Judith Laverman graduated as a behavioural psychologist at the University of Amsterdam, where she focused mainly on health behaviour such as addiction. She later completed a second master’s degree transitioned into clinical practice as a licensed health care psychologist. She recently finished her post‑master qualification, which allows her to work clinically as a senior health care psychologist.

Judith started her career as part of a FACT team and followed-up with a position focusing on intercultural mental health. At SolutionS-Center she works in a multidisciplinary outpatient team providing group therapy for clients with a gambling disorder and/or substance use disorder.

Judith works closely on research and therapy with two nationally renowned experts in the field of gambling addiction: Dr Ruth van Holst  of the University of Amsterdam and Bas Brons of SolutionS-Center, a Dutch organisation for addiction care, helping 2,500 clients per year through in- and outpatient treatment.

PRESENTATION DETAILS
Gambling disorder: Practical insights from a research- and therapy-integrated approach 

In 2021, the online gambling market in the Netherlands was legalised. A huge boom followed in advertising which has led to many more young people gambling. Since then, we see an increase in young people in addiction care. SolutionS-Center and the University of Amsterdam entered into a collaboration in which SolutionS-Center can identify clients willing to participate in research and adopt new insights into the treatment plans as soon as they come available. Or, in words of the University of Amsterdam:  “Understanding which decision-making processes are disrupted in individuals with Gambling Disorder can help inform more effective interventions. By supporting the processes that are compromised, treatment may better facilitate learning and promote more sustainable recovery. SolutionS-Center not only contributes to scientific research but also translates the latest evidence into clinical practice. In doing so, it helps clients develop greater self-insight and enables treatment to be more precisely tailored to address these difficulties.” Judith Laverman will discuss the outcome of these research projects as well as therapeutic insights that can be used in practice right now.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

• Describe how dopamine levels affect learning and how that mechanism may work differently for people with a gambling disorder
• Discuss how certainty (of profit) affects decision-making
• Explain how these processes are related to each other and how we can better support them in treatment to promote recovery.