Different types of therapies

Therapy can provide support to people with mental and emotional problems. There are various forms of therapy used by support organizations. These therapies can also help someone with gambling problems. Therapy helps you feel better and regain control of your life. Discover which therapy might be a good fit for you or someone in your environment.

If you want to know what help is available, go to the help seeker.

Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT)

This therapy is specifically for young people and their families. It helps with issues such as addiction or challenging behavior. Various aspects of the young person’s life are considered, such as school, home situation, and friends.

Objective: to help young people with behavioral problems, addiction, or emotional issues, together with their families.
Method: conversations with the young person, parents, and sometimes other involved parties (such as school, friends, or youth care).
Effect: improves the relationship between family members, reduces problem behavior, and strengthens the support around the young person.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps you think and act differently. If you often have negative thoughts, you learn how to change them. This makes you feel better and helps you adopt healthier behavior.

Objective: to better understand and change thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Method: learning to recognize unhealthy gambling habits and replacing them with healthier patterns.
Effect: helps control your gambling behavior, reduces gambling problems, and decreases the chance of relapse.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

In this method, you talk with a counselor about changes you want to make yourself, such as quitting gambling. The counselor helps you discover your motivation and how to use it in your change.

Objective: to help people become self-motivated for positive change, such as quitting gambling and living healthier.
Method: the counselor asks open questions, listens attentively, and supports without judgment. Together, you look at your own reasons and goals for change.
Effect: increases the client’s motivation, strengthens the sense of self-direction, and makes behavior change more achievable.

Systemic Therapy

Systemic therapy is a form of therapy that looks at how people interact, for example, within a family, relationship, or family. Problems are not only sought in one person but in the entire system of people around that person. Together with a therapist, you talk about how you communicate with each other and how this can be improved. The goal is to improve mutual relationships and solve problems together.

Objective: to understand and improve problems within relationships or families by looking at the entire system of people around someone.
Method: conversations with multiple involved parties, such as family members or partners. Communication, recurring patterns, and influence on each other are examined.
Effect: better contact and more understanding within relationships, breaking negative patterns, and strengthening cooperation.

Individual Rehabilitation Approach (IRA)

IRA helps people with mental problems to participate in daily life again. You set personal goals, such as finding work or making new friends. You work on these under guidance.

Objective: to help people with mental problems participate actively in society, in their own way.
Method: together with a guide, the client sets personal goals, such as finding work, living independently, or building social contacts. These goals are worked on step by step.
Effect: increases self-confidence, improves quality of life, and helps build a meaningful daily life.

12-Step Program (Minnesota Model)

This program is often used for addictions. It consists of 12 steps that help you honestly look at yourself, ask for help, and take responsibility. This way, you work on recovery step by step.

Objective: recovery through a group-oriented program.
Method: consists of 12 steps, such as acknowledging the problem, taking responsibility, and sharing experiences in the group.
Effect: group support helps prevent relapse and promotes recovery.

Schema Therapy

Some people remain stuck in unhealthy patterns, for example, due to unpleasant experiences in the past. In schema therapy, you learn to recognize and change these patterns.

Objective: to address emotional patterns (schemas) such as abandonment anxiety or inferiority.
Method: gaining insight into how old patterns drive gambling behavior and changing these patterns.
Effect: effective, especially when other therapies do not help sufficiently.

Psychoeducation

Here, you learn more about your psychological complaints or disorder. If you know what is going on with you, you can handle it better.

Objective: to provide insight into gambling addiction.
Method: information about the functioning of addiction, risk factors, consequences, and recovery possibilities.
Effect: increases awareness and motivation for behavior change.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT teaches you not to avoid difficult feelings but to accept them. You learn how to live according to what you find important, even if you sometimes do not feel well.

Objective: acceptance of thoughts and feelings, focus on personal values.
Method: learning to deal with negative emotions without gambling; acting according to one’s own values.
Effect: reduces gambling behavior and increases quality of life.

Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA)

This approach is often used for addiction. The goal is to make your life more enjoyable and healthier, for example, through better relationships and fun activities without gambling.

Objective: to help people with an addiction build a life where gambling or substance use no longer plays a role.
Method: together with a counselor, work is done to strengthen positive aspects of life, such as work, relationships, and leisure time. Healthy behavior is rewarded and supported.
Effect: less gambling or substance use, more enjoyment in daily life, and a stronger social network.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
EMDR is used if you have experienced something very traumatic. During the therapy, you think about that event while following a moving object with your eyes. This helps to make the memory less intense.

Objective: trauma processing.
Method: processing stressful memories with eye movements or other activities.
Effect: reduces the impact of trauma on gambling behavior, improves emotional well-being.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a collective term for various conversations with a therapist. You talk about your feelings and problems. Together, you look for solutions or ways to deal with them.

Objective: insight into causes of gambling behavior.
Method: conversations with a therapist about emotions, thoughts, and experiences.
Effect: strengthens self-control, helps develop healthy patterns.

Mindfulness

In mindfulness, you learn to pay attention to the present moment. You become aware of your thoughts and feelings without immediately judging them. This helps to become calmer and reduce stress.

Objective: being consciously present in the moment, without judgment.
Method: exercises to better regulate stress, cravings, and impulses.
Effect: improves control over behavior and promotes emotional well-being.

Relapse Prevention

This therapy helps you avoid falling back into old behaviors, such as an addiction. You learn to recognize and deal with difficult situations so that you remain stronger during your recovery.

Objective: to prevent someone from relapsing into old, unhealthy habits, such as addiction.
Method: you learn to recognize signals and difficult situations that can lead to relapse. Together with a therapist, you come up with ways to avoid these situations or handle them well.
Effect: you remain stronger in your recovery and prevent problems from returning.