Commentary on "Applying the codependency concept to concerned significant others of problem gamblers: Words of caution"

Abstract

The focus of Calderwood and Rajesparam’s ‘‘Words of Caution’’ is the treatment and mistreatment of concerned significant others