PROBLEM GAMBLING AND THE FAMILY

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PROBLEM GAMBLING AND THE FAMILY

• PROBLEM GAMBLING IS A FAMILY MATTER

TREATMENT INSTITUTE JUNE 29, 2007
Donna Whitmire, Problem Gambling Counselor
and Linda Graves, Problem Gambling Program
Manager, DASA
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Problem Gambling is a Family Matter

• Progression of the Family with Problem Gambling
  Issues
• A Family Out of the Money
• Understanding the Three Cs in Family Recovery
• Family Systems Therapy

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Denial Phase

• Occasional worries
• Keeps concerns to self
• Makes excuses for gambling
• Considers gambling temporary
• Questions unpaid bills
• Easily reassured
• Unexplained financial crisis
• Accepts remorse of gambler

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Stress Phase

• - Spouse spends less time with family
• - Arguments
• - Spouse feels rejected
• - Demands upon gambler
• - Attempts to control gambling
• - Provides bailouts
• - Avoids children, family and friends
• - Isolation

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Exhaustion Phase

• Intense resentment
• Thinking impaired
• Confusion
• Physical symptoms
• Immobilization
• Doubts sanity
• Rage
• Anxiety-panic

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FilmA Family out of the Money

• Mom Sons Daughters

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Three Cs in Family Recovery

• Communication
• Compromise
• Commitment

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Family Systems Therapy
Structural Family Therapy Minucin Observed
family interactions

• family structure rules
• Flexibility of boundaries
• Enmeshment in families
• Disengaged-rigid families
• Aligned family systems
• Coalitions between family members against
  another family member

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Family Systems Therapy

• Murray Bowen developed a system where he saw
  psychological characteristics in families were
  passed on generationally with
• Fusion
• Differentiation
• Pseudo self
• Triangulation
• Family projection process
• Emotional cut-off

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Thanks a bunch for your participation!
Donna Whitmire, NCGC-II dwwanna_at_aol.com Linda
Graves, NCGC-II gravell_at_dshs.wa.gov