Past events

Dr Jane Oakes has more than 20 years of clinical experience, working closely with people experiencing problem gambling behaviours. Throughout this presentation she discusses results from her PhD, which was a qualitative study investigating the phenomenon of the relapse process in problem gambling as perceived from many subjective perspectives.

Jane further highlights the risk factors and processes of gambling relapse. In doing so, she proposes a framework for conceptualising relapse, engaging gamblers in help-seeking, and considering negative emotional states as part of the client’s journey towards gambling recovery and beyond.

This discussion-based session is aimed at financial counsellors who specialise in treating gambling-related harm. It will focus on the complex intersection of gambling and family violence, including scenarios where the person who gambles is the user or victim of family violence, how financial control and abuse occur, and their effect on others in the family or community.

Research has found that people with gambling problems are more than twice as likely as others to either use of experience family violence. In fact, for some victims of family violence, gambling can function as a survival tool. This session will explore some of the challenges and issues faced by financial counsellors and other health professionals who support clients affected by gambling harm and family violence, and how you can best support them.

Upon completion of this session participants will:

- better understand the way gambling and family violence can intersect

- listen for and identify signs of control, abuse and violence within a relationship

- understand the potential financial and behavioural indicators of harmful gambling.

2 CPD points can be awarded for attending the entire session.

This session is hosted by Financial Counselling Victoria and is open to registered members only.

In part two of this two-part professional development series, Gambler's Help staff who have participated in part one will have the opportunity to build on their knowledge about why, how and when to engage the services of an interpreter.

Presented by OnCall Interpreters and Translators in partnership with RMIT, the online workshop will showcase two typical scenarios where an interpreter may be used in a Gambler’s Help service: a client and counsellor therapeutic appointment and a community education group presentation. Participants will watch role plays and have the opportunity to ask questions throughout.

Note: You must attend Part 1 of this series to participate in this online workshop.

This webinar will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about why, how and when to engage the services of an interpreter. Part one is for anyone working with clients or community groups where language is a barrier to engagement or effective messaging, in particular Gambler’s Help counsellors, community engagement workers, and venue support staff.

Presented by OnCall Interpreters and Translators in partnership with RMIT, the webinar will provide an introduction to best practice when working with a client or community group who speaks a language other than English, including the following topics:

The interpreter as a key professional in engaging, communities and working with clients,

Working efficiently and effectively with interpreters,

Professional needs of the interpreter,

Considerations when booking the interpreter,

How to book an interpreter using OnCall interpreters.

Note: Part two of this series is for Gambler's Help staff only. You must attend Part 1 to participate in Part 2 on 4 April 2023.

The Foundation Course provides an introduction to gambling-related harm in Victoria. Hosted by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the 3.5-hour online course covers a range of topics, including types of gambling products, laws and regulations, effects of gambling harm, and risk factors. It also provides an overview of prevention programs and support services funded by the Foundation across Victoria.

The course is ideal for new staff members from the Foundation-funded gambling harm prevention and support sector, and associated community organisations.

NOTE: Participants must complete seven online modules (30 minutes each) before attending the Foundation Course webinar. Instructions to access the online modules will be shared after registration.

Topics covered include:

Gambling in Victoria: products, participation, costs, and regulation

Gambling harm prevention: public health approach and partnership programs

Marketing campaigns and strategic communication: strategies for education and behaviour change

Clinical perspective of gambling harm: understanding gambling harm, risk factors, causes, and treatment approaches

Gambler’s Help: overview of service model and support options available

Intake and assessment of clients to Gambler’s Help: navigating the process

Mental health and gambling arm: assessment, treatment and support options for co-occurring mental health and gambling harm issues.

Please contact Eithne.McGettrick@responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au, Sector Development Coordinator, for further information.

Video gaming is a popular form of entertainment among young Australians but gaming and gambling often share similarities in appearance, interactive features and elements of chance. Simulated gambling products have the potential to normalise and encourage monetary gambling, especially among children and young people.

