Gambling counselling in Australia: focus on cognitive counselling techniques

A number of specialised counselling services are now available to assist individuals who experience difficulties as a result of problem gambling behaviour. Clinicians within these services may utilise one or a number of counselling approaches depending on their own preferences and their assessment of the counselling style suitable for use with particular clients. The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first is to describe the range of specialised gambling counselling services now available in Australia. The second aim is to provide clinicians in the field with a range of practical cognitive counselling strategies that may be used to good effect to assist clients to reassess their attitudes towards and thoughts about gambling.     

Tele-counselling for Problem Gambling: A Case Study

Innovative approaches to the treatment of pathological gambling are required since the number of individuals who seek treatment tend to be fewer than the prevalence studies would indicate. In this study, an innovative approach to the treatment of pathological gambling was used in order to address the common hindrances to treatment-seeking these patients face. One such approach is to offer the option of manual-guided tele-counselling. This case study reports on the progress of one individual who was treated using this modality. For reasons of privacy and anonymity, the individual in this case report preferred to address her problem gambling with the assistance of a therapist whom she never met. The client was provided with 10 weeks of tele-counselling treatment during which six treatment modules were delivered. Problems of access, privacy and anonymity were overcome with this method and the client was able to reduce their gambling behavior significantly with the therapeutic gains being maintained at the 6-month follow-up. The implications for the treatment of problem gambling using a non-traditional approach are discussed.     

Effects of three methods of career counselling on vocational maturity and vocational preference

Three types of career counselling — Individual Career Counselling, the Vocational Exploration Group, and the Future Group — were compared to a placebo group and a no-treatment control group. All groups were evaluated in terms of changes in pre- and post-test scores on the Attitude scale of Crites' Career Maturity Inventory and on the ten scales of the Kuder Preference Record. The study showed the Future Group as compared to the no-treatment control to have a significant increase on the Musical Preference scale. The Future Group also had a significant increase on the Literary Preference scale as compared to the no-treatment control and individual counselling groups. The Future Group participants significantly increased in career maturity compared to participants from the no-treatment control and individual career counselling groups. The implications for career counselling as well as for additional research investigations are discussed.     

Using career development theories in the treatment of clients with eating disorders

Various types of psychotherapy have been used in treating clients with eating disorders - a debilitating and frustrating form of psychological illness which mainly occurs in females, especially female youth. However, little is known about the relevance of career counselling for this group of clients. This article attempts to incorporate theoretical concepts from vocational and career psychology into the helping process for clients with eating disorders. It illustrates the rationale and applicability of infusing career counselling concepts and strategies into the psychotherapy for individuals recovering from eating disorders. It also provides the implications for blending the career counselling and therapeutic interventions in the treatment process.     

A naturalistic study of the effectiveness of time-limited counselling with low-income clients

The role of counselling and psychotherapy services in relation to the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals has been largely neglected in the recent research literature. Although a small number of theoretical papers and case analyses have been published, there is an absence of studies that examine the effectiveness of counselling with this client group. The present paper reports on a naturalistic outcome study of the effectiveness of time-limited counselling (seven sessions) with low-income clients. Analysis of pre-counselling, postcounselling and follow-up measures of mental health and problem ratings indicated levels of change equivalent to those achieved in controlled studies of counselling and psychotherapy with other client groups. Factors influencing the effectiveness of counselling included gender and employment status. Qualitative client reports suggested that the main benefits experienced by clients were in the areas of self-understanding and self-belief. For illustrative purposes, data from low-income clients are compared with results from employee counselling clients receiving a similar service. The implications of these findings for further research are discussed.     

What difference does counselling make? – The perceptions of drug‐using clients on low incomes

Context: This paper reports on a qualitative study looking at the perceptions of clients who use drugs and are on low income. Research suggests that counselling services can experience difficulties in reaching and retaining such clients, and outcomes of counselling can be disappointing. Aim: To learn from clients who had engaged in counselling for over six months what difference it had made to their lives. Method: Grounded theory methodology was used to analyse semi‐structured interviews with six participants. Findings: Findings included changes in the clients’ internal world, their connectedness with society, their familiarity with counselling, and their perception of the relationship with the counsellor. Factors within the counselling process which helped and hindered change were identified. The study documents how participants were able to use counselling to improve their lives.     

