For the second year in a row, GoodTherapy.org will host an online discussion in honor of Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March. Please join us on Twitter at 11 a.m. Pacific on March 24, 2016, using the hashtag #ProblemGambling to find our discussion.
This chat is organized with the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling (ECPG), a nonprofit organization based in Washington state. We will be joined by representatives from ECPG, as well as many others from the mental health and problem gambling fields. GoodTherapy.org’s 2015 Twitter chat on the topic brought an audience from all over the United States, Canada, Finland, and New Zealand. Participants included mental health professionals, individuals who had experience with problem gambling or gambling addiction, and others who had a concern for a loved one with gambling addiction or an interest in learning more about problem gambling. You can read a recap of our discussion, including snippets of the conversation from key participants, here.
Problem gambling is slowly getting more recognition as a legitimate and serious mental health concern, especially as technology and the Internet create more opportunities for gambling. Electronic devices put games and activities at people’s fingertips—and while many of these fun pursuits are harmless, if not educational and enriching, many are dangerous and have the potential to ruin lives. Apps and websites have the ability to lure users with free installations, downloads, and time spent playing. Not all of them stay free, however.Our Twitter chat will cover some of these newer platforms, such as fantasy sports teams and Facebook apps like Farmville, that can be undercover hotbeds for problem gambling. These seemingly innocent forms of gambling are so popular, there’s an increasing chance you or someone you know has been affected by problem gambling in one of these forms. We hope this subject matter will attract not only professionals in the mental health field who deal closely with problem gambling-related issues, but also anyone who has experienced gambling addiction, their family members, and those who have an interest in helping prevent gambling addiction.
Please join us March 24, 2016 at 11 a.m. Pacific with hashtag #ProblemGambling!
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