This session will look into key findings from the 2022 report, What is the link between video gaming and gambling?, which explores the link between playing certain kinds of video games played during adolescence (16–17 years) and gambling as a young adult (18–19 years). Report authors Dr Kei Sekata and Dr Rebecca Jenkinson from the Australian Gambling Research Centre will highlight findings from their review into the range of negative consequences associated with products such as simulated gambling games, loot boxes, and other in-game purchases, and the recommendations in the literature for reducing harm. They will also present findings from their research on gambling among young Australians, including the causal link between playing video games during adolescence and real money gambling as a young adult.

PRESENTERS

Dr Kei Sakata is an economist with more than 20 years’ experience working with large datasets. Using advanced econometric methods, he has conducted policy evaluations in the areas of health economics, labour economics and demographic research. Before joining the Australian Gambling Research Centre, Kei taught econometrics and statistics in Ritsumeikan University in Japan for 15 years. Most of Kei’s projects aim to determine causation rather than only measure correlation.

Dr Rebecca Jenkinson is Executive Manager of the Australian Gambling Research Centre. She also holds an Honorary Burnet Institute Fellow position in the Behaviours and Health Risks Program at the Burnet Institute, and an Adjunct Lecturer position in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. Rebecca has extensive experience in public health research, most recently in the gambling and alcohol and other drug fields.

Overview:

Longitudinal investigations provide the best source of information about the causes, or etiological contributors, to problem gambling.

Dr Robert Williams from the University of Lethbridge, Canada will present an overview of the findings of all major longitudinal studies of gambling and problem gambling conducted around the world. In particular, he will focus on the results of the recent Canadian National Longitudinal Study of Gambling which examined the determinants and the course of both non-problematic gambling and problem gambling in the general population.

Dr Williams will also describe how the findings of these studies have helped to create a comprehensive etiological model of problem gambling to inform the development of education and policy initiatives to minimise gambling-related harm.

Presenter bio:

A clinical psychologist by training, Dr Robert Williams spent the first 15 years of his career as a clinician. Since 2001, he has been a professor in the Addiction Counselling program in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge, Canada, as well as a research coordinator with the Alberta Gambling Research Institute, one of the world’s oldest and best-established gambling research institutes.

Dr Williams teaches courses on gambling, provides frequent consultation to government, industry, the media and public interest groups, and regularly gives expert witness testimony on the effects of gambling. He is also highly published and one of the world’s leading authorities in the areas of prevention of problem gambling, the etiology of problem gambling, online gambling, the socioeconomic impacts of gambling, the proportion of gambling revenue deriving from problem gamblers, gambling among indigenous populations, and the population assessment of problem gambling.

Dr Williams is also the lead researcher for the first comprehensive national study of gambling in Canada funded by the Canadian Consortium for Gambling Research, Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse & Addictions, Alberta Gambling Research Institute, and Gambling Research Exchange Ontario.

This session will provide financial counsellors with information on BetStop, a new national gambling self-exclusion register, and a deeper understanding of other forms of self-exclusion from gambling.

Soon to be launched by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), BetStop will allow people to self-exclude from all legal online or phone wagering operations in Australia. In this session you will hear directly from ACMA about how the register works and how it will be managed. The session will also take an in-depth look at other forms of self-exclusion from gambling and third-party exclusion, explore their benefits and limitations, and discuss how these tools can be used to support clients who want to reduce or quit gambling.

Upon completion of this session participants will:

- understand how the new BetStop National Self Exclusion register will operate

- support clients wanting to self-exclude from gambling

- assist clients in raising breaches with the relevant authorities.

3 CPD points can be awarded for attending the entire session.

This session is hosted by Financial Counselling Victoria and is open to registered members only.

