What Counselors Do – And Don’t - National Council on ... Lefkowitz and Charles...National...

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National Council on Problem Gambling 2013 Annual Conference Seattle, Washington What Counselors/Sponsors Do – And Don’t Charles F. Vorkoper, M.S.S.W. Certified Gambling Counselor II – BAAC 5646 Milton Street, Suite 432. Dallas, Texas 75206 Phone: 972-490-1007 Fax: 972-490-9337 E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.gamblerscounseling.com Marc Lefkowitz California Certified Gambling Counselor Phone: 949-412-9322 E-Mail: [email protected] California Council on Problem Gambling Web Site: www.calpg.org

Transcript of What Counselors Do – And Don’t - National Council on ... Lefkowitz and Charles...National...

National Council on Problem Gambling

2013 Annual Conference

Seattle, Washington

What Counselors/Sponsors

Do – And Don’t

Charles F. Vorkoper, M.S.S.W. Certified Gambling Counselor II – BAAC

5646 Milton Street, Suite 432. Dallas, Texas 75206

Phone: 972-490-1007 Fax: 972-490-9337 E-Mail: [email protected]

Web Site: www.gamblerscounseling.com

Marc Lefkowitz California Certified Gambling Counselor Phone: 949-412-9322 E-Mail: [email protected] California Council on Problem Gambling Web Site: www.calpg.org

Counselor’s Role and Its Limits

The purpose of this presentation is to describe that role and its

importance and its limits in treating Compulsive Gamblers

Differentiating Gamblers Anonymous and Professional

Counseling

Differentiating Sponsors in Gamblers Anonymous and

Professional Counselors

An Outline of Opportunities for Help

HELP FOR COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS (Brochure)

Written by Ed Looney and Charles Vorkoper

This brochure was written to describe the help offered by Gamblers Anonymous and that offered by Professional Counselors

The point is they have two different and complementary roles. They each are a part of successful Help for Compulsive Gamblers.

A second point is that they are not exclusive or competitive. They work together when Compulsive Gamblers are well served.

Differentiating Sponsors and

Professional Counselors

Gamblers Anonymous Makes It Clear:

The Unity Program (In order to maintain unity our experience has shown that:)

6. Gamblers Anonymous ought never endorse, finance or lend the Gamblers

Anonymous name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems

of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7. Gamblers Anonymous should remaining forever non-professional, but our

service centers may employ special workers.

Page 17 (To All Gamblers Anonymous Members, Particularly The New Gamblers Anonymous Members:)

6. GET A SPONSOR. IT IS DIFFICULT TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN.

Sponsorship gives an opportunity for members to work on an one-on-one

basis to achieve recovery by sharing, practicing , and working the 12 steps of

recovery.

SOURCES

White, William L., “Sponsor, Recovery Coach, Addiction Counselor:

The Importance of Role Clarity and Role Integrity.” Philadelphia, PA,

Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation

Services. 2006

Gamblers Anonymous Official Website: gamblersanonymous.org

“Short Term Group Sponsorship”

https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/products

“Sponsorship Booklet”

https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/products

“What is the Role of Sponsorship?”

http://www.anonymousone.com/faq19.htm

“GA Combo Book - Page 17; The Unity Program”

https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/products

SPONSORS AND COUNSELORS

I. Getting Started

Counselor: Responsible to assess, create a treatment plan,

and deal with any beginning crises.

Sponsor: Responsible to help the new member understand

the Gamblers Anonymous Program and how it works.

Sponsors and Counselors

II. Role – overall

Counselors: Also serves people who do not have the “desire

to stop gambling.”

Sponsor: Serves newcomers/members who “have a desire to

stop gambling”

Sponsors and Counselors

III. Nature of the relationship

Counselors: Creating enduring relationships of any kind are

not appropriate and not legal.

Sponsors: It is possible to develop an enduring relationship

with the newcomer/members.

SPONSORS AND COUNSELORS

IV. Dependency

Counselors: Minimize all tendencies of the client to

become dependent on the counselor. The point, for the

counselor, is the empower the client, not to give them a

new way to be powerless and dependent. The goal of

counseling is to successfully stop the counseling.

