Treatment Plans and Cost

INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAM (IOP)

With the help of our dedicated staff, thousands of residents have quietly but determinedly turned their lives around. Problem Gambling is so often an “Invisible” affliction; therefore, these are people who may be your child’s teacher, your local banker, your neighborhood police officer or your family physician. PGC has helped not only those individuals who have gone through the treatment program, but also the family, friends, and employers that are also affected directly and indirectly by the actions of the problem gambler.

Our treatment approach incorporates three interrelated components.

All of these components emphasize cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), an approach cited in the research literature as the most effective strategy for problem gambling treatment (National Research Council, 1999).

Counseling

The second component allows problem gamblers access to state-certified counselors and interns. The counseling program teaches patients to take responsibility for their actions and to organize their lives in a responsible manner. It also focuses on practical strategies to avoid succumbing to urges to gamble.

Relapse Prevention Program

PGC has developed a clinically effective intervention to prevent problem gamblers from relapsing. The PGC Relapse Prevention Program is an on-going module intended to provide a psychoeducational approach to treatment intervention for clients that have already successfully completed IOP. The framework is based on the concept that relapse is a process involving both overt and subtle shifts in a clients’ attitude, behaviors, and choices that move them progressively closer to gambling again. The relapse process is a progressive chain reaction generally triggered by negative feelings and/or stressors. The goal of the module is to help clients identify and process these negative feelings and engage in recovery activities before the relapse occurs.

The goal of the project is to increase abstinence rate among problem gamblers, especially those more vulnerable to relapse. Research shows ethnic minority groupsthat relapse appear to be primarily influenced by family members or peer groups who gambled. Our program includes individual and group counseling for family members and concerned others to address the specific cultural problems and challenges as they relate directly or indirectly to problem gambling behavior and its effects on the family. The program works through their significant emotional and psychological problems, focusing on intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics of family members.

For our clients who have completed the Relapse Prevention Program, 92% of those individuals have maintained abstinence from gambling. The success rate is so high due to the fact that PGC counselors require at least two recovery encounters per month; including Gamblers Anonymous, Aftercare services, one-on-one counseling or group counseling.

Cost

Because problem gamblers by definition deplete their own financial resources, The Problem Gambling Center charges a minimal fee per session. Nobody is ever turned away for lack of funds. Best of all, problem gamblers are able to access a program that serves as a model for other facilities around the world.

Help is available and affordable. Thousands of people have turned their lives around and you can too!