Gaming and gambling are increasingly converging, with many popular video games containing gambling-like elements or simulating gambling activities that are designed to keep players gaming longer and spending more. In this webinar, psychiatrist Dr Huu Kim Le will explore video gaming addiction or ‘gaming disorder’. Defined as a pattern of behaviour characterised by a loss of control over gaming with increasing priority given to gaming over other life activities, gaming disorder in young people can negatively affect school performance, relationships and mental health.

The target audience for the Foundation Course are those new to the gambling harm treatment and support sector and associated community organisations. This course is an introduction to gambling in Victoria and is ideal for new staff members as it provides a good introduction to gambling in Victoria and an overview to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. There are seven online modules to complete followed by a webinar.

This session will cover the foundation skills required when working with people affected by gambling. It is designed for generalist financial counsellors interested in upskilling or refreshing their knowledge in this area. You will get the opportunity to learn from experienced gambling financial counsellors about the different forms of gambling, how to start a conversation around gambling with your client and how to best make appropriate referrals to specialist services. This session will cover the stages of change and look at how to adjust your practice to best suit the needs of your client affected by gambling.

This session is run by FCVic and is open to registered members only. Completion of this course will provide you 3 CPD points.

Listen to two First Nations health and wellbeing leaders, Cormach Evans from Strong Brother Strong Sister, and Luke Martins, from Peninsula Community Legal Centre, as they join the Foundation for an informal discussion. Cormach and Luke will reflect on the holistic approaches to achieving better health outcomes for First Nations people, and how each of them work towards positive change for their communities, and generations to follow.

Dr. Olivia Metcalf, University of Melbourne will present findings from her Foundation-funded report, Gambling problems, risk factors, and implications in Australian veterans. This research examined the relationship between gambling and transitioning from the military among Australian Defence Force (ADF) veterans, utilising the responses of 3,511 transitioned ADF members.

This training by Financial Counselling Victoria will provide an introduction to contracts for difference (CFDs) and cryptocurrency. Although not commonly seen in the financial counselling space, these complex products are appearing more often with the increased accessibility and gamification of online trading.

This session will provide an understanding of the basics of these products, the risks involved and protections in place. This course is available to FCVic members only.

This two-part workshop will teach participants about creating a LGBTQI inclusive practice. The first part of the workshop will require participants to go through an online course at their own time to learn about LGBTQI identities, the evidence base on their health and wellbeing, their needs when accessing services.

The second half is an online workshop where participants will practical applications of this knowledge, including workshopping an inclusion strategy that can contribute to wider organisational goals.

Join Financial Counselling Victoria for a session about how to bring a case in Australian Finanical Complaints Authority and seek compensation for your client. This will be an interactive discussion using a case study based on recent Consumer Action Law Centre casework. This course is available to FCVic members only.

This online presentation will describe the findings of a comprehensive scoping review of contemporary literature relating to addressing gambling harm to adult affected others from their own perspective. Specifically, it will cover findings relating to prevalence, sociodemographic profiles, harm experienced, coping strategies employed, assessment of affected others, and interventions for affected others. Findings from this review have important implications for governments, industry, researchers, and service providers in their efforts to protect affected others from gambling-related harm.

This session will discuss service integration and how it is best achieved. It will also highlight two examples of the many existing across our sectors which feature effective integration between two teams or two types of practitioners.

This workshop will build participants capability to be more confident when working with cultural diversity. It will help participants gain a better understanding of how culture informs people’s understanding, attitudes and beliefs about gambling and will explore strategies to better engage CALD individuals, respond to cultural differences and work collaboratively to minimise gambling harm. Training will be delivered as two (3-hour) online sessions over two days (19 and 27 July).

This half-day, online workshop will cover the various aspects of cultural safety for First Nations people. Participants will increase their awareness of the diversity of cultural experiences, and reflect on how individual attitudes and values influence perceptions, assumptions and behaviours within the workplace. It will also identify what a culturally safe workplace looks like, and how to plan towards creating a culturally safe workplace.