Choosing a Treatment Facility

If you or someone you care for needs treatment for a gambling problem, it is important to know that no single treatment approach is appropriate for all individuals. Finding the right treatment program involves careful consideration of such things as the setting, length of care, philosophical approach and your or your loved one’s needs. We encourage you to thoroughly investigate your options.

Click Here to view the following Inpatient, Resident and Intensive Outpatient programs that have applied and met our criteria.

To list your facility in our directory, click here for an application form.

Questions to Ask When Selecting A Gambling Treatment Program

Here are 12 questions to consider asking when selecting a gambling treatment program:

1. Are their counselors and staff experienced in treating problem gamblers? (How many problem gamblers are currently in their program; how many problem gamblers have they treated in the past year; what percentage of the patients are problem gamblers)?
2. How many hours per day are dedicated to gambling specific treatment or education? What are the groups or educational topics that address the specific needs of problem gamblers and their families?
3. Does the program accept your insurance? If not, will they work with you on a payment plan or find other means of support for you?
4. Does the program encompass the full range of assessment and treatment needs of the individual/family (medical: including universal precautions for infectious diseases; psychological: including co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems; financial: money management, budgeting and restitution; social; vocational; legal; spiritual; etc.)?
5. Does the treatment program also address sexual orientation and physical disabilities as well as provide age, gender and culturally appropriate services?
6. Is long-term continuing care support and/or guidance encouraged, provided and maintained?
7. Is there ongoing assessment of an individual’s treatment plan to ensure it meets changing needs?
8. Does the program employ strategies to engage and keep individuals in treatment, increasing the likelihood of success?
9. Does the program offer counseling (individual and group) and other behavioral therapies to enhance the individual’s ability to function in the family/community?
10. Does the program offer medication as part of the treatment regimen, if appropriate?
11. Is there ongoing monitoring of possible relapse?
12. Are services or referrals offered to family members to ensure they understand problem gambling, its impact on the family and the recovery process?

(Adapted from A Quick Guide To Finding Effective Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2002)

Inpatient, Residential and Intensive Outpatient Treatment Facility Definitions

Residential treatment programs are organized and staffed to provide both general and specialized non-hospital-based interdisciplinary services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Residential treatment services are organized to provide environments in which the persons reside and receive services from personnel who are trained in the delivery of services for persons with behavioral health disorders or related problems. Residential treatment may be provided in freestanding, non-hospital-based facilities or in units of larger entities, such as a wing of a hospital. Residential treatment programs may include domestic violence treatment homes, non-hospital addiction treatment centers, intermediate care facilities, psychiatric treatment centers, or other non-medical settings.

Inpatient treatment programs provide coordinated and integrated services in hospital settings. Inpatient treatment is provided 24 hours, 7 days a week. Inpatient treatment programs include a comprehensive, biopsychosocial-spiritual approach to service delivery with a key component being close coordination of services with other service providers and organizations who may be involved in service provision for the persons served. There are daily therapeutic activities in which the persons served participate. The goal of inpatient treatment is to provide a protective environment that includes medical stabilization, support, treatment for psychiatric or addictive disorders, and supervision. Such programs operate in designated space that allows for an appropriate medical treatment environment.

Intensive Outpatient Programs provide 9 or more hours of structured programming per week in an outpatient setting.  Intensive outpatient treatment programs are clearly identified as separate and distinct programs that provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The intensive outpatient program consists of a scheduled series of sessions appropriate to the person-centered plans of the persons served. These may include services provided during evenings and on weekends and/or interventions delivered by a variety of service providers in the community. The program may function as a step-down program from partial hospitalization, detoxification, or residential services; may be used to prevent or minimize the need for a more intensive level of treatment; and is considered to be more intensive than traditional outpatient services.

(Adapted from Behavioral Health Care Programs, CARF, 2015)

Treatment Facilities Listed on ncpgambling.org

The gambling treatment programs listed on this website under Treatment Facilities are:

1. Licensed or accredited by a state or national authority to provide substance abuse and/or mental health treatment; AND
2. Have a gambling specific track or protocol; AND
3. Have at least one full time clinical staff member who is a Certified Gambling Counselor.
4. Paid an Annual listing fee of $300.

These criteria are explained in further detail below.

1. Licensed or accredited means the program must be approved to provide substance abuse and/or mental health treatment by one of the following:

• Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
• Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
• State Department of:
  • Health, Mental Health or Public Health
  • Human Services or Social Services
  • Alcohol, Substance Abuse or Chemical Dependency

2. Gambling specific treatment plan and/or protocol is a treatment plan specifically designed for problem gambling clients. The treatment plan should indicate a comprehensive view to gambling treatment, thorough assessment and adequate care of gambling specific treatment needs (family, educational, financial, legal etc.) for clients.

3. Certified Gambling Counselor is defined as an individual who has completed a specific course of study in problem gambling treatment and has been certified by either:

• A national credentialing organization (National Gambling Counselor Certification Board-NCGC; American Gambling Counselor Certification Board-CCGC; or American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders-CAS); OR
• A state certification organization that requires a minimum of 30 hours of problem gambling specific training and a period of direct (supervisor personal contact) supervision related to treating addicted gamblers.