What to Expect from Online Therapy for Gambling Addiction
You’re Considering Therapy - and That’s Already a Brave Step
For many of the clients I work with, deciding on whether to get help for gambling isn’t easy. You might be asking yourself:
“Will this really help me to stop?”
“Do I have to reveal everything?”
“Will I be judged?”
The good news is, online therapy is designed for people just like you - anyone who’s struggling, unsure, or even scared, and just by reading this, you’re already taking the first step towards change.
Why Online Therapy Can Be Helpful for Gambling Addiction
A common experience shared by the many people I’ve worked with is that gambling addiction can feel so isolating. The sense of shame people often feel and the secrecy surrounding their gambling can make it so hard to reach out for support. However, this is exactly why online therapy can be so helpful because it can offer:
Privacy: You can attend sessions from home, without anyone knowing.
Flexibility: You can schedule sessions around work, family, or other commitments.
Comfort: Being in a familiar and more comfortable space can help you to open up more easily.
Accessibility: No matter where you live, professional support is available.
Online therapy has the capacity to bring down some of the initial barriers that can often get in the way of people seeking help and can also fit in around your life to help you shape your recovery in a way that’s personalised to you.
What to Expect from Online Gambling Therapy
As a Therapist, what’s really important to me is that I meet every person for the individual they are. What I know from working with people from many walks of life is that gambling affects everybody differently, and the reasons why people started gambling in the first place is also different for everyone.
For this reason, my aim is to get to know each person I work with to understand their history, their current difficulties and the changes they would like to see for the future.
Although therapy is personalised, it can often follow a familiar path…
Phase 1: Taking Stock of Where You Are Now
In the first sessions, we’ll be understanding more about:
Your gambling history (where it all began, how it has developed and changed over time, what you’ve tried to stop, what works and what doesn’t).
How gambling affects different aspects of your life in the here and now.
Any underlying struggles, such as difficult or traumatic life experiences.
Your goals for change and for therapy.
By the end of this phase of therapy, we’ll have an understanding of your unique pattern, so we can work together to create a realistic plan for change.
Phase 2: Building Awareness of the Mechanisms of Gambling Addiction
A common experience people tell me about at the beginning of gambling recovery is that gambling feels like it just happens. One moment they’re going about their day and the next they’re gambling again. This all happens so rapidly and is often quite a whirlwind that isn’t recognised until hours later when there’s no money left and the regret kicks in.
In the second phase of therapy, we’ll focus on understanding the enemy and beginning to notice when it’s close by. Together we’ll focus on:
Understanding the process of gambling and the vicious cycle of gambling relapse.
Introducing the concept of the cycle of gambling recovery.
Helping you to identify triggers for gambling and how to respond to these.
Supporting you to develop your awareness of your internal experiences.
This phase helps you to take a step back and understand the bigger picture and mechanisms of how gambling can hook you in, as well as an appreciation of how you can unhook yourself.
Phase 3: Developing and Strengthening New Coping Strategies
Once you’re armed with the knowledge and self-awareness of the cycle of gambling and what keeps this going, we’ll work on helping you develop new coping strategies. This may include:
Mindfulness-based techniques for urges and cravings.
Approaches to working through difficult thoughts and emotions.
Reconnecting with or finding relationships and hobbies that bring joy.
For many, this phase is often both practical and reflective: you’ll be practically putting new coping strategies in place and reflecting on how they’re working in order to make adjustments to strengthen them.
This phase aims to offer you something you’ve probably not felt for a long time – a sense of control over yourself and your life.
Phase 4: Exploring Deeper Emotional Issues
A common experience for many people I’ve worked with is that gambling masks deeper emotional wounds. I find lots of people are often unaware when they first come to therapy of the connection between past experiences and their gambling. Therapy can help move this into awareness and help people resolve the past, if this is something that feels needed.
I find from my work with people that the past often shows up in two ways:
1. Gambling was discovered around the same time or just after difficult or traumatic life events and has numbed the emotional pain of these at the time and ever since.
2. Past experiences can be reactivated by similar present experiences, and when this happens, these old, painful feelings are re-experienced in the here and now (e.g. being ignored by a partner unconsciously reminds us of being ignored by a parent) – this emotion then acts as a trigger for gambling as an escape from the pain.
Online therapy provides a safe space to explore your past gently. For those who feel they’re being held back by the past, or are finding old feelings are triggering gambling, I offer a trauma therapy that can help to process the difficult experience and make use of the learning from the experience for the future.
Phase 5: Rebuilding Life and Staying in Recovery
Therapy doesn’t stop at stopping gambling - it’s about rebuilding a life you love.
This may include:
Rebuilding trust with family or friends.
Setting goals for personal growth, career, and hobbies.
Preparing for potential setbacks and building relapse prevention strategies.
In this final phase, therapy focuses on helping you to develop tools for life. Experience is such a powerful learning process and the good news is with time and dedication, you can develop a sense of mastery about how to stay in recovery.
Common Questions About Online Therapy for Gambling
Q: Do I have to share everything about my gambling?
A: No, not at all! Therapy meets you where you are. Sharing only what you’re ready to is fine - honesty tends to grow naturally as trust builds in therapy.
Q: Will online therapy really work for me?
A: Studies show online therapy can be just as effective as in-person sessions, especially when you engage actively and consistently.
Q: How many sessions will I need?
A: Everybody is different. Some see differences in few weeks, others take longer - therapy is tailored to your pace.
Taking the First Step
Deciding to get help is often the hardest part. But once you take that step, you’re no longer alone in your journey.
Online therapy can help many people, and it’s more likely you may benefit if you:
Feel unable to stop gambling on your own and are feeling ready to make changes.
Want to understand why you gamble and develop coping strategies.
Have underlying stress, trauma, or emotional struggles, and want to understand the root cause of this.
Have a private space to attend online sessions.
If you’re ready to explore whether online therapy could help you stop gambling, reach out for a free, no-pressure 20-minute consultation.