Training for paraprofessional counsellors: Evaluating the meaning and impact of a common factors approach

A group of 12 people participated in a short (40 hours) counselling training programme for paraprofessional counsellors, which emphasised the importance of common factors in accounting for therapeutic effectiveness. The general framework, language and skills of a brief, solution‐focused approach was used as a means of translating the theoretical/conceptual ideas of the common factors model into specific counsellor behaviours and also to provide structure and focus for counselling sessions. A pluralist methodology was employed to assess the personal meaning of the training for participants and the impact of the training on the development of counselling skills and awareness. Results indicated the training impacted positively on the development of counselling skills and ability to handle difficult client behaviours but less so on personal values and ability to deal with process issues. The majority of participants believed the training contributed positively toward their personal development.     

Reasoning and mathematical skills contribute to normatively superior decision making under risk: evidence from the game of dice task

In this study, we assessed to what extent reasoning improves performance in decision making under risk in a laboratory gambling task (Game of Dice Task-Double, GDT-D). We also investigated to what degree individuals with above average mathematical competence decide better than those with average mathematical competence. Eighty-five participants performed the GDT-D and several numerical tasks. Forty-two individuals were asked to calculate the probabilities and the outcomes associated with the different options of the GDT-D before performing it. The other 43 individuals performed the GDT-D at the beginning of the test session. Both reasoning and mathematical competence had a positive effect on decision making. Different measures of mathematical competence correlated with advantageous performance in decision making. Results suggest that decision making under explicit risk conditions improves when individuals are encouraged to reflect about the contingencies of a decision situation. Interventions based on numerical reasoning may also be useful for patients with difficulties in decision making.     

Home Groups: Integrating Peer Support and Clinical Care in a Community Mental Health Center

With peer supporters now comprising one of the most rapidly growing components of the mental health workforce, group interventions that combine their expertise with those of more traditional mental health providers are needed. An example of one such intervention, developed and implemented at a large community mental health center for individuals with serious mental illnesses, is presented. Called a “Home Group” and co-led by peers and clinical psychology interns, this intervention provides unique learning opportunities for peers and trainees and many potential benefits to group members. Vignettes to illustrate the model are presented and the potential therapeutic and empowering aspects of this innovative and promising approach are identified and discussed.     

Training service providers working with traumatized children in South Africa: The navigations of a trainer

In South Africa, counselling training poses two related difficulties: working in a situation of ubiquitous, ongoing violence, and offering training to people who have minimal or no qualifications and are often overwhelmed by enormous workload. In this context, there is a temptation either to give up hope in the face of the enormity of the task, or defensively to package counselling as a set of techniques which can be taught without much self-reflection. In this article we discuss, by contrast, an intervention which used psychodynamic principles to develop learner-centred training drawing on trainees' own experiences. We consider the benefits of this approach even in a context of violence and meagre resources.     

Gambling habits of athletes and nonathletes classified as disordered gamblers

The objective of the present study was to determine the forms of gambling that were the most prevalent in those having problems with their gambling. High-risk individuals who were experiencing difficulties with their gambling were examined. Specifically, the gambling behaviors of current athletes, former athletes, and nonathletes were investigated. Only members of these 3 groups with elevated scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) were tested. Specifically, only those classified as disordered gamblers (SOGS score > or = 3) were recruited. Among these individuals with high SOGS scores, former athletes were more likely to participate in skill-based forms of gambling such as sports gambling and poker card playing, whereas nonathletes were more likely to partake in gambling games that were based predominately on chance factors. Also, former athletes were more likely to wager on the sport they had once played. Findings suggest that a competitive spirit may lead athletes to involvement in skill-based forms of gambling. While other explanations were considered, preliminary indicators support this view.     

A randomized controlled trial of a single session motivational intervention for concerned gamblers

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a promising brief intervention for people who wish to cut down or quit gambling. The study was a randomized clinical trial that tested the efficacy of a single face-to-face MI compared with a control interview (CI) for reducing gambling behaviours in individuals who expressed concerns about their gambling. Eighty-one media recruited gamblers were followed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-intervention. At 12 months post-intervention participants in the MI condition spent significantly less money on gambling per month, gambled fewer days per month, and reported significantly less distress than participants in the CI condition. Participants in both conditions showed overall reduction in gambling problem severity.     

