The team approach: Developing an experiential knowledge base for the treatment of the pathological gambler

It is not surprising that developing professional competence in treating the pathological gambler is a major problem today, given the scarcity of treatment programs for pathological gambling. This paper explores a learning model which weaves together the experiential knowledge of the recovering pathological gambler with the skills of professional mental health clinicians. An example of this model is the team approach originated at the Johns Hopkins Compulsive Gambling Counseling Center in 1979 and which was evolved into an interdisciplinary treatment model at Taylor Manor Hospital. An examination of this evolving treatment approach is analyzed, reviewed and updated with a focus first on the use of the team approach as a paradigm for developing an experiential knowledge base in the treatment of selected disorders, and second, its use as a model for newly developing treatment programs.