Centerstone to host 4th annual Problem and Compulsive Gambling Symposium

Free virtual event to be held on March 23. CEUs offered.

Centerstone, a nonprofit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatments, will host the 4^th annual Problem and Compulsive Gambling Symposium on Thursday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT via Zoom. CEUs are available.

“March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and Centerstone is honored to host this free training with an impressive lineup of gambling disorder experts to educate those in attendance about prevention, treatment and recovery services available,” said Stacy Seitz, Centerstone’s Statewide Addiction Treatment Clinical Director.

Gambling disorder has a prevalence estimate of approximately 0.5% in the general adult population in the US. Data from a large community US sample suggest that over 95% of adults with gambling disorder have at least one co-occurring psychiatric disorder, with close to two-thirds having three or more. Co-occurring disorders may be even more prevalent among clinical samples and may complicate or inform treatment selection and outcomes. This presentation will:

• Include empirical data on disorders that frequently co-occur with gambling disorder and how these relate to treatment outcomes
• Consider a selection of data-supported treatments for people with gambling disorder, including medications that are off-label for the treatment of gambling disorder that may have indications for specific disorders that frequently co-occur with gambling disorder
• Discuss current changes in the gambling environment with respect to how such changes may influence populations seeking treatment
• Review novel interventions, such as neuromodulation and mobile health.
• Provide a high level overview and training in a variety of novel gambling types and evaluate their risk for later problem gambling in youth
• Examine the types of betting and describe the risk to various youth groups
• Review data examining the gambling-like features and novel gambling activities and problem gambling among youth while examining the role of psychopathology and cognitive processes
• Investigate large-scale literature findings that demonstrate associations between engagement in activities with gambling-like features (e.g., video games, social casino games, loot boxes) and problem gambling
• Provide actionable steps clinicians can take to expand their understanding of emerging gambling risks in this area and develop effective screening and referral mechanisms.

Symposium speakers include:

• Marc N. Potenza, Ph.D., MD, with Yale University School of Medicine will present on “Considering Co-occurring Disorders in the Treatment of People with Gambling Disorder.”
• Jeffrey Derevensky, Ph.D., with McGill University will present on “Understanding Youth Gambling Problems: Prevention and Treatment Implications.”
• Serena M. King, Ph.D., L.P., with Hamline University, will present on “Emergence of Problem Gambling from Childhood to Emerging Adulthood: What Clinicians Need to Know about Novel Gambling Types.”

This training has 5 hours of continuing education approved for IL LCPC / LPC, IL LCSW / LSW, and IL Nursing (LPN, RN, APN) under IDFPR Professional Counselor CE License No. 197.000263 and IDFPR Nurse CE Sponsor License No. 236.000184. An application has been made to IAODAPCA for 5 contact hours. Participants will need to attend the entire symposium to receive CEUs; no partial credits will be given.

The event is free and open to the public. All participants must register online at centerstone.org/events.

For more information, contact Stacy Seitz at Stacy.Seitz@Centerstone.org.