The Gambling Clinic was founded in 1999 to help those with problems due to their gambling.

What makes us unique is not just our history but our approach to gambling problems. We focus on changing a person’s gambling and letting the person struggling with gambling make the choice on what changes best suit their life. We have helped well over a thousand people get control over their gambling.

One other point that sets us apart is that we are researchers dedicated explicitly to gambling addiction. Our leadership team includes three researchers who are international experts on the treatment of gambling problems and harms. We have published a book on helping those with gambling problems and have published dozens of research articles over the last 20 years.

Our program is different from 12-step programs such as Gamblers Anonymous (GA) or Alcoholics Anonymous. We are not opposed to such programs, and some of our clients find it helpful to attend GA meetings while participating in our program. The big differences in how The Gambling Clinic approaches problems center on two things:

• First, we view people as capable and self-determined. We believe that people can learn or modify their skills to make changes in their lives.
• Second, our research drives our treatment practice. Our involvement in researching gambling problems for over 20 years has allowed us to fine tune our program to best support the individuals who want to make changes in their lives.

Our research has clearly shown that CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, specifically designed to address gambling problems, is the most effective form of treatment. Through that research, we have learned that 87% of those people who complete what we call a therapeutic dose, or a minimum of 8 to 10 sessions, will realize significant reductions in gambling harms and gambling behavior (including money spent).

There are a couple of other important issues related to effectiveness. First, a person has to go to treatment and engage in working with the treatment support team. Second, they must commit themselves to completing at least eight meetings to develop the skills they need fully. Finally, making a long-term change is vital, and we know that people who work on their recovery skills for one year are highly likely to stay committed to those changes.

We do what’s called CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, specifically developed for people who have experienced harms related to their gambling. We carefully consider your gambling history, thoughts, and beliefs about what has been happening, and feelings about gambling. We will ask you to consider why you like to gamble, what type of gambling you do, and other aspects of your gambling experience. While we look at that, we also want to set some goals to see what you want from our program. These goals could include abstaining from gambling or just limiting the amount of time or money spent gambling. With these factors in mind, we will help you develop new skills and modify some skills you might already have to make the changes you want to accomplish.

Usually, we think about planning for once a week for one hour. This schedule seems best when trying to create momentum and sustain change. Weekly also gives you time between appointments to try new skills and strategies.

That said, everyone has different challenges in their week. If you need to skip a week here or there, that is fine. Just talk about it and plan for how best to keep making the changes that you want. Similarly, if you need to meet every other week or sometimes twice a week, we can do that. Our goal is to work with you on your goals within your availability.

Our program is one-on-one appointments with a therapist of our treatment team. You will meet the same person each week to focus on the changes you want to make in your gambling. We specifically train our team to use the research on how to change your gambling behavior to have the best chance of reducing gambling-related harms.

You will also be in contact with a Peer Recovery Specialist from our team to help you work on goals and keep on track with meetings and resources outside of therapy sessions. They will also be there for you if you ever need a contact to help get you resources as you recover from gambling problems.

No, we do not offer financial aid for winning back money. However, our website is developing a portal to help people get control over their debt and finances.

Yes, we do. Many people who experience gambling problems have other struggles in their lives. The most common is how to build trusting relationships with people in their lives who have been harmed by gambling. Others have substance use struggles or concerns about trauma or loss. For such situations, we will work with you to find the resources you need.

Fill out the form on this website and hit send. You can also call us (901.678-STOP) during weekdays. Either way, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Depending on what you prefer, we can call or email you about scheduling the first session with a member of our team. A phone call works best as it reduces the need to email back and forth to ensure we have a day and time that works for you. You can schedule any weekday that is best for you. We will make appointments that start between 9 AM and 8PM Monday to Thursday, and 9 AM to 4PM on Fridays.

We rarely have a waitlist, and we try hard to keep it this way.

You have two options. We have in-person clinics in several locations in the state. We also offer Telehealth appointments. Telehealth is where we use a confidential online video conferencing software, typically Zoom. That way, you can use your phone, tablet, or computer.

People generally benefit from meeting with us 8 to 10 times. Others need a few more or a few less. Our research shows that those who work with us through eight sessions have a much-improved likelihood of maintaining their control over gambling.

We have a single charge of $300. That is one charge for as many meetings or sessions as you need to meet your goals.

Please understand, don’t let the cost stop you from working with us. If this amount is not possible for you now, we understand. We can work with your financial situation by looking at payment plans, reduced fees, and even waived fees to best fit your needs. We never turn anyone away because of an inability to pay that fee. Just let us know what you can and cannot do. The issue of cost is never a barrier to working with us to make the changes you want and need.

Over the phone or by email, we’ll get some basic information from you, such as name and address. We will then email instructions for setting up an account on our records system, our consent to treatment form, instructions for uploading/sending your ID, and instructions for payment if applicable.

In addition, we like to get a head start on learning details about you and your gambling. To do this, we will provide you with a link to the confidential client portal of our website. Completing these forms takes about 30-45 minutes to complete.

Social support and love are almost always a good thing when we are having problems. At the same time, there is value in knowing what is happening from your perspective. Therefore, we think it best to have one-on-one meetings for the first few weeks. If a partner or spouse wants to attend, talk with your therapist in those first few sessions and develop a plan for your significant other to join.

At the same time, some individuals want that partner present from day one. Talk with us about it. If it helps you make the changes you want, we will accommodate you the best we can.

We will work with anyone to help someone they love get the help and support they need. We will ask you if your loved one who is struggling due to gambling wants to set an appointment. If they do, we will work with you and your loved one to make that appointment. The person actually struggling with gambling has to be willing to come to therapy, so it cannot be solely set up through the loved one. If they do not want help, then let’s talk about how to move forward. We are here to help.

Great question. It is a difficult conversation, but having it is essential to everyone. A person with a gambling problem has, on average, six people in their life who are affected by the gambling problem. Also, no one wants to see someone they care about struggle or hurt themselves. So, we offer consultation services for those who want to help their loved one with their gambling problem.

Please fill out our contact form, and we will reach out to help you make conversations about gambling concerns with the person you are concerned about.