WCPG Webinar Series - Take All 5 for $75
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This presentation will focus on the initial grieving process and the similarities and differences between SUD and Disordered Gambling. Participants will be introduced to the concept that the person suffering in their addiction is also dealing with a loss of a love relationship. The loss of predictability, and the time taken in early recovery, also affects the spouse and/or significant others. Participants will also look at how the brain grieves in an addicted individual and participate in some hands on assignments that can be used to help in the grieving process.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will begin to understand the similarities and differences in grieving the loss of their addiction in the initial process of change
- Participants will look at the daily grieving process that includes loss around rituals, relationship to the addiction and the loss of predictability associated with addiction
- Participants will be introduced to addiction as a love relationship with all the brain pleasure receptors and behaviors associated with love.
- Participants will look at the role spouses and significant others play in the initial grieving process and the overall process of change.
Presenter Bio:
Jerry Bauerkemper, BS, CCGC Retired Executive Director of the Nebraska Council on Compulsive Gambling Mr. Bauerkemper was the first director of problem gambling for the state of Nebraska. He is an internationally recognized trainer on Problem Gambling. Currently, he is a consultant for the Iowa gambling program helping agencies increase gambling utilization after Covid!
Traditional gambling is viewed as adults going to the casino. In looking at age restrictions of gambling, we do not automatically connect gambling with youth. As a result, some people may even question the need to address the topic of youth gambling at all with thoughts of “youth can’t get into a casino and gamble” or “they don’t have enough money to gamble let alone for it to be a problem.” Denying the existence of youth being able to gamble prevents us from exploring and understanding important questions. Do youth gamble? How do they afford it? Can youth gambling even become problematic?
Youth do in fact gamble and have for several years yet certain events and changes have resulted in a renewed interest in sports gambling. Emerging issues among youth, such as video games and social media, often neglect to acknowledge the “gamblification” that exists within. Growing trends like online gambling and sports betting are shining a light on how it is no longer keeping gambling in the shadows. Concerns such as mental health, substance use, and suicide have grown significantly in recent years prior to and after the impact of COVID19. Gambling among youth and in general has direct connections with each of these issues impacting youth today.
It’s important for parents, educators, treatment providers, mental health professionals, and anyone working with youth to have an awareness towards gambling. This webinar will provide an important overview of the five W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) of youth gambling, so someone can feel more comfortable noticing gambling and potential warning signs that problems may be occurring. By identifying problems with gambling, we can provide better intervention services earlier on for youth.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about what youth are doing to gambling, where it often occurs, and when they are likely to be exposed to gambling.
- Review why youth gamble and some of the specific connections related to certain events, changes, and trends.
- Identify who is at-risk for gambling, problem gambling, and gambling use disorder and identify ways to help youth who are showing concerns over gambling behaviors.
Presenter Bio:
Andrew J. Schreier is an Independent Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, and International Certified Gambling Counselor – II. Mr. Schreier graduated from Ottawa University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Human Services and a Master’s Degree in Counseling. He is the Wisconsin Clinical Coordinator for Community Medical Services provides medicated-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. He provides oversight and guidance for all clinical and behavior health services. Mr. Schreier also works at New Life Resources, Inc. that provides individual counseling/therapy, children and adolescent services, couples/marital counseling, step/blended families, group therapy, addiction counseling, psychological testing, and consultation. Experience over the years include working in group home, halfway house, residential, medicated-assisted treatment, and outpatient treatment settings working with a variety of addictions. He presents on various topics related to substance use, mental health, gambling, clinical supervision, ethics, and various other topics to statewide and national audiences. Mr. Schreier is the host of “Talking Addiction & Recovery” Podcast.
Problem gambling awareness and programs are lacking considerably in comparison to other addictions across the United States. Yet, there is no shortage of legislation and regulation to expand legalized gambling. This interactive session will examine an overview of problem gambling policies and programs across the United States. It will highlight ways that advocates can maximize legislation and regulation for expanded gambling, particularly sports wagering and online gaming to impress upon the need for additional problem gambling supports.
We’ll examine the value of grassroots advocacy and how to build effective coalitions. The presentation will end highlighting some of the biggest takeaways and lessons learned from advocating for problem gambling funding and services since the overturning of PASPA and concluding with a call to action for all problem gambling stakeholders.
Attendees at the conclusion of the presentation will be able to:
1 -Describe past, present, and future legislative and regulatory happenings around expanded gambling and problem gambling across the U.S.
2 -Identify statutory and regulatory barriers and opportunities for problem gambling services.
3 -What individuals need to be doing to create impactful and meaningful change for problem gambling policy.
Presenters Bio:
Brianne Doura-Schawohl is founder and CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC, a boutique global government relations firm that specializes in problem and responsible gambling policy. She most recently served as Vice President of US Policy and Strategic Development for EPIC Risk Management, a global harm prevention consultancy, conducting work in over 24 countries. Prior to her role at EPIC, Brianne served as Legislative Director for the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). Her experience includes over a decade of leadership in advocacy, public policy, government affairs, and communications.
Doura-Schawohl’s practice spans a wide range of work with executive and legislative branch officials and private sector stakeholders at the international, federal, state, and local levels of government. She has a history of achievements in State and United States Congressional legislative work, including a diverse portfolio of complex problem gambling policy issues. This continues to be invaluable in her ability to make a difference on behalf of people with gambling problems around the world.
