Library · · 8 min · Methods
Cognitive behavioural therapy and gambling harm: basics
What CBT often focuses on in the research literature — educational text, not a manual for self-treatment.
Editorial article — not sponsored, not a substitute for individual professional advice. We do not sell treatment or receive commission from organisations mentioned.
We are not therapists. In New Zealand, registered health practitioners meet professional and legal standards set by their regulatory bodies — check credentials and scopes of practice.
CBT links thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. For gambling, that might mean mapping triggers (stress, boredom) and beliefs such as “I can win it back next time.”
Example goals
- Delay impulses and shorten the “urge wave.”
- Swap gambling rituals for planned activities.
- Question unhelpful ideas about randomness and “systems.”
Research often supports structured psychological care for gambling disorder together with practical steps (money planning, exclusion). Your GP or the Gambling Helpline can suggest local pathways.
Corrections: hello@gamblinghelpnz.com