On-Demand Course

at your pace and convenience.

This course is approved for 2 continuing education (CE) hours. To earn CE hours, you will need to complete 1) all required course activities and 2) the course evaluation survey. A certificate of attendance will be made available on the Student Dashboard upon course completion.

Who Should Attend

This course is recommended for:

  • those seeking the designation of a Co-occurring Problem Gambling Specialist in Oregon,

  • family therapists, art therapists, mental health counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other mental health clinicians,

  • Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADCs),

  • Certified Gambling Addiction Counselors (CGACs),

  • problem gambling treatment providers, and

  • problem gambling treatment supervisors.

What Is Included

This course provides 2 out of 15 hours of problem gambling specific training needed to qualify for the designation of a Co-occurring Problem Gambling Specialist in Oregon.

  • The course includes five modules. Videos featuring clinical skills, presentations, and readings are provided within the modules.

  • You are free to take as much time as you need to review these resources. Once you have reviewed and mastered the content of each module, you will be required to pass a short quiz before proceeding to a new module. You must pass all of the quizzes before you are eligible for verification that you have successfully completed the course.

  • We suggest you take your time, view content as many times as you like, and access suggested readings and resources when possible. It is not necessary to complete the course in a single sitting. You are free to open and close the course as many times as you like.

  • This course includes videos of experienced mental health clinicians and actors portraying clients based on scripts from real sessions. This provides authenticity while protecting client privacy.

  • We ask you to have an open attitude as you go through this course. At times it may seem as if we are reviewing what you already know. However, paying close attention is likely to provide an opportunity to realize subtle differences and important nuances in clinical treatment and supervision. Finally, we hope you enjoy this learning format and that this course supports your many contributions to counselors, clients, and agencies.

Oregon Legislation

Include a list of items to support the central theme of your page. Bulleted lists are a great way to parse information into digestible pieces.

  • In 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 2086 that directs Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to develop and implement payment structures and service delivery models that support integrated treatment of addiction (Substance Use Disorder and Gambling Disorder) and mental health diagnoses.

  • Within this model, updates to OAR 309-019-0145 developed a new designation of a Co-Occurring Problem Gambling Specialist, and to qualify for this designation, you must have 15 hours of problem gambling specific training within six months of being named as a problem gambling provider.

  • The necessary 15 hours have been available through ACORN since January 2023, through a bundle of free online trainings.

