Gambling addiction, or compulsive gambling, is a type of impulse-control disorder. Individuals with a gambling addiction cannot control their impulse to gamble, even when they know their gambling is hurting themselves or their loved ones. For someone with a gambling addiction, the gambling takes over their thoughts and behaviours, driving them to want to gamble, despite negative consequences. Individuals who are addicted will often keep gambling whether they are winning or losing, happy or depressed. If you are struggling with a gambling addiction, you might feel that you must continue to gamble even if you know the odds are against you, and even when you can’t afford to lose. You may find it difficult to explain the overwhelming urge to gamble to family and friends, and feel guilty that you are not in control. However, like any addiction, professional help is often needed to overcome it’s hold.
The most common forms of gambling are betting on sports, betting at the casino, or playing the lottery. Individuals who enjoy gambling often use gambling as a release, and a way to unwind after a stressful day, an argument, or a challenging situation. However, if your gambling behaviour has started to cause tension with family or friends, or has started to impact your ability to work or maintain other commitments, you may benefit from speaking with a psychologist.
Gambling often leads to financial hardship, which can then put strain on your relationships with a partner or other family. Having to hide losses and financial problems from family members can be extremely stressful. Arguing with loved ones about money often leads to unpleasant feelings such as stress, depression, loneliness, fear, and anxiety, and can trigger compulsive gambling or make the gambling behaviour worse. Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as the “hidden illness” because there are no obvious physical signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction. Problem gamblers typically deny or minimise the problem, as well as going to excessive lengths to hide their gambling.
Every gambler is unique and therefore treatment needs to be tailored specifically to the individual. The biggest step in treatment is the individual recognising that they have a gambling addiction.
If you believe you may be struggling with a gambling addition, your someone.health psychologist can help in various ways:
Helping you to identify the thought patterns that causes you to gamble; identifying triggers and high-risk situations; reducing access to money or venues; modifying routines
Goal setting – creating action plans and alternative activities
Learning alternative ways of managing negative emotions (e.g. improving problem-solving skills and relaxation techniques)
Helping to prevent you from relapsing by maintaining changes over time in order to avoid returning to gambling in the future; developing plans for future situations; and how to recover from a slip
Meet the someone.health psychologists currently available to see new clients for counselling on gambling addiction.
My combined professional and life experiences make me highly aware of the types of difficulties encountered by people from all walks of life and the impact on their and others’ lives these obstacles to wellbeing can have. My efforts and professional skill are dedicated toward helping to make a difference
and to assist people in developing their greater potential
Anshula has a background in paediatric psychology and the disability sector as well as demonstrated success in implementing behavioural interventions for children with neurodiversity and additional developmental needs. She also has experience supporting adults of varying mental health disorders including mood disorders, anxiety disorders and other significant psychological problems.
Hi! I’m looking forward to supporting you on your journey in working towards your goals, wherever you want to go. I aim to provide a safe space to talk about difficult things and value working with a bit of humour. Sometimes it helps bring some spark of joy back to the day to day. It can add meaning when it can be so difficult to look inwards and talk about our emotions. I find a safe space, sense of mutual respect and the therapeutic relationship is key in my practice.
I love getting to know you as an individual and what makes you tick. I enjoy working in a collaborative and holistic way, incorporating your strengths and values into your therapy journey. My style is conversational, warm and natural with a dash of humour thrown into the mix.
Bilyana’s 20 years’ experience is vast, having started my career in nursing before embarking on study to become a Clinical Psychologist. She sees people presenting with a broad spectrum of presentations, including trauma, depressive and anxiety based disorders, workplace bullying, phobias, relationship issues, stress disorders, schizophrenia, self-harm, suicidal behaviour, personality disorders, grief and relationship issues.
I am committed to working with clients through a collaborative client-centered approach. I view acceptance and a non-judgmental interaction as critical components to the client-therapist relationship. I believe in focusing on strengths and self-observation skills as the keys to client change, growth, and development. I look forward to the opportunity of working with clients who are seeking to move forward in their lives. We need to be more like a river in life, not a pond.
I love what I do. I take earning your trust very seriously. I think it’s a big deal to share your thoughts, fears, worries, hopes and dreams in counselling. I work hard to listen well and to understand your experience of the world and how you would like it to be different. I’m a real person and will be clear about how I think I can help and have both professional and life experience to draw from.
Dajana has 20 years experience as a Psychologist working with a diverse range of clients. She has extensive experience in substance abuse and addictions, depression, anxiety, stress management, adjustment disorder, PTSD and grief and loss.
A registered psychologist dedicated to supporting individuals live more fulfilling lives. I believe that everyone has the capacity for growth and change, and I am grateful for the opportunity to accompany my clients on their journey, supporting them along the way.
