An in-patient treatment programme for people with gambling problems

Abstract

In excess of 1000 people sought treatment through the Statewide Gambling Therapy Service for gambling problems during 2008 and 2009 in South Australia.  Of this cohort, 53 clients participated in an inpatient version of the graded exposure therapy treatment programme offered by the health service. This paper describes who these clients were why they chose this particular support programme, what the treatment actually entailed and the outcomes achieved through this unique treatment programme. The social and clinical profile of the clients involved was far more complicated and complex than the mainstream client group who routinely access the outpatient treatment programme offered by the Adelaide Health Service. The personal perspectives of the clients' experiences along with longitudinal modelling of clinical outcomes reveal promising developments in the treatment of people with gambling problems.