Camilla Satow and Christopher E.M. Lloyd 2025. Psychological therapists’ experiences of working with gambling addiction: a reflexive thematic analysis. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2025.2599540
| Title | Psychological therapists’ experiences of working with gambling addiction: a reflexive thematic analysis |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Camilla Satow and Christopher E.M. Lloyd |
| Abstract | There is little qualitative research on therapists’ experiences of working with gambling addiction, despite rising referrals to UK services and increasing demand for evidence-based interventions. Examining therapists’ perspectives offers important insight into the systemic, cultural, and relational factors shaping clinical practice and recovery. This study used semi-structured interviews with six UK-based therapists from varied geographical locations and service contexts. Reflexive thematic analysis, conducted within a contextualist framework, explored how therapists experience and make sense of their work with adults in treatment for gambling addiction. Four themes were developed: (1) systemic pressures and moral distress in practice; (2) gambling as hidden, stigmatised, and gendered; (3) recovery beyond abstinence, encompassing transformation, identity, and relational repair; and (4) therapeutic work involving relational depth, trauma-informed practice, and embodied tools. The findings highlight the challenges therapists face in navigating organisational constraints, stigma, and clients’ moral and gendered identities, while emphasising recovery as a multidimensional and relational process. The study contributes original insights into therapist moral distress, recovery as identity transformation, and the integration of embodied and trauma-informed practices. It underscores the importance of addressing stigma and moral framings of gambling, while promoting relational, identity-oriented, and embodied approaches that help clients to re-engage with life. |
| Journal | Counselling Psychology Quarterly |
| ISSN | 0951-5070 |
| 1469-3674 | |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Accepted author manuscript | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2025.2599540 |
| Web address (URL) | https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2025.2599540 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 10 Dec 2025 |