Course Curriculum

    1. Welcome!

    2. How to navigate this course

    3. Course Objectives

    4. Core Competencies Related to Co-Occurring Disorders

    5. Educational Requirements for Becoming a CADC Problem Gambling Specialist

    6. Presentation: Co-Occurring Disorders Overview

    7. Handout: Co-Occurring Disorders Overview

    8. Before we continue...

    9. Your Professional Background

    1. Video: Suggestions for Working with Individuals Who Have Co-occurring Disorders

    2. Transcript: Suggestions for Working with Individuals Who Have Co-occurring Disorders

    3. Optional Reading: SAMSHA TIP 42

    4. Quiz: ICD Treatment

    1. Case Example: Assessing for Co-occurring Disorders

    2. Video: Assessing for Co-occurring Disorders

    3. Transcript: Assessing for Co-occurring Disorders

    4. Exploring Gambling Problems

    5. Video: Exploring Gambling Problems

    6. Transcript: Exploring Gambling Problems

    7. Exploring Alcohol Use and the Relationship Between Alcohol, Gambling, and Depression

    8. Video: Exploring Alcohol Use and the Relationship Between Alcohol, Gambling, and Depression

    9. Transcript: Exploring Alcohol Use and the Relationship Between Alcohol, Gambling, and Depression

    10. Quiz: Assessing and Initiating Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders

    1. Addressing Problem Gambling in SUD Treatment

    2. Video: Checking in on SUD Treatment

    3. Transcript: Checking in on SUD Treatment

    4. Exploring Gambling in SUD Treatment

    5. Video: Exploring Gambling in SUD Treatment

    6. Transcript: Exploring Gambling in SUD Treatment

    7. Ensuring Safety in Treatment for Co-occurring Disorders

    8. Video: Ensuring Safety in Treatment for Co-occurring Disorders

    9. Transcript: Ensuring Safety inn Treatment for Co-occurring Disorders

    10. Optional Resource: Suicide attempts, gambling, co-occurring disorders

    11. Quiz: Problem Gambling in SUD Treatment

    1. Optional Reading: Risky Gambling Behaviors Associations with Mental Health and a History of ACEs

    2. Optional Reading: SAMHSA on Trauma Informed Care

    3. PTSD and Problem Gambling

    4. Video: PTSD and Problem Gambling

    5. Transcript: PTSD and Problem Gambling

    6. Quiz: Trauma and Co-Occurring Disorders

    7. Additional Resource: Trauma Informed Oregon

    8. Before we wrap up...

    9. Course Evaluation

About this course

  • Free
  • 43 lessons
  • 2 hours of video content

Instructors

Senior Instructor Rick Berman

Rick Berman, MA, LPC, CADC III, CGAC II specializes in integrated treatment of co-occurring mental health and addictive disorders. He trained and supervised addictions and mental health counselors for more than 20 years. In recent years his work focused more specifically on problem gambling. He has presented at national problem gambling conferences in Canada and the United States. He is the past coordinator of Lewis & Clark’s Problem Gambling Services and instructed Gambling Counselor Pre-Certification Courses for many years.

OHA Instructor David Corse

David Corse (he/him/his), LPC, CADCIII, CGACII has worked in the behavioral health field for over a decade. David has worked as a crisis counselor, gambling counselor, SUD counselor and mental health counselor in community mental health settings. David has also worked as a program director and clinical supervisor in both non-profit agencies and County Mental Health Organizations. David has worked at Oregon Health Authority since 2018 – initially in coordinating the Oregon Problem Gambling Treatment System, and most recently in developing the OHA Integrated Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment and Recovery system. In addition to his work at OHA, David maintains a small private practice where he works with individuals and couples, and provides post-graduate clinical supervision for Licensed Professional Counselor Associates. David lives with his spouse and youngest of their three children – and their four cats – in Lincoln City, Oregon.

Senior Instructor Teresa McDowell

Teresa McDowell, Ed.D., LMFT is a professor emerita at Lewis & Clark, in Portland, Oregon, where she served as Department Chair and co-founded Lewis & Clark’s Problem Gambling Services. Dr. McDowell has served as a licensed marriage and family therapist, family therapy educator, program director, educational administrator, and consultant over the past 40 years. Her work has primarily focused on counselor education and workforce development, organizational consultation, international family therapy, equity-based clinical practice, integrated treatment for problem gambling, and clinical supervision. She currently serves as a social researcher, program evaluator, and consultant with Partners in Social Research and is the senior instructor for the Advanced Career Online Resource Network (ACORN). Dr. McDowell has published over 50 refereed journal articles and book chapters. She has presented her work at numerous conferences across eight countries. She is the author of Applying Critical Social Theory to Family Therapy Practice and first co-author of Socioculturally Attuned Family Therapy: Guidelines for Equity-Based Theory and Practice (1st and 2nd Editions). Her work in problem gambling treatment includes authoring the Working with Families in Problem Gambling Treatment handbook, research on core competencies for problem gambling counselors and prevention specialists, and extensive contributions to the development of Oregon’s problem gambling treatment workforce.

Pricing

free of charge, courtesy of Oregon Health Authority, Problem Gambling Services

ACORN

is committed to excellence.

ACORN has been approved by the International Problem Gambling and Gaming Certification Organization (IPGGC) and the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) to provide continuing education courses. Additionally, ACORN has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7274. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. ACORN is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Course Reviews

5 star rating

Excellent

Angela Bekederemo

I love it!

I love it!

Read Less
5 star rating

Helpful

Windy Clevenger

good stuff

good stuff

Read Less
5 star rating

Thanks

Ronelle Landreth

Thanks

5 star rating

Excellent course

Tanya Pritt

Examples really illustrate trauma responsive care.

Examples really illustrate trauma responsive care.

Read Less
5 star rating

The course was insightful

Chinemenma Godspower-Simeon

The course was educative

The course was educative

Read Less
5 star rating

Great

Ayanna Holder

Excellent

Excellent

Read Less
5 star rating

Well presented course

Peter Oyebola

good

5 star rating

Relevant and informative

Angela Davis

Good information and very relevant to the support of clients. Like the role play parts of the training was very helpful.

Good information and very relevant to the support of clients. Like the role play parts of the training was very helpful.

Read Less
Oregon Council on Problem Gambling (OCPG) logo
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) logo
International Problem Gambling and Gaming Certification Organization (IPGGC) logo
Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) logo
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) logo