Add i c t io n s a nd Men t al He al th
Welcome to the new and improved
“Problem Gambling Service
Quarterly Connection” newsletter.
We have decided to update the
look and feel of the newsletter
and produce it quarterly, instead
of monthly. This newsletter is a
sampling of what you will be
receiving starting January 1,
2015.
The new newsletter will be four
pages and will include an array of
information regarding what is
happening in problem gambling
locally and nationally. It is our
hope that the articles will not only
come from state staffers but also
from you and our partners. Short
segments within the newsletter
may include training
opportunities, contractual
reminders, fun facts, links to
professional articles, data
updates, kudos and highlights/
acknowledgements to programs
and a message from Nicole
Corbin, the AMH addictions
manager.
We look forward to testing this
new format. We hope it will
increase our readership and
become an even better resource
for you.
Dick Johnson, Addiction
Counselor Certification Board of
Oregon (ACCBO) Director of
Problem Gambling Certification,
has approved the use of phone
contact or Skyping to meet the
24 hours of face-to-face clinical
supervision from an approved
problem gambling treatment
clinical supervisor requirement
for application. This information
has been updated within the
application packet. It will help
reduce the barriers for our
providers and is a win, especially
for our rural agencies.
PROBLEM GAMBLING SERVICES
QUARTERLY CONNECTION
CGAC Certification Requirement Update
Lottery Game
Fact Corner
Myth: Players can
control the outcome
of a Lottery game.
Fact: It is
impossible for a
player to control the
outcome of a game.
There is nothing
that you can do
before, during or
after Lottery game
play that can
improve your
chances of winning.
While playing Video
Lottery (VL) games,
for example, hitting
the stop button will
not impact the out-come
of play in any
way. In fact, the
outcome of each VL
game is determined
as soon as you hit
the play button.
Myth: Some Video
Lottery Terminals
(VLTs) or Lottery
games are “due” to
pay.
Fact: All outcomes
– wins and losses –
are entirely ran-dom.
There is no set
pattern and no way
to predict the out-come
of a game.
October 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1
Special Thanks
Thanks to those who were diligent and accom-modating
this summer during the treatment
site review process. We look forward to the
continued growth and success of our statewide
problem gambling treatment services.

PROBLEM GAMBLING SERVICES QUARTERLY Page 2 CONNECTION
Self-Care is Prevention
Balancing work, family, and personal life has
always been challenging. Our lives will never be
stress free, and no single technique will relieve all
the stress. However, we have learned that the first
and best line of defense against stress and burn-out
is self-care. By paying attention to our physi-cal
and emotional selves, we are able to build up
our ability to manage stress as well as increase
our resilience – our ability to bounce-back after
stressful or traumatic events.
Some ideas for self-care include:
⇒ Set boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself.
Learn how to say “no” to requests of your time.
If you find this difficult, remind yourself that
saying “no” allows you to say “yes”
to the things that you truly want to do.
⇒ Make time to take intermittent self-care
breaks. Take time to disconnect, put away
your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop
checking emails. Take a walk, eat lunch, do
some gentle stretches, and most importantly,
remember to breathe. Take those deep belly
breaths and relax.
⇒ Balance work load. Balance your work
schedule and life demands so no one day or
one week is too much. Develop a short list --
two or three items -- of top priorities each day.
⇒ Take time for healthy habits. Adopt
healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping
habits. When you eat right, engage in regular
physical activity, and get plenty of rest, you
will have the energy and resilience to deal
with life’s hassles and demands.
⇒ Feed your soul. Try something new, start a
fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Take
some “me” time that has nothing to do with
work.
Things to remember when beginning. The effects
are cumulative, so making one small change in
one area will positively affect other areas of your
life. You can start anywhere. There is no right
way to begin, so let’s start today!
Source: adapted from www.community.NSW.gov
Fact sheet #4 Preventing Stress and Burnout
SAMHSA Publishes Report on Gambling Problems
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) released the report, “Gambling Programs: An
Introduction for Behavioral Health Services Providers,” to serve as an
introductory resource on the topic for mental health and substance use
disorder providers, discussing causes, statistics, and treatment options
for those struggling with gambling problems. The report provides
information on rates of gambling problems, demographic characteristics
of people with gambling problems, and the links between gambling
problems and other mental health and substance use disorders.
The complete report is available at: http://store.samhsa.gov/product/
Gambling-Problems-An-Introduction-for-Behavioral-Health-Services-
Providers/SMA14-4851

Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3
Nuggets from the Data Mine
A preliminary analysis of FY13-14 data suggests we closed the fiscal year with system-wide
gambler enrollments about 7.8 percent below FY12-13. The consensus is that the loss of Lottery
-sponsored treatment advertising was probably the main causal factor. This was the lowest
number of referrals since FY00-01. The encouraging news is that during the past six months we
have seen a fairly steady upward trend in enrollments!
Interestingly, the number of females enrolling in the traditional programs dropped from 52.1
percent in FY12-13 to 46.4 percent this year. We’re looking at additional data to try to
determine other demographic characteristics involved in the decline. As with recent years,
about 27 percent of the gamblers enrolling this year had been enrolled at least one time
previously in the same agency.
REMINDER: The data from the client enrollment survey is critical to our documenting and
understanding the statewide treatment system. That survey is considered part of the
individual’s standard enrollment process and is required – regardless of whether the individual
consents to participate in the follow-up. We will be adding this to the semi-annual quality
improvement reports for January through June.
Hot Off the Press
The 2015 Problem Gambling Awareness
Calendars are ready for distribution. The
calendar is a little bigger this year. It
showcases some great student art about
problem gambling. The calendar is a great way
to keep the issue of problem gambling and the
Helpline information in front of you all year
long. Your local Problem Gambling
Prevention Coordinator will be your primary
contact for requests for calendars
Here are a few suggestions for sharing the
calendars with:
· Social service partners (such as Mental
Health, Public Health, Child Welfare,
Housing etc.)
· Schools, especially middle schools, along
with the flyers for the current art search.
The Prevention Coordinator will be sent a
number of those flyers.
· Community coalitions and prevention
partners.
· County or city officials
· Coordinated care organizations
· Health care providers
· Law enforcement agencies
We really appreciate your efforts each year
to get the calendars out into your community
quickly! The New Year is fast approaching,
what a great resource to have in hand to
provide to your community to use throughout
2015 and increase awareness about problem
gambling at the same time.

PROBLEM GAMBLING SERVICES QUARTERLY Page 4 CONNECTION
Workforce Development/Training Opportunities
Mark Your Calendars:
2015 Spring Problem Gambling Services
Conference
February 19-20, 2015
Monarch Hotel, Clackamas, Oregon
Feature Presenter: Natasha Dow Schull,
author of Addiction by Design
Registration to open in early December.
Gambling Counselor Pre-Certification II
Saturdays, March 7,14, and April 11, 18, 2015
from 9 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Lewis and Clark College- Portland,
Oregon
Cost: $395
CEUs: 30 hours
Registration to open in early January
Problem Gambling Services Staff
Contact Title Phone Email
Greta Coe Problem Gambling
Services Manager
503 945-6187 greta.l.coe@state.or.us
Simon Williams Problem Gambling
Treatment Specialist
503 945-6555 simon.o.williams@state.or.us
Roxann Jones Problem Gambling
Prevention Specialist
503 947-5548 roxann.r.jones@state.or.us
Patricia Alderson Administrative
Support
503 945-9710
patricia.alderson@state.or.us
Nicole Corbin Addiction Services
Manager
503 945-6722 nicole.corbin@state.or.us
Helpline website: 1877mylimit.org
OHA Problem Gambling Services website: oregon.gov/oha/amh/pages/gambling.aspx
Prevention Coordinator’s website: www.problemgamblingprevention.org
Staff changes? Please notify Patricia (above) ASAP so we can keep our records current.