February 12, 2013

Free gambling treatment center now open

A new gambling treatment center, located just a mile south of downtown Portland, is the only facility in the city to offer free counseling services on weekends.

A new gambling treatment center, located just a mile south of downtown Portland, is the only facility in the city to offer free counseling services on weekends.

Lewis & Clark Problem Gambling Services—operated by Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School of Education & Counseling and the State of Oregon—has trained counselors available Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help to those affected by gambling.

All services are free for the gambler as well as anyone else affected; family members, friends, partners, or coworkers. Services are available in English, Spanish, and—through April 2013—Korean.

“We recognize that the devastation associated with problem gambling affects us all and that we can all be part of the solution,” said program coordinator Rick Berman. “As a graduate training and research center, our interdisciplinary team is charged with developing innovative and effective approaches to treatment, sharing what we learn with others, and training the next generation of problem gambling treatment providers.”

To schedule an appointment, call Lewis & Clark Problem Gambling Services at 503-768-6325 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The center is located at 4445 SW Barbur Boulevard.

Read an interview with gambling treatment services coordinator Rick Berman in the Skanner newspaper.

See the KOIN 6 story below: