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Problem Gambling Program Description
The Problem Gambling Program
(PGP) at COSTI Family and Mental Health Services was launched in June
2000. One program component assists Italian-Canadians in identifying and
resolving personal and family problems related to gambling through ethno-specific
counselling services, including individual, marital, family, support and
educational groups, telephone counselling and referrals to credit counselling
and psychiatric services. The program's public education component includes
awareness raising workshops and presentations on prevention, responsible
gambling, risk factors and services available.
Problem Gambling Treatment
COSTI's treatment component
is an adapted harm-reduction model. The "mainstream" harm- reduction approach
developed within the context of a North American culture is primarily
urban, individualistic and literate. However, the roots of the Italian-Canadian
culture are primarily rural, collective and oral. Given these realities,
every aspect of intervention needs to be examined through this cultural
lens. For example, when discussing bailouts, the counsellor must consider
that in Italian-Canadian culture, family obligations to care for all its
members are central. Parents see no other alternative and feel inadequate
and guilty if they are not able to provide a bailout. Adult children contribute
to family finances because of a sense of duty and obligation to a parent
with gambling problems. Suggesting that spouses protect themselves financially
by opening separate bank accounts goes against cultural values and norms,
and therefore, needs careful consideration. In
this predominantly oral culture, written materials and exercises are sometimes
not useful for Italian-Canadian immigrants; counsellors have had to incorporate
story telling and analogies to demonstrate concepts. Following through
with written homework can be difficult. Counsellors have found that clients
prefer to keep a mental log of behaviours. Clients keep track of what
triggers their desire to gamble by describing situations that precipitate
gambling activity. They also describe how they felt before gambling and
how they feel or cope following gambling.
Community Development
In addition to providing public
education and treatment services for the Italian-Canadian community, the
PGP at COSTI also has a community development component that currently
works with the Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Tamil and Vietnamese-speaking
communities. These projects include needs assessments using focus groups
and questionnaires on cultural attitudes, beliefs and perceptions on gambling
and problem gambling. The data that is gathered supports public education
initiatives in these communities. COSTI's community development approach
in this project involves partnering with community leaders and respected
ethno-specific organizations. Focus group questions and questionnaires
were developed with the involvement of community leaders and agencies.
These same people also help organize focus groups, distribute questionnaires
and develop public education initiatives, which include talk shows on
ethnic radio programs, articles in ethnic newspapers and presentations.
To ensure that culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate literature
is available for public education and counselling, community leaders and
organizations helped translate materials and screening tools. Information
sessions for settlement counsellors heightened their awareness of problem
gambling issues and were conducted along with the Problem Gambling Service
(CAMH).
Please contact us for further
information about COSTI and the PGP or to arrange a workshop or presentation
for a specific group.
This Service Profile
was not peer-reviewed.
Submitted: November 27,
2001
The Electronic Journal of
Gambling Issues: eGambling
invites clinicians from around the world to tell our readers about their
problem gambling treatment programs. To make a submission, please contact
the editor at Phil_Lange@camh.net.
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