ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an understanding of gambling in the context of couples' therapy. The objective of assessing the gambling is twofold: to understand how it interacts with the presenting couples' problems and to ascertain if external therapy is needed for the gambling or if it can be addressed within the context of the couple's counselling. Gambling can lead to more severe problems than emotional distress, with one in ten gamblers in counselling reporting domestic violence relating to their gambling. The form of treatment with the strongest evidence base is cognitive-behavioural therapy. Strictly cognitive or behavioural therapies and psychopharmacological treatment may be considered probably effective, while Gamblers Anonymous and psychodynamic therapies lack evidence of efficacy. A question many relationship counsellors will ask themselves when faced with problem gambling regards its similarities to drug and alcohol abuse. The most prominent commonality between drug and alcohol abuse and gambling is the compulsive repetition of a behaviour that causes harm to the individual.
