Many individuals with gambling disorder (GD) experience feelings of guilt and shame. These emotional experiences overlap, yet are distinct and require different approaches during GD treatment. Guilt refers to feeling responsible for a thought, act, or feeling in which the individual perceives wrong-doing. Meanwhile, shame is characterized by critical self-evaluation regarding one’s thoughts, actions, and feelings that are likely to be judged harshly by others. This presentation will review guilt and shame in relation to GD, discuss how these emotional experiences facilitate and/or impede meaningful change, and how therapists can assess and address guilt and shame during GD treatment.