David has had 15 years of experience as a Psychologist working with children, adolescents and adults. He has experience working with educational needs, with a particular focus on life long education, differential diagnosis, understanding giftedness and managing neural diversity. David has also worked extensively with people experiencing anxiety, depression, issues of self worth and attachment concerns.
Hello and welcome! I look forward to getting to know you and working with you to achieve your goals for therapy. I am passionate and dedicated to support my clients, ensuring to create a safe and comfortable environment where my clients feel at ease. I adopt a person-centered approach in my sessions, tailoring therapy to the unique needs of my clients.
Hi, I am really looking forward to getting to know you and working together to achieve your therapy goals. I believe in a holistic approach to therapy, recognizing that the psychological and physical both impact overall mental well-being and as such my approach to therapy includes elements of each in order to achieve lasting change.
“First I’ll listen, then I’ll help”
Hello, I am Dr Geoff Pearce, a Performance and Positivity Psychologist and have 30 years’ experience. I work with Performance and Positivity in adults. ‘Performance’ refers to how well people do the things that are important to them
Geoff has over 10 years of experience working as a psychologist and has a keen interest working with people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, procrastination, interpersonal difficulties and low self esteem. Geoff is trained in evidence-based approaches including CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
Hamid has a keen interest in working with people experiencing depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, phobia, low self esteem and interpersonal difficulties. Hamid is trained in several evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing techniques.
Hi there, I’m Hugo and I’m an early career psychologist. I see the client as the expert in their own lives and use my knowledge and skills to help you overcome the barriers that are getting in the way of leading a purposeful and meaningful life
James’ approach to mental health is about mind-body integration and looking at the “whole person”. Mental health influences how we feel, think and move, how we communicate and relate to the world, and can seriously impact our physical health. James will hep make sense of how this all fits together, to explore unhelpful thoughts and behaviour, and identify different options.
Former comedian and current Clinical Psychologist Joe Guse uses humour to help people respond to life’s challenges. Joe strives to help people use humour to respond to lifes emotional choices. He has authored 20 books and appears regularly on American television shows including Biography, Autopsy, and Behind Closed Doors.
Kaming is open-minded and enjoys working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations. Kaming is trained in several evidence-base approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness, Schema Therapy and EMDR. He is interested to work with people’s addiction issues, interpersonal relationships issues, specific trauma and complex trauma.
Kate has worked as a psychologist for over 35 years and is keen to help people 16-years-old and older who wish to improve their psychological life. Kate has a Doctorate in Health Science and her certifications include Solution-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Ericksonian Hypnosis. She also studies Buddhism, including meditation and mindfulness.
Deciding to see a Psychologist is a big step, so congratulations for coming this far. Once you choose a therapist, stepping into a their virtual therapy room is the next big step, and for many people this can feel overwhelming. A big part of my job is to help you feel comfortable and safe. All you have to do is take that step, show up and be yourself.
I am a clinical psychologist with experience working with adolescents and adults. I aim to provide a safe, non-judgemental space where we can collaboratively explore the challenges you are currently facing; identify and work on the goals you want to achieve in therapy.
Manya is experienced in helping people change behaviours that form part of a chronic condition whether physical or psychological. These changes include becoming more physically active and fit; pain management; feeling in control of your eating; the moderate consumption of alcohol; and cessation of smoking & problem gambling. She also has extensive experience helping people exit a substance abuse lifestyle.
Martin is best known for his humour and pragmatism. Martin has experience working with a diverse range of clients, including children, adolescents, adults and families. Martin has spent recent years working in a mental health clinic for people living with addictions, trauma and mood disorders.
Welcome and congratulations on taking this first step – it isn’t always an easy one! I can’t wait to meet you and hear your story. There isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ in therapy, and the connection you have with your therapist is so important.
Welcome and hello to you, I am looking forward to understanding who you are as an individual. I am hopeful that through our time together we can put in place some steps and strategies to assist you in achieving the outcomes you desire.
I have learned that deep and lasting change is possible, that long-term issues can be resolved, and people can be free of emotional pain they carry by making sense of difficult experiences together, both past and present, and moving towards a place of self-understanding. Michiel works with adults and adolescents using an integrative approach which is based on empathy and building a strong mutual respect and working relationship with clients.
Mike’s approach to therapy is mainly based on a model called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on learning to let go of unhelpful thoughts, being present with difficult emotions and connecting to your values, the things that really matter to you. Mike identifies as a gay man and enjoys working with the LGBTQ+ community.
I am passionate about helping people solve problems. My approach is focused on uncovering the things that are holding you back, setting goals to fix this, and motivating you to take action. I tailor my approach to everyone individually, and I use techniques that have been shown by research to help people. If you are interested, please inquire. I look forward to working with you 🙂
Sarah uses a person-centred, strength-based approach, working in collaboration with clients to reach their therapeutic goals. Sarah is highly focused on the therapeutic relationship using a calm and relaxed manner, positive communication strategies, empathy, and understanding during therapy sessions.