Sponsors: Help guide the newcomer/member to work

and understand the Principles and Steps of the GA

Program – and to get him/her on the path toward

recovery.

Sponsors and Counselors

V. Money

Counselors: Receives fees for work with Compulsive

Gamblers and others connected with gambling clients.

Sponsors: There can be no fee, lending, or borrowing from a

newcomer or any other GA member.

Sponsors and Counselors

VI. Support

Counselor: Is there, in part, to treat the client, never ask the

client to be a part of the Counselor’s own treatment or to be

a part of the Counselor’s personal support network –

covertly or overtly.

Sponsors: Are there, in part, to support his/her own

recovery and establish a personal, friendly or cordial

relationship with the newcomer/member.

Sponsors and Counselors

VII. Power • Counselors: Have significant power in relationship

(transference, receive money, knowledge about client and

client’s problems, supervision about client, etc.). Therefore

Counselors have rules to protect clients: informed consent,

legally governed confidentiality, professional supervision,

complaint and redress procedures, licensing requirement,

etc.

• Sponsors: Has a continuum of power (from passive to direct)

in the relationship with the newcomer/member.

Sponsors and Counselors

VIII. Education

Counselors: Prescribed educational background and specific

training.

Sponsors: No formal education required, except for

experience in Gamblers Anonymous.

Sponsors and Counselors

IX. Personal Information

Counselors: Never tells personal stories or very carefully

uses them when it can be demonstrated that they are useful

for the client.

Sponsors: Usually shares personal information.

SPONSORS AND COUNSELORS

X. Family and Others

Counselors: Will frequently include family and others in the

treatment process with the gambler.

Sponsor: Has a relationship and responsibility primarily with

the gambler, except in the Pressure Relief Program.

SPONSORS AND COUNSELORS

XI. Confidentiality

Counselors: Have ethical and legal responsibility to keep the

relationship and information about the gamblers confidential

except within very proscribed guidelines.

Sponsors: Aside from the anonymity of Gamblers Anonymous

the sources of guidance rest with historical and

contemporary practice.

SPONSORS AND COUNSELORS

XII. Boundaries

For the sake of the gambler/client it is important that both

sponsor and counselor keep a boundary between their tasks

and roles. Each has something important to do.

Compulsive Gamblers, in part, are having trouble with having a

self. Clear role definitions between helpers is important in

helping develop a strong sense of self.

SPONSORS AND COUNSELORS

XIII. Linkage

Except during exceptional circumstances, (interventions,

crises, Pressure Relief Group) there is no technical

connection between sponsors and counselors. The

gambler/client may be the same but each has their own role

to play. The Gamblers Anonymous member is each one’s

concern, and each needs to respect the other and the other’s

role.

COUNSELORS ATTENDING A GA MEETING

“Open vs. Closed” Meetings

Guests can only attend open meetings

Get to the meeting a few minutes early and identify yourself

“The only requirement for Gamblers Anonymous membership is a desire to stop gambling”

Guests are not allowed not allowed to share

You might be asked to leave the room

No notes or recording devices

Do not market yourself or give advice (even if asked)

Avoid meetings where a client might be present

Do not bring a group or a date

THE POINT --------------------------------------

It is critical, if we are to help Compulsive Gamblers, that

we are clear about our role within the available sources

of help.

We can have a positive and supportive attitude toward

Gamblers Anonymous and its Sponsors and program.

And we can be clear: We are Counselors, not Sponsors in

Gamblers Anonymous. And Sponsors also are important

in the lives of our clients.

National Council on Problem Gambling

2013 Annual Conference

Seattle, Washington

What Counselors/Sponsors

Do – And Don’t

Charles F. Vorkoper, M.S.S.W. Certified Gambling Counselor II – BAAC

5646 Milton Street, Suite 432. Dallas, Texas 75206

Phone: 972-490-1007 Fax: 972-490-9337 E-Mail: [email protected]

Web Site: www.gamblerscounseling.com

Marc Lefkowtz California Certified Gambling Counselor Phone: 949-412-9322 E-Mail: [email protected] California Council on Problem Gambling Web Site: www.calpg.org