Montana Council on Gambling Treatment Program

Donna Johnson LCPC, LAC, NCGC, Executive Director
PO Box 50071 Billings, MT 59105
1-406-698-0528 , 1-888-552-9076
fax 245-3749
donna@mtcpgambling.com

For most of the gamblers in Montana, gambling is a social activity. They participate in gaming activity without harmful effects. However, some gamblers are not able to limit their gambling and are referred to as problem or pathological compulsive gamblers.

The American Psychiatric Association first recognized pathological gambling as a mental disorder in 1980. Problem gambling can be defined as pattern of gambling behavior that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits.

The Montana Council on Problem Gambling is a non profit agency dedicated to alleviating gambling related social and personal distress through the provision of a toll-free confidential 24 hour help line and referral service to their outpatient treatment program.  That number is 1-888-900-9979.  This program has trained therapists in 22 Montana communities.  The Council is dedicated to fund treatment groups across Montana and provide training for mental health professionals to do these groups.  The Council also provided education to compulsive gamblers, their families and other concerned citizens of Montana.  The Council has an active website, www.mtcpgambling.com and is an affiliate of the National Council on Problem Gambling, www.ncpgambling.org.  As an affiliate, the Council is urged to participate in the National Problem Gambling Awareness Week in March.  The last three years we have received letters of support from Governor Scweitzer, recognizing National Problem Gambling Week..

The Council provides two workshops or conferences each year.  These are held over two days in opposite areas of our State. The object is to train therapists to better work with gamblers and educate the public about availability of treatment and local support.  In 2007 our workshops were in Helena and Billings with Chris Anderson presenting on the "Dream world of the Addict."  A total of 85 persons attended. These continuing education credits can be used toward hours required for National Gambling Certification.

This year our first workshop will be held at the Gateway Community Services Office in Great Falls on April 18th and 19th. Ken Winters, PhD will present on assessment and treatment of the problem gambler.     

We are putting special emphases on the Native American Gambler and our goal is to have treatment groups on each reservation.  We had participation from two reservations at our last conference.  We also have a gambling treatment program in the Women's Prison and plans for targeting the adolescent gambling population.

• Here are the figures from the beginning of our program: 
• In 2000 we had nine providers who did 110 groups with 210 participants.
• In 2001 we had eleven providers who did 374 groups with 1014 participants. 
• In 2002 we had fifteen providers who did 561 groups with 1628 participants.
• In 2003 to include the month of June we have sixteen providers (8 more have signed up but are not active yet), 300 groups with 1076 participants.
• In 2004 we have thirty one providers who did 758 groups with 1972 participants including 111 new members.
• In 2005 we have thirty-seven providers who did 971 groups with 2607 participants including 173 new members.
• In 2006 we had thirty-one providers who did 1172 groups with 3003 participants including 165 new members.
• In 2007 we had thirty one providers who did 792 groups with 3705 participants including 236 new group members.  We also added group therapy for the families of the gambler.  We did 221 family groups.

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You can see we are growing and I believe doing a great job caring for the gambling needs of the people of Montana.