Ask an Expert: Module 1

Welcome to Ask an Expert: Learning about Problem Gambling from Researchers, Clinicians, Advocates, and People with Lived Experience. In Module 1: Screening & Assessment, you will learn from five experts on the topics of (1) problem gambling helplines and their role in problem gambling treatment, (2) best practices in screening, assessment, and diagnosis for Gambling Disorder, including establishing a therapeutic alliance, (3) how individual symptoms predict the stability and progression of Gambling Disorder, and (4) how to screen clients for Gambling Disorder using the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen. Module 1 includes 4 videos and a 10-question quiz. These videos have been professionally captioned, and we recommend watching them with closed captions turned on.

Learners will earn 1.0 hour of continuing education (CE) credit per module for completing each module, which includes passing a 10-question post-module quiz.

About the Experts

Ms. Kira E. Landauer, MPH, joined the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in January 2020 as a Community Health Educator. She contributes to the development of grant proposals for capacity building and outreach activities, works with capacity building specialists at the Division to create and execute plans to increase awareness of addiction-related health issues across New England, and conducts in-person and multi-media trainings for health providers and community groups. Ms. Landauer graduated from Boston University School of Public Health with a Master of Public Health in 2019. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and History & Philosophy of Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015.

Ms. Cindy Lopez, LCSW, CRS is a Project Manager for the Substance Use Helplines operated by Health Resources in Action. She is a Licensed Social Worker and a Certified Community Resource Specialist. She has over 10 years of experience working in direct service programs in the city of Boston. She has provided one-on-one services to families experiencing homelessness or housing instability and provided HIV counseling and health education to high-risk populations. During her graduate studies, Cindy worked in Nicaragua and Colombia conducting social innovation and capacity building workshops in various communities. After completing her MSW at Boston College, she returned to Boston where she managed and directed programs serving low-income families. Cindy has deep knowledge of community needs and staff development, and is passionate about using a strengths-based and popular education approach to her work.

Mr. Edmond Talbot is Executive Director of the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling. Mr. Talbot retired from a distinguished career as a corrections administrator in 2002 and subsequently worked as a community representative for AdCare Hospital, one of New England’s leading addiction treatment and professional training organizations. Mr. Talbot has been a featured speaker on radio and television broadcasts and has spoken in diverse settings including professional conferences, academic programs, correctional institutions, and government forums. Mr. Talbot currently runs the New Hampshire Problem Gambling Helpline. His commitment to establishing enduring problem gambling services in New Hampshire is unwavering and informed by his own experience as a person in long-term recovery from Gambling Disorder. 

Dr. Howard Shaffer, PhD, CAS, is the Morris E. Chafetz Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Behavioral Sciences at Harvard Medical School; in addition, he is Distinguished Faculty at the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital. During recent years, Dr. Shaffer has served as principal or co-principal investigator on many government, foundation, and industry sponsored research projects around the world. Dr. Shaffer is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Currently, he is focusing on investigative and educational activities associated with addiction treatment, a syndromal approach to addiction, the public health correlates of gambling, and the epidemiology of psychiatric co-morbidity among repeat DUI offenders. Dr. Shaffer is licensed as a clinical psychologist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is the founder of the American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders. The Academy represents the first international credentialing body for clinicians working with multiple expressions of addiction.

Dr. Pawel Sleczka, PhD, is a professor of psychological diagnostic methods at the German University for Health and Sport in Berlin. Originally from Poland and now living in Germany, he works in the field of behavioral and substance related addiction. He is currently conducting research on the topics of gambling, gaming, and e-sports. In 2020, Dr. Sleczka and a colleague published a report in the journal Addiction titled, “On the stability and the progression of gambling problems: longitudinal relations between different problems related to gambling.”

Continuing Education (CE) credits

• American Psychological Association (APA) – The Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW) – This program has been approved for 1.0 Social Work Continuing Education hours for re-licensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approving Program, Authorization Number D91244.
• Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) – The Massachusetts Technical Assistance Center for Problem Gambling Treatment is authorized by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to sponsor, conduct or approve continuing education programs for alcohol and drug counselors/assistants (LADCs). This program offers 1.0 hour of continuing education (CE) credit.
• NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals – This course has been approved by the Division on Addiction, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #84058, the Division on Addiction is responsible for all aspects of the programing.
• The Massachusetts Board of Substance Abuse Counselor Certification (MBSACC) – MBSACC does not accredit online trainings but will recognize most online trainings approved by NASW.