Sarah enjoys working with people with all presentations and particularly enjoys working in the areas of trauma, developmental disorders, anxiety, depression and with children and adolescents. Sarah has worked in the academic sector in universities in Tokyo, London, Italy and Turkey.
Well done for making it this far! I’d love to work with you to further harness your bravery to go and get whatever you want for your life. This includes relationships, which can be hard, but also so fulfilling. If that’s not your current experience, I’d love to work together to figure out attachment styles, or better conflict resolution or self regulation skills. I believe everyone deserves to be supported in all of life’s transitory moments and that relationship with ourselves and others can be a cocoon for healing. It would be my privilege to journey with you.
Shyan is passionate about improving psychological wellbeing and standard of living for individuals across cultures by encouraging individuals to continuously develop and improve their positive coping and problem-solving skills. Shyan also strongly believes in using an eclectic approach so as to create a comfortable environment and cater to individualized needs.
Simon is a qualified primary school teacher as well as a registered psychologist. Simon has a keen interest in working with people experiencing anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and behaviour and emotional disorders in children. He has a relaxed, easy going nature and likes to provide people with the skills to manage life’s challenges.
Stephanie has had nearly three decades of working with a diversity of clients, issues and genres. Stephanie is keen to work diversely with relationship issues family issues depression and anxiety faulty thinking self esteem learning difficulties stress performance management parenting and pregnancy including IVF.
Teresa’s approach is compassionate, open-minded, and collaborative – she employs various strategies and techniques that will best suit you as an individual. Teresa has broad experience with a range of difficulties including anxiety, OCD, depression, LGBTQ concerns, PTSD, addiction, ADHD, NDIS, eating disorders, grief and loss, stress & anger management, violence or family trauma, personality disorders, career & couples counselling.
I am looking forward to working with you. I believe that our experiences of life informs how we see the world. This means that I’m interested in who you are and what you believe in. My goal is to move you to the place that you would like to be. I have a lot of experience working with people whose experience has led them away from their goals. I like to take an approach that is understanding of this and hopeful about the future.
Tina has over 22 years experience working as a psychologist supporting with children, adolescents, adults and families. Tina is interested in supporting anxiety, depression, low self esteem, interpersonal difficulties, work related issues and perfectionism. She also has a keen interest in working with adolescents and young adults.
Tony supports people with a variety of presentations including depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment difficulties, grief and loss, addictions and work-related conditions such as burnout and career transition. Tony can also provide support in a high performance context (for example athletes & executives, start-up founders). Having lived in multiple continents and being from a multi-cultural background, Tony is able to support those who have a migrant background or is of east/south-east Asian descent.
Trevor provides therapy for men – he understands guys have a need for specialised male focused interventions for mental health. Trevor has experience supporting male clients with impulse control matters such as anger management, mood regulation, phobias, relationship distress, financial management and internet usage. He also treats addictive behaviours including overuse of pain killers, illicit drugs, gambling and alcohol.
Trisha has experience working with a diverse range of clients including children, community from different cultural backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and LGBT+ community.
Client-centred therapy lies at the center of my practice of psychology; where the client’s needs, personal perspectives and preferences inform my treatment methods and choices. I see psychological treatment as a collaborative experience forged by the kindred rapport between the client and myself. My clients and I embark on the recovery journey together and I ensure my approach enables the client to eventually become independent where they no longer need my contribution and have found a stronger, richer version of themselves through therapy.
I look forward to meeting you, getting to know you and forming a supportive and trusting therapeutic relationship that is centered on working together to create the life you wish for. I have worked extensively with young people from the ages of 5-18 and their families with the goal of always being respectful, an advocate and assisting clients to navigate their difficulties so that they can lead a rich and full life.
Will is a warm and compassionate Psychologist who is passionate about supporting individuals attain greater mental health and well-being. Therapeutic sessions are centered around helping individuals gain a deeper insight of themselves, their behavioural patterns and self-beliefs.
William is an understanding and effective psychologist who works collaboratively to facilitate healing and a grounded sense of hope. He has extensive experience providing interventions to adults experiencing a wide range of psychological problems including addictions and anxiety disorders.
The goal of Xiaoping’s counselling is to assist you to be powered with a series of healthy concepts about your life as well as equipped with a bunch of abilities for all of life’s challenges. With Xiaoping’s counselling, his clients are led to have more awareness about themselves, more confidence to face their challenges and more skills to find solutions.
Yakira is a naturally warm and empathetic Psychologist who is passionate about helping people to become “unstuck” and find meaning again, and in turn enhance their relationships with themselves and others. Yakira has experience working with people who have issues relating to depression, low self-esteem, trauma, stress, anxiety, grief and loss, anger, relationship and family breakdown, abuse, eating disorders, and substance abuse.