Doura-Schawohl works with Congress and numerous state legislatures and regulators to provide expert advice on gambling policy. She continues to work with stakeholders on both sides of the aisle. Additionally, she has been featured in numerous international, national, state and local media, including CNBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, ESPN, The Washington Post, and CBC.
Brianne was named one of the top 100 lobbyists in 2021 by the National Institute of Lobbying & Ethics (NILE), was featured as one of the 25 People to Watch in 2022 by Global Gaming Business and is an honoree of the 2023 class of 40 under 40 Emerging Leaders in Gaming. In 2019 she was appointed as a member of the Digital Gaming Advisory Group for the State of Hawaii and continues to serve on numerous coalitions. In 2020 and 2021 she was a guest faculty member for Seton Hall Law School at their Gaming Law, Compliance, and Integrity Program. Additionally, she continues to be a guest lecturer for the University of Minnesota, Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organizations. Doura-Schawohl continues to speak at many conferences and other public events on gaming policy in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Doura-Schawohl serves on the Board of Directors for Kindbridge Behavioral Health and serves as part of the leadership team of the NILE Next Gen Executives committee, a group committed to advancing educational & networking opportunities for the next generation of leaders within the government relations profession. She is a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling military affairs committee.
Mrs. Doura-Schawohl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Mary Washington. She resides in Fairfax, Virginia with her family.
Gambling Disorder and its negative impacts are progressive. These growing negative impacts progressively affect the individual AND others in their lives. Gambling Disorder is a Process, Not an Event. As the progression intensifies, it becomes harder for all impacted individuals to “put on a happy face”. Recovery is also a Process and not an Event. Like the progression of the disorder, the Progression of Recovery impacts the individual AND others in their lives. This presentation shares 1 person’s story of the progression of recovery in her life and the lives of her loved ones.
Learning Objectives
- To describe the multiple and progressive impacts of gambling disorder recovery in one woman’s life to help others feel less isolated and alone in their own progressive life of recovery.
- Sharing the realities behind the recovery process, not event, as experienced by one woman in her journey from her first bet to her ongoing life of recovery.
- The provision of a behind the scenes look at how one person’s gambling disorder impacted her, and those around her, and how they all are experiencing an ongoing life of recovery.
Presenter Bio:
Doug LaBelle, LCSW, CEAP, ICGC II, IGDC is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Employee Assistance Professional, International Certified Gambling Counselor II, International Gaming Disorder Certificate, and a Trainer for the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling. He has over 35 years of experience as an Administrator, Clinician, Trainer and Consultant with Behavioral Health Disorders including Gambling/Gambling Disorder and Video Gaming/Gaming Disorder.
LeAnne Holden is a recovering problem gambler who’s addiction lead her to do illegal acts which cost her 8 years in prison. She has been striving to help others with addictions since her release in 2012. LeAnne is a member of the board for the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling and active in her church with outreach programs.
According to SAMHSA, “Harm reduction is critical to keeping people who use drugs alive and as healthy as possible and is a key pillar in the multi-faceted Health and Human Services’ Overdose Prevention Strategy.” Harm reduction has been identified as an evidence-based approach and support from several organizations within the substance use and mental health profession. With harm reduction receiving increased movement and attention, it has led to professionals and people impacted by gambling to ask the question, “What about harm reduction and gambling?”
To learn about harm reduction and its place in gambling, it is important to understand harm reduction itself. Reviewing the history and understanding some of the stigmas associated with it are crucial in overcoming some of the barriers to implementing harm reduction strategies to help educate, prevent, and treat gambling-related issues. Many people have a misunderstanding of what harm reduction is and, therefore, it’s use has been underutilized in many areas.
What is familiar to some working in the gambling profession and possibly unfamiliar to others is that harm reduction and gambling already have a history together. Harm reduction can play crucial roles in addressing gambling-related concerns for professionals and the individuals who are impacted. It can be used before someone even makes their first gamble to someone experiencing severe consequences because of their disorder, and to support someone’s ongoing recovery.
Learning Objectives
- Learn about what harm reduction is and its place in prevention, treatment, and recovery.
- Explore some of the stigmas, concerns, and critiques of harm reduction and the impact it has on helping others.
- Review ways in which to apply harm reduction strategies that can be used to help address gambling-related concerns and issues.
Presenter Bio:
Andrew J. Schreier is an Independent Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, and International Certified Gambling Counselor – II. Mr. Schreier graduated from Ottawa University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Human Services and a Master’s Degree in Counseling. He is the Wisconsin Clinical Coordinator for Community Medical Services provides medicated-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. He provides oversight and guidance for all clinical and behavior health services. Mr. Schreier also works at New Life Resources, Inc. that provides individual counseling/therapy, children and adolescent services, couples/marital counseling, step/blended families, group therapy, addiction counseling, psychological testing, and consultation. Experience over the years include working in group home, halfway house, residential, medicated-assisted treatment, and outpatient treatment settings working with a variety of addictions. He presents on various topics related to substance use, mental health, gambling, clinical supervision, ethics, and various other topics to statewide and national audiences. Mr. Schreier is the host of “Talking Addiction & Recovery” Podcast.
