1st Edition
Working with Women's Groups for Problem Gambling Treating gambling addiction through relationship
Why do so many women with gambling addiction relapse?
Lifelong recovery requires much more than to just stop gambling. Women’s groups provide long-term benefits and support and have proven to be highly successful in promoting recovery from gambling addiction. By following the story of a real women’s group for problem gambling over the course of a year, Liz Karter explains how, for women, both the cause of and the cure for gambling addiction lies in relationship.
Karter shows clearly how learning to face and cope with real life situations and relationships is essential to maintain recovery. She shares the themes which run through each women’s group, such as fear of trusting others, and the guilt, shame and risk associated with being truly seen and heard. Women’s Groups for Problem Gambling shows that with a combination of specialist intervention, women’s group support, courage and compassion, women can learn to stop running from their addiction and instead find joy and support in building relationships and communities.
This highly accessible book provides a unique opportunity to gain a very personal insight into the group process, both for therapists and clinicians and for women wishing to better understand their addiction.
Dedication. Acknowledgements 1. Why do we Need Women’s Groups for Problem Gambling? 2. Meetings in the First Two Months 3. Developing Themes and Relationship 4. Meeting Half Way through the Process 5. Working Towards Closure 6. Life After Women’s Group 7. For the Practitioner: Starting Women’s Group for Problem Gambling 8. For the Practitioner: What Makes a Women’s Group Therapist? References. Index.
Biography
Liz Karter is a specialist in treating gambling addiction in women. She established and still facilitates the UK’s first women’s groups for problem gambling and is founder of the Level Ground addiction treatment practice. She is the author of one previous book, Women and Problem Gambling.
"Liz Karter’s book makes a refreshing read in the often-neglected field of problem gambling. It not only outlines the issues for women affected by gambling; it also provides a much-needed account from an attachment perspective in a field (addictions) that is generally dominated by a CBT discourse." - Michele Head, Therapy Today
"All my life I have been searching for solutions to my addiction. I was averse to being within a group environment. However I was so wrong. Group has been my salvation. It was the energy,vibrancy, and reality I needed. As Liz often said, It was the mirror which was held up reflecting the truth and reality of our lives and experiences. It was pivotal to my recovery." – Andrea, ex member of Women's Group for Problem Gambling
"I highly recommend this book: It offers a unique insight into the often hidden and secretive world of women problem gamblers. The book clearly illustrates through the various case studies that problem gambling is as much of an emotional problem as a financial one; that gambling is often used to self-medicate emotional pain and escape from one’s own reality (…) The book offers hope and inspiration to the thousands of people that, with the right help and support, can and do stop gambling and turn their lives around. The book is easy to read and is for anyone who is affected by problem gambling, male or female); their friends and family who want a better understanding of the problem; and professionals interested in the field." – Anonymous client
