The State of Gambling and Problem Gambling in the State of New York

Speaker: James J. Maney, Executive Director, NY Council on Problem Gambling; Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, Commissioner, NY Office of Addiction Services and Supports

Description: Opening this year's conference, we'll hear a live presentation by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports new Commissioner, followed by a few words from the New York Gaming Commission Executive Director. Both will be sharing information about the efforts their agency has planned for problem gambling in 2022, as well as their commitment to addressing this issue in New York State. We'll wrap up with an overview of the New York gambling landscape and discuss what's on the horizon.

Continuing Education: SW, IGCCB, ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA and OASAS Renewal.

Financial Clinical Interventions in this New Online World of Gambling

Speaker: Jody Bechtold, LCSW, ICGC-II, BACC, PC

Description: This 1 hour workshop will discuss effective strategies for addressing finances, early and often, in clinical practice with gambling disorders. A discussion of the younger generation as well as the emerging online and sports betting will be highlighted in which tools to use in session with your clients.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA, IGCCB, SW and LMHC.

To the Moon! An Introduction to Cryptocurrency

Speaker: James Syphax, Community Prevention Manager at Prevention Action Alliance

Description: With the popularity of cryptocurrency, alt coins, and NFTs on the rise this introductory level presentation will help separate myth from fact. We’ll explore what cryptocurrency is, examine some of the most popular types of cryptocurrencies, and identify online resources to learn more information. Together we will begin to understand the world of decentralized currencies, as well as decentralized casinos and other gambling opportunities.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, IGCCB, and ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA.

Problem Gambling, Gambling-Motivated Crime and Gender

Speaker: Michelle L. Malkin, JD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at East Carolina University

Description: This session offers an overview of the relationship between problem gambling and crime, with a focus on gender. Anonymous surveys were analyzed for types of social, economic and legal consequences people faced due to their gambling. Findings allow for fuller understanding of the different ways compulsive gamblers have been involved in the legal and criminal justice system, primarily for acquisitional crimes to support gambling and pay off gambling related debts. Results are considered based on gender, emphasizing the similarities/differences between male and female problem gamblers. Suggestions are offered to practitioners who may have clients facing possible legal consequences from their problem gambling.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA, IGCCB, SW and LMHC.

Journey to Discover Me

Speaker: Leilani Yizar-Reid, Team Leader, Mid-Hudson Problem Gambling Resource Center, NYCPG

Description: In this workshop we will be exploring how we as individuals (providers, family members, people struggling with gambling) are all discovering ourselves. As time moves on, we grow, develop and change and with this change we need to relearn our sense of self. Learning about ourselves gives the opportunity to enhance what we hold in esteem and change the things we're not happy with. Come learn to find tools for your own recovery journey or to help in your client's recovery journey.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, SW, IGCCB and ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA.

How the Social Determinants of Health Impact Problem Gambling Prevention Planning

Speaker: Nicole Augustine, Founder, RIZE Consultants LLC

Description: The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Join me as we examine the SDOH and how prevention professionals can use this framework in developing innovative prevention strategies for problem gambling.

Continuing Education: ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA, IGCCB, OASAS Renewal and SW.

Breathe—Survive—Recover—Thrive – Repeat!

Speaker: Daniel L. Smith, BACC ICGCII LCSW MARS SAP CISD

Description: Recovery is much more than abstinence. Recovery is a predictable process of positive change and positive growth in the life of an abstinent and responsible addict. Recent research in disordered gambling (DG) offers a paucity of direct treatment intervention correlated with positive outcomes in recovery, primarily because we do not know what we are measuring nor how to measure it within the recovering community.

Much of the published work is based in theory, and evidential work is usually limited to treatment settings with small numbers. Nonetheless, Fortune and Goodie (2012) as well as Gehlenborg, et.al., (2021) both suggest positive outcomes in treatment are associated with cognitive restructuring interventions. Outside of treatment settings, virtually very little research can be found examining positive outcomes of recovery programs other than CBT. Of the few, none define recovery as more than abstinence.The currently available outcome research with cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions concludes that CBT is the most effective psychotherapy in treating gambling problems (Grant & Potenza, 2007; Petry et. al., 2006, Rizeanu, 2014). Might there be other interventions more effective in the last fifteen years?

