How Our Therapy Works

The Gambling Clinic provides outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy, which addresses your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to change how you think about and engage in gambling. Changing how you think about and engage in gambling will help drive changes in your gambling, relationships, and overall emotional well-being. Our research has shown that this form of treatment is the most effective way to help people struggling with gambling. We discovered that over 87% of those who complete an adequate treatment dose will realize significant improvement.

We use one-on-one meetings to tailor what we do for each individual and their goals. Sessions can either be attended in person at our Memphis or Johnson City clinics or virtually via telehealth from anywhere within Tennessee. To make it financially accessible, the fee for the entire treatment is $300, although we can make accommodations based on individual circumstances. We want people to receive help even if they cannot pay now.

Our CBT model helps the individual gain control over their gambling. We focus on understanding your gambling history and help you develop the skills to meet your gambling-related goals. We respect client autonomy and work to meet clients where they’re at by supporting clients in defining their own recovery goals.

In our therapy program, you will:

• Identify high-risk gambling situations
• Develop new strategies to think about gambling
• Find alternatives to gambling that align with what matters to you

Thinking about making a change? Want to talk this over? Get in touch using the contact box below!

Therapy FAQ

What to Expect During Gambling Therapy

We do what’s called CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is proven to be the best resource for people who have experienced harms related to their gambling. During therapy, we carefully consider 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.

The treatment has five phases, typically taking 8 to 10 one-on-one meetings with a member of our expertly-trained treatment team.

Your Therapist/Treatment Team

You will meet with your therapist each week to focus on the changes you want to make in your gambling. We train our team using evidence-based practices designed to change gambling behaviors to reduce gambling-related harms.

You will also be in contact with a second person on our team to help you work through problems outside of therapy and keep on track with meetings and resources as you recover from gambling problems.

Location and Telehealth

Treatment may occur in one of our in-person clinics in several locations in the state. We also offer confidential, online video Telehealth appointments, typically through Zoom.

Cost of Treatment

We have a single charge of $300, which covers as many meetings or sessions as you need to meet your goals.

However, if this amount is not possible for you now, we can work with your financial situation. We never turn anyone away because they cannot pay that fee. Cost is never a barrier to working with us to make the changes you want and need.

How to Prepare for the First Meeting

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, you will be provided a link to a confidential online survey. Completing these forms takes about 30-45 minutes.

Enrolling a Loved One

We understand if you want to help a loved one seek treatment. We will work with anyone to help someone they love get the help and support they need. However, we will ask you if your loved one, who is struggling due to gambling, wants to set up an appointment. If they do, we will work with your loved one to make that appointment. If they do not want help, then we will talk about how to move forward. We are here to help.

How Do I Sign Up for Therapy?

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

Depending on what you prefer, we can call you or email you about scheduling the first session with a member of our team. If possible, 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 between9 AM to 8 PM Monday – Thursday and 9 AM to 4:00 PM Fridays.