(photo from 1999)

Welcome

California and Nationally Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor, CCGC

I am a California State Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a graduate of UCLA and Northwestern with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. After I (finally) graduated, I sought additional training to specialize in gambling-related problems. Since 1998 I have provided outpatient gambling addiction treatment, related therapy services to significant others (SOs), as well as general psychotherapy in the Los Angeles area and some long-distance patients by telephone or telemedicine.

On this site, you will find background information about problem gambling (PG), the impact of PG on the SOs, and other issues related to PG. I also provide treatment for general psychological issues (e.g. anxiety, depression, relationship issues).

I designed this site in 1999, it is very old now, and might not be optimized for mobile viewing, if you are having problems seeing it please consider viewing on a desktop.

In conjunction with the State of California's Office on Problem Gambling (OPG) which is within the Department of Public Health, and is administered by UCLA's Gambling Studies Program, you can receive 8 - 24 individual problem gambling treatment therapy sessions at no cost to you. Call 1-800-Gambler for information and to enroll. Yep, it is completely free to anyone who can attend therapy in person, paid for by the Office on Problem Gambling (OPG) and the State of California via a special fund from the Native American Tribes who contribute a percentage of the money they make from gambling to off-set problems that come from it. 

This offer is open to anyone who has a California address and is also open to anyone who is involved in a close relationship with a person who is a compulsive gambler (e.g., SO). The only requirement is that they have at least one symptom of a gambling disorder (see assessment tools for a complete list of the qualifying symptoms). 

Please use the Treatment Information tab for more information on this special program. Some people prefer to seek therapy with me and not participate in the state-funded program, and that can be done as well.  

October 2018 update

At this time I am offering telephone and skype sessions, but am no longer am accepting new patients for in-person-office-based sessions. I still offer a lot of flexibility regarding appointment times, however, these would have to be private pay only and are not eligible for the state program. I am currently NOT participating in the free program so you will need to call them directly and not me for that... To access the free California program please call 1-800-GAMBLER (800-426-2537). 

Please see the treatment section for further information. Please call me directly at 310-446-3887 for a free initial phone call (allow about 20 minutes) to learn more about treatment services.

February 2022 UPDATE I regret that I can no longer accept any new patients, please call 800-gambler for a referal for you or a SO, there are now hundreds of therapists and most can provide therapy via telemedicine (zoom/skype). 

Some thoughts on my work helping gamblers and their families: Gambling problems can be terrible but are treatable and most can recover from it, although some will have to experience cycles of relapse-recovery before they can stop. Unfortunately, some patients do not recover, but most can and do. When I first started to do this work, I would ask patients: "Do you want to stop gambling or learn to control it?" I quickly learned that this was not the right approach and no longer ask about trying to control or moderate the gambling as this did not work out well in nearly every situation. But do not worry, if you are not feeling like you want to stop, that you can't, or are not ready, most people that see me can not imagine never gambling again, so we will work hard to find gentle ways of making changes so that it is possible to be very happy without gambling.

I feel blessed to have found a line of work that I love. I enjoy my work and feel grateful every time a patient invites me into their lives. I look forward to hearing from you soon. I have a wide range of understanding about psychological problems and can work with issues beyond the gambling problem once that is stabilized. 

Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to connecting personally with you so please do take that next step and contact me. I am available to speak with you on the phone if you would like to discuss your situation with me directly. 

Eric Geffner, Ph.D., CCGC, NCGC

California State Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PSY15581