More recent studies, e.g., Black and Allen (2021), do review interventions and outcomes in non-treatment settings, but these and other studies do not examine what constitutes recovery from disordered gambling, but base successful outcomes on abstinence alone. Further research on recovery, not just abstinence, is the subject of this presentation.

Of the many social and psychological issues in recovery, trauma (resolved and unresolved) may complicate the process of recovery. Of DG counselors advised by this presenter (BACC), a large percentage report pre-existing and present trauma in their clients as comorbid conditions supporting the gambling issues. In Horack (2021), childhood trauma was a significant predictor of a diagnosis of disordered gambling, with physical neglect being the single trauma subtype to significantly increase odds of disordered gambling in adulthood. Unfortunately, the study’s small N=32 undercuts any extrapolation to the general population of gamblers, in treatment or not. Other studies reviewed also are not interested in trauma/recovery correlation, only the trauma/diagnosis link.

This presentation summarizes the role of trauma not so much in diagnosis but in recovery in the author’s own clients over a thirty year period, as well as a smaller sample of current clients throughout the pandemic of 2020 to present.

This evidenced based, experiential look at recovery and the differences between abstinence and recovery, focuses on current trending in breathwork, contemporary meditation, trauma survival, thrival components, and differential outcomes. The author concedes his bias toward recovery over abstinence as the fundamental ingredient to finding happiness without addictive and potentially addictive behaviors, whether problematic but subacute issues or the pathology of disordered gambling as a neurobiological illness.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA, IGCCB SW and LMHC.

Experience Peer Based Recovery Meetings *OPTIONAL*

Description: We're offering conference attendees the ability to listen in to experience peer based recovery support meetings. Peers involved in Gamblers Anonymous, Gam-Anon and SMART Recovery have been gracious enough to open their meetings to anyone interested in learning more about peer-based support. Click the button below to view access information for these meetings.

Continuing Education: N/A

The Relationship between Gambling and Suicide

Speaker: Dr. Grace Hennessy, Associate Chief for Addiction Psychiatry at the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)

Description: This session will review the literature describing the relationship between problem gambling and suicide risk. Factors that may increase the risk of suicide among problem gamblers such as gender, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, gambling activity, and gambling severity will be explored. Recommendations for screening, assessing, and intervening with individuals with problem gambling who are at risk for suicide will be provided.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, ASAP-NYCB CARC/CRPA, IGCCB, SW and LMHC.

The Neurobiology of Gambling: Actionable Tools for Recovery

Speaker: Dr. Heather Chapman

Description: Recent years have seen significant growth in neurobiological research on habit, motivation, and change. This lends clarification and understanding to addictive issues, including gambling. How can we, as treatment providers, use these neurobiological insights to inform and improve our care?

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, ASAP-NYCB CARC/CRPA, IGCCB, SW and LMHC.

Environmental Impact on Problem Gambling Behavior (Panel)

Moderator: Jonathan Crandall - Veteran Outreach Coordinator at NYCPG

Panelists: Kelly D., Steven D., David Yeager, and Stephanie S.

Description: This panel comprised of people in recovery will touch on many aspects of problem gambling including individual and family member experiences. The panel will also discuss how environmental factors can be conducive to problematic gambling behavior. Listen as participants share their journeys of hope.

Continuing Education: OASAS Renewal, ASAP-NYCB CARC & CRPA, IGCCB and SW.

PGAM Rally to Shine the Light on Problem Gambling

MC: Tracey Little, LCSW, NYCPG - PGRC Network Clinician

Description: Join us to learn about PGAM 2022, discover, simple ways to take action, and show your support to raise awareness, this year, during the month of March. During this high energy event, we'll be bringing attention, noise and light to the importance of raising awareness of problem gambling. We want you there to celebrate progress with us! Allies will be sharing their stories and we'll show how each and every one of you can be an ally, no matter how you're connected to the issue of problem gambling. Plus, you won't want to miss a live performance by Council staff as they kick things off for you with passion and purpose. #ActionPlusAwareness

Continuing Education: N/A