual Issues in Behavior Change, in the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. His empirical studies, in addition to pathological gambling, include research on personality characteristics of substance abusers and the relationship of spiritual variables to psyc

Acknowledgments.
List of Worksheets.
The Twenty Percent Difference.
The Scope of Social and Problem Gambling.
Research on Causes and Treatment of Pathological Gambling.
A Self-Regulation Model for Understanding Pathological Gambling.
Diagnosis and Assessment of Pathological Gambling.
Overview of Clinical Interventions: A Plea for Family Involvement.
Motivational Enhancement, Stages of Change, and Goal-Setting.
Abstinence Control and Relapse Preventions.
Managing Urges Through Acceptance.
Depression, Anxiety, and Guilt: Cognitive Strategies.
Changing Beliefs About Gambling: The Downside of Hope.
Problem-Solving and Overcoming Procrastination.
Financial and Legal Issues.
Couples and Family Treatment.
Spirituality, Virtue, and Character: A Model for Therapist Collaboration in Long-Term Growth.
References.
Appendix A: National Council on Problem Gambling Affiliate List.
Appendix B: Worksheets.
Index.