Supporting Clients with Gambling Disorder: Assessment, Competency, and Practical Interventions
May 20, 2026
12:00 – 1:00 pm via Zoom
1.0 Category II CEUs
Presenter:
Jennifer Taylor, LCSW, RPT-S
Senior Manager, IPD & Grant Funded Clinical Programs
Workshop Description
Gambling disorder is an increasingly common concern in clinical practice, yet many therapists feel unsure about their competence to treat it without specialized training.
This journal club will provide an overview of gambling disorder, including how it presents, when it is appropriate to accept a referral, and what core skills are needed to begin treatment ethically. Using current research, participants will explore practical assessment tools to identify symptoms and track client progress over time, and review evidence-based approaches such as Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
This session will emphasize how existing clinical skills can be effectively applied to this population, while also highlighting areas for continued learning and professional development.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
Describe key features of gambling disorder and identify when it is clinically appropriate for a therapist to accept a referral.
Identify and use at least two measurement-based tools to assess gambling symptoms and monitor treatment progress.
Compare common evidence-based approaches for treating gambling disorder and complete a brief self-assessment of clinical readiness and ethical competence to begin treatment.
Jennifer Taylor, LCSW, RPT-S, serves as the Senior Manager of IPD and Grant Funded Clinical Programs at Jewish Community Services. She is responsible for the management of the clinical, operational, and fiscal activities for the mental health department and also supports the professional development of employees across departments. Jennifer’s clinical work focuses on helping individuals who experienced complex trauma as children using EMDR along with expressive therapies including play therapy, sand tray therapy and journaling. She has published multiple chapters in edited play therapy books on topics including cooperative games, group play therapy supervision and nature-based family play therapy and teaches graduate level social work and play therapy courses. She received her Master’s degree from the Florida State University in 2005. Jennifer’s clinical focus is on helping children and their caregivers have meaningful and joyful relationships while supporting the wellness and development of the professionals that serve those families.
Workshop Fees
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General Professional Community: $37.50
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Jewish Day School Educators, JCS Retirees, NJHSA Members: $30
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Current JCS Staff, Board, Advisory Council & Staff of Agencies Funded by The Associated*: Free with Code.
*To request your code and see a list of eligible agencies funded by The Associated, click here.
Jewish Community Services is approved by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners to provide
Continuing Education Units.
The Rosa J. Kolker Professional Development series is made possible with funding from Kolker-Saxon-Hallock Family Foundation, Inc.,
a supporting foundation of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.