The Gambling Addiction Workbook: The Coping with Behavioral Addictions Series

The purpose of The Gambling Addiction Workbook is to provide helping professionals with cognitive and behavioral assessments, tools, and exercises that can be utilized to treat the root psychological causes of a gambling addiction. It is designed to help people identify and change negative, unhealthy thoughts and behaviors that may have led to a gambling addiction. The activities contained in this workbook can help participants identify their triggers that lead to gambling and teach them ways to overcome and manage those triggers.

The Gambling Addiction Workbook will help participants to:

• Recognize that they are experiencing an addiction problem.
• Reflect and become aware of the behaviors that were part of and arose from the addiction.
• Build self-esteem in positive capabilities outside of gambling.
• Understand the triggers for preoccupation with gambling.
• Develop greater self-acceptance and the ability to change ineffective behaviors.
• Understand recurring patterns that indicate a gambling disorder.
• Learn ways to live a new life without the need to gamble.

The Gambling Addiction Workbook is a practical tool for therapists, counselors, and helping professionals in their work with people suffering with behavioral addictions. Depending on the role of the person using this workbook and the specific group's or individual's needs, the modules can be used either individually or as part of an integrated curriculum. The facilitator may choose to administer one of the activities to a group or administer some of the assessments over one or more days as a workshop.

Ester R.A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher, author, and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for eight years, died by suicide in 1986. Soon after, as a way of both healing and helping others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions and Publishing with her daughter Kathy Khalsa and began developing therapeutic products that help facilitators help their clients.

With Whole Person Associates, Ester has co-written several books and corresponding card decks including: GriefWork ~ Healing from Loss, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Creating a Healthy Balanced Life, The Complete Caregiver Support Guide, Life Skills to Help Teens Balance Way Too Much, Motivation, and Veterans - Surviving and Thriving after Trauma, Transitional Life Skills for Teens series, and the Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults series. Visit WholePerson.com for a complete list.

Ester, a breast cancer survivor since 2003, counsels other survivors in overcoming body and loss issues. Ester is a board member of SOS (Survivors of Suicide) in Tucson, AZ.

John J. Liptak, EdD has many years of experience in providing counseling services to individuals and groups in a variety of settings including job training programs, correctional institutions, colleges, and universities. In addition, John has years of teaching experience as an adjunct professor at Radford University.

John frequently conducts workshops on assessment-related topics. He has written three books on career-related topics. His books have been featured in numerous newspapers including The Washington Post, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His work has also been featured on MSNBC, CNN Radio, and on the PAX/ION television series: Success Without a College Degree.

With Ester and Kathy, he has written three other comprehensive books for teachers and counselors to use with their students and clients: The Self-Esteem Program, The Social Skills Program, and The Stress Management Program: Inventories, Activities and Educational Handouts.

Ester and John continue to co-write workbooks and corresponding card decks in each of these series that help facilitators help their teen and adult participants: Coping, Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health Issues through Awareness, Working With Families, Mental Health and Life Skills, Mind-Body Wellness, and Teen Mental Health and Life Skills, all published by Whole Person Associates. Visit WholePerson.com for a complete list.