Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit describes the knowledge and skills required to provide and monitor support, counselling and interventions for clients affected by problem gambling. Counsellors provide support and review goals and strategies using a holistic approach to establish and maintain change in the gambling activity, as well as looking at the reasons underlying and/or contributing to the problem.

This unit applies to counsellors working with people affected by problem gambling.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand Standards and industry codes of practice.

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Unit Mapping Information

No equivalent unit.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e0c25cc-3d9d-4b43-80d3-bd22cc4f1e53

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:

• implemented support strategies, counselling and interventions for at least 3 diverse clients who gamble to harmful levels in collaboration with the client and his/her support network
• used at least 3 of the following approaches in working with those with problem gambling issues:

• cognitive processes
• affect management
• working with underlying issues
• use of alternative coping strategies
• skills and ‘strengths’ building
• family therapy
• motivational interviewing
• behavioural interventions.

Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:

• legal and ethical considerations (national, state/territory and local) for problem gambling, and how these are applied in organisations and individual practice:

• codes of conduct
• discrimination
• duty of care
• human rights
• privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
• records management
• rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients
• specific legislation that affects gambling, including:

• state / territory Responsible Conduct of Gaming

• work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations
• work health and safety

• key gambling industry stakeholders and their interrelationships
• context for work in problem gambling, including:

• sector values and philosophies
• historical – changing attitudes and approaches
• cultural – factors that motivate people to gamble
• political – current policy context
• economic – links between economic conditions and levels of gambling, socioeconomic patterns, state revenue generation

• definitions and key indicators of problem gambling
• definitions and key indicators of problem gambling
• stages of problem gambling
• features of responsible gambling
• graduated risks of some forms of gambling
• potential impacts of problem gambling
• different models of work in problem gambling, when and how they are used, including:

• individual counselling and therapy
• internet and telephone counselling
• working with families and relationship counselling
• community awareness, development and education
• assessment and referral services
• outpatient services
• peer support/self help
• crisis situation responses
• relapse prevention
• harm minimisation
• group work
• financial counselling
• case management
• residential and inpatient services

• existence and meaning of myths, chance, odds, randomness, gambling cycle
• counselling approaches used in problem gambling, and how to use them, including:

• cognitive processes
• affect management
• underlying issues
• use of alternative coping strategies
• skills and ‘strengths’ building
• family therapy
• motivational interviewing
• behavioural interventions

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and pathological gambling
• theories of gambling
• interventions and harm minimisation strategies directed to current problem gambling behaviour, including self-exclusion options
• individual’s experience of gambling, including family history, culture, character issues, personality, intra-psychic and wider systems, meaning, purpose, function being served, exploring multiplicity of organising impulses
• ways to work with client support networks, both family and non-family
• referral options and availability.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions. The following conditions must be met for this unit:

• use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including:

• client information and assessment outcomes

• modelling of industry operating conditions, including:

• scenarios that involve complex interactions with other people.

Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e0c25cc-3d9d-4b43-80d3-bd22cc4f1e53