Competitive Mindset: Innovative Treatment for Crypto/Trading and Sports Betting Addiction

The last five years have seen the largest expansion of legalized gambling in United States history. This surge has been fueled by the significant increase in younger, predominantly male sports bettors and traders who have uninterrupted access to online gambling via their mobile devices. In this class, Dan Field, LCSW, will describe the profile of this new, tech-savvy gambler who engages in fast-paced, highly dopaminergic crypto trading and live betting on their phone. As the clinical director of Westside Gambling Treatment (WGT), he oversees a short-term, fully virtual program addressing digital gambling disorder and will describe the theoretical approach to working with these clients. The class will include tips for engagement, family intervention strategies, the content of the WGT curriculum, and how genuine camaraderie and community can be nurtured in a virtual setting.

Price: Free

Credit

1 CE

Prerequisite

None

Classification

None

Recommended for

Mental Health Professionals

Class Instructor

Dan Field

Class Description

The last five years have seen the largest expansion of legalized gambling in United States history. This surge has been fueled by the significant increase in younger, predominantly male sports bettors and traders who have uninterrupted access to online gambling via their mobile devices. In this class, Dan Field, LCSW, will describe the profile of this new, tech-savvy gambler who engages in fast-paced, highly dopaminergic crypto trading and live betting on their phone. As the clinical director of Westside Gambling Treatment (WGT), he oversees a short-term, fully virtual program addressing digital gambling disorder and will describe the theoretical approach to working with these clients. The class will include tips for engagement, family intervention strategies, the content of the WGT curriculum, and how genuine camaraderie and community can be nurtured in a virtual setting.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, you will be able to:

  • Identify three key tasks to accomplish during the screening/assessment process for digital gambling disorder.
  • Describe the difference between an “open” and “closed” virtual group treatment program for gambling disorder and the advantages of having a “closed” group.
  • Identify three approaches to treatment utilized in the WGT EOP curriculum.

Educational Goals

  • Understand the variables that could contribute to the development of a digital gambling disorder among young clients.
  • Recognize common examples of distorted thinking and/or relapse justifications evident in individuals presenting with gambling disorder.
  • Learn efficacious tools and strategies for clinicians to implement with younger clients presenting with problem crypto trading and sports betting.

Outline

  • Clinical engagement strategies for a problem sports bettor and/or trader who contacts the 1-800-Gambler hotline (5 minutes)
  • Building therapeutic alliance with a family member who inquires about treatment for a problem sports bettor or crypto trader (5 minutes)
  • How gambling disorder manifests differently (and similarly) in digital and brick-and-mortar gambling environments (5 minutes)
  • Fostering cohesion in virtual group settings for problem digital gamblers (15 minutes)
  • Clinical differentiation between problem crypto traders and sports bettors (10 minutes)
  • The secret sauce of WGT treatment: Good chemistry and diverse approaches among the clinical team (10 minutes)
  • Relevant client feedback (client satisfaction surveys and exit interview data) to inform the WGT treatment approach (10 minutes)

Class Content