webinar

Aug. 21, 2-3 p.m. ET | Click here to register

The field of gambling disorder has seen many changes over the past year, many of which are due to the American Psychiatric Association's fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the Affordable Care Act. Many private health insurance policies and plans exclude treatments for gambling disorder from insurance coverage. However, healthcare providers specializing in disordered gambling have hoped that the Affordable Care Act and the strengthening of the federal mental health parity law would address this shortcoming. But is this the case?

One of the most anticipated events in the mental health field is the publication of the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in May 2013. Many of the changes have caused great debate and “pathological gambling” is no exception, with substantial changes in classification, the name of the disorder and the number of symptoms required for a diagnosis.

Registration is still open for the second session of the 2012 NCRG Webinar Series, taking place June 20, 2012, from 2 - 3 p.m. EST. The NCRG Webinar Series is a free, year-round educational program designed to help individuals better understand and address critical issues related to gambling disorders and responsible gaming – without having to leave their own home or office. Dr. Serena King, an assistant professor at Hamline University, will discuss her latest findings from an NCRG-funded study that examined the roles of genetics, environment and psychiatric disorders in the development of gambling disorders during the transition from youth to young adulthood.

To sign up for this free session, visit the NCRG’s upcoming webinar page and click the registration link.

Registration is open for the first session of the 2012 NCRG Webinar Series, the NCRG’s free year-round educational program designed to help individuals better understand and address critical issues related to gambling disorders and responsible gaming – without having to leave their own home or office. The session, titled "Science vs. Myth: Research on Internet Gambling," will be held on March 6 from 2 – 3 p.m. EST. Dr. Sarah E. Nelson, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, will lead this in-depth look at her latest research on gambling disorders and online gambling using analysis of actual betting transactions from Internet gamblers.

At the 12^th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, we are privileged to have four distinguished researchers leading pre-conference workshops to give mental health treatment providers and researchers an extra helping of best practices to bring back to their work. One of the sessions will be led by Dr. Jon Grant, J.D., M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota and co-director of the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.  Dr. Grant is also the principal investigator for the NCRG Center for Excellence in Gambling Research at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Grant’s extensive research on impulse control disorders (ICDs) led him to co-author a workbook with Christopher B. Donahue, Ph.D., and Brian L. Odlaug, University of Minnesota Medical Center, titled Overcoming Impulse Control Problems: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program. This workbook takes the reader through various approaches to resist urges to engage in pathological gambling behaviors, as well as those behaviors demonstrated in other ICDs. Dr. Grant’s pre-conference workshop will lead clinicians through this manual.

Deadline to apply: Friday, August 26

The NCRG is thrilled to announce that a record number of need-based scholarships are now available to help offset the cost of attending the annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction.  This year, based on response and availability, the NCRG will provide between 20 and 30 individual sponsorships to attend the NCRG Conference.  Up to 10 of these scholarships may also include travel assistance of $200. Scholarships are available to all interested attendees, especially those in the clinical and public health sectors.  A notable percentage of scholarships have been reserved for residents of Nevada.

Click here to download the application form.

Parents of teenagers often question what their children think as they make important life choices and engage in potentially dangerous behaviors. Dr. Ken C. Winters, professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse and Research at the University of Minnesota,  is going to explore that parental concern one step further by explaining the latest research on adolescent brain development and why young adults sometimes make decisions to participate in risky behaviors, such as gambling.

Register today for the next free session in the NCRG Webinar Series, “Adolescent Brain Development: Implications for Understanding Youth Gambling,” on August 24 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST. This session is free for all attendees and you can earn one hour of continuing education units.

Click below for the NCRG blog team’s exclusive interview with Dr. Matthew Martens, associate professor of educational, school and counseling psychology at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Nathan Smith, program officer for the NCRG, sat down with Dr. Martens to discuss brief interventions for problem gambling and gives advice to campus health professionals on how to address gambling and gambling-related harms on campus.

The NCRG’s 2011 Webinar Series continues with its upcoming free session titled “College Gambling: A New Resource for Campus Professionals” on June 1, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. The session will be valuable to anyone who works with college students on a day-to-day basis, as well as those who research gambling disorders in youth and young adults. Register today by clicking here or visiting the NCRG’s upcoming webinar session website.