Pandemic impacts on problem gambling treatment providers

<p dir="ltr">During the Covid-19 pandemic, online gambling venues remained accessible while treatment</p><p dir="ltr">services were met with constraints. Mental health service providers needed to adapt quickly</p><p dir="ltr">to continue supporting clients. This study examined how services for people who have gambling</p><p dir="ltr">and other mental health problems adapted treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p dir="ltr">Counsellors from two provinces in Canada were surveyed using closed- and open-ended</p><p dir="ltr">questions. The study was conducted in two waves, one in May to July 2021 in the middle</p><p dir="ltr">of the pandemic, and the second from April to June 2022 as many public health restrictions</p><p dir="ltr">were being removed and casinos reopened. Questions included how counsellors adapted their</p><p dir="ltr">practice during the pandemic and what training they felt they required to help them deliver</p><p dir="ltr">safe and effective treatment during a pandemic. The results indicated increases in counsellor</p><p dir="ltr">distress during the pandemic. The counsellors also reported increased stress in their clients.</p><p dir="ltr">The participants reported a shift towards phone and online treatment during the pandemic.</p><p dir="ltr">The counsellors in this study had concerns over technological issues, privacy issues and</p><p dir="ltr">problems with keeping clients engaged. There were also concerns regarding populations who</p><p dir="ltr">do not have access to remote treatment methods and vulnerable populations such as seniors,</p><p dir="ltr">Indigenous groups, and people who have serious dual diagnoses. There is a need for future</p><p dir="ltr">preparation in mental health treatment protocols to mitigate shortfalls in remote client care.</p>