Disasters and helpers: Psychological dynamics and implications for counselling

This paper reviews the recent research on those individuals who might be regarded as the ‘hidden victims' of disasters—the ‘Helpers'. It focusses on the complex interaction between disaster events, coping strategies and individual and personality factors as determinants of psychological and emotional problems in helpers. The discussion seeks to heighten the awareness of professional counsellors of the contribution that they can make to the training, debriefing and counselling of individuals fulfilling the role of helper by illustrating the problems that typify the helper's experience and by discussing a technique for dealing with these problems. Being prepared for the type of problems likely to be encountered and how these problems might be tackled is an important determinant of the effectiveness of the service provided. Duckworth's (1986) problem-solving approach to counselling helpers is assessed and subsequently used as a basis for discussing the role of the above information in the design and application of this problem-solving approach to dealing with the difficulties experienced by helpers as a result of their involvement in disasters.     

Gambling Habits of Athletes and Nonathletes Classified as Disordered Gamblers

The objective of the present study was to determine the forms of gambling that were the most prevalent in those having problems with their gambling. High-risk individuals who were experiencing difficulties with their gambling were examined. Specifically, the gambling behaviors of current athletes, former athletes, and nonathletes were investigated. Only members of these 3 groups with elevated scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) were tested. Specifically, only those classified as disordered gamblers (SOGS score ≥ 3) were recruited. Among these individuals with high SOGS scores, former athletes were more likely to participate in skill-based forms of gambling such as sports gambling and poker card playing, whereas nonathletes were more likely to partake in gambling games that were based predominately on chance factors. Also, former athletes were more likely to wager on the sport they had once played. Findings suggest that a competitive spirit may lead athletes to involvement in skill-based forms of gambling. While other explanations were considered, preliminary indicators support this view.     

The reasoning skills and thinking dispositions of problem gamblers: a dual‐process taxonomy

We present a taxonomy that categorizes the types of cognitive failure that might result in persistent gambling. The taxonomy subsumes most previous theories of gambling behavior, and it defines three categories of cognitive difficulties that might lead to gambling problems: The autonomous set of systems (TASS) override failure, missing TASS output, and mindware problems. TASS refers to the autonomous set of systems in the brain (which are executed rapidly and without volition, are not under conscious control, and are not dependent on analytic system output). Mindware consists of rules, procedures, and strategies available for explicit retrieval. Seven of the eight tasks administered to pathological gamblers, gamblers with subclinical symptoms, and control participants were associated with problem gambling, and five of the eight were significant predictors in analyses that statistically controlled for age and cognitive competence. In a commonality analysis, an indicator from each of the three categories of cognitive difficulties explained significant unique variance in problem gambling, indicating that each of the categories had some degree of predictive specificity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can counselling/psychotherapy be helpful in reducing barriers to learning for the person with specific learning difficulties?

This paper explores the relative helpfulness of counselling/psychotherapy to individuals experiencing specific learning difficulties, as a means of reducing barriers to learning by allowing the individual to return to learning from experience. Highlighting earlier studies which indicate the positive impact of psychological therapy on educational attainment and inhibiting factors such as stress, this research investigates the experience of counselling from the perspective of the person with specific learning disabilities. Using Empirical Phenomenological Research, the study explores their understandings of the circumstances and factors by which therapy is found to be helpful or unhelpful, seeking to contribute to debate on whether psychological interventions that are ‘specialist’ in orientation are potentially more helpful than ‘generalist’ therapeutic approaches. The findings point both to the potential value of psychological therapies for persons with special educational needs as a complement to other interventions and also to the importance of considering the experiences of the client in addition to diagnostic assessments.     

An evaluation of the long-term outcomes of small-group work for counsellor development

A questionnaire was designed which enquired into the long-term professional applications and outcomes of Rogerian small-group and Tavistock Group Dynamics training. The 92 respondents were graduates of either a Master's degree or a Diploma in Human Relations or Counselling Studies in a university course where a 'small-group' module was a compulsory element of the taught course. Respondents were drawn from graduates of these one-year full-time or two-year part-time courses over a 21-year period. All respondents were involved either directly in professional or voluntary counselling, in the application of counselling skills in their work, or in training in counselling and counselling skills at work. The respondents reported no loss of learning gains over time: ascribed the application of many specific counselling skills to the small-group training process; reported on the affective component of the learning process; and provided only minimal evidence of forms of psychological damage which could be directly ascribed to the experience. These outcomes have to be considered in the light of the relatively low response rate of 33% and the difficulties in monitoring the precise behaviour of the facilitators in the groups.