The Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico’s 2013 annual conference on problem gambling will include nationally and internationally recognized speakers on addiction treatment. This year’s speakers will focus on “Addiction as an Attachment Disorder: Implications for the Treatment of Gambling Addiction”. The annual event will be August 15-16, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily at the Isleta Resort and Casino’s conference center.
During the past 16 years, over 5,000 New Mexico counselors and social workers have attended the conference. This year, more than 450 treatment providers are expected to attend and will hear from the following speakers.
Dr. Philip J. Flores, PhD, ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, is a clinical psychologist who has worked extensively for the past 30 years in the area of addictive disorders and group psychotherapy. Dr. Flores’ latest book, Addiction as an Attachment Disorder, was the 2005 Gradiva Award Winner issued by The National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis. Dr. Flores run several outpatient psychotherapy groups each week in his private practice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Una McCluskey Ph.D. is a freelance consultant in the field of human relations and a part-time senior research fellow at the University of York, York, England. She is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and a member of the European Association of Psychotherapy. Her book, ‘To be Met as a Person: The Dynamics of Attachment in Therapeutic Encounters’, has attracted a lot of interest in both the research and clinical community. In 2009, she co-authored ‘Attachment Therapy for Adolescents and Adults: Theory and Practice Post Bowlby’, and has published numerous articles in the field of couples, family and group psychotherapy.
Alex Katehakis, LMFT, is a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist. She has extensive experience in working with a full spectrum of sexuality from sexual addiction to problems of sexual desire and sexual dysfunction for individuals and couples. She is the author of Erotic Intelligence – Igniting Hot Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction. Ms. Katehakis is the Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Healthy Sex in West Los Angeles.
Sandra Spurlock, LMFT, NCGC-I is a licensed marital and family therapist and a certified gambling counselor in New Mexico. She has practiced with The Evolution Group, Inc. in Albuquerque since 2005. Among her areas of focus are women’s addiction treatment approaches, trauma informed therapies, and supervision. She has presented at conferences both in the State of New Mexico and nationally.
Eleven CEUs, including six units dedicated to ethics training, are available for counselors and social workers’ ongoing education. Scholarships for students in college-level classes will allow several future behavioral health providers to attend.
For more information about the conference, contact Gabriela Gutierrez of the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico, at conference@rganm.org.
The Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico also funds ongoing education about the signs of problem gambling and how to get help. The group provides funding for the state’s toll-free telephone helpline (800-572-1142); funds gambling treatment programs, ongoing training of casino employees to identify problem gamblers, and education about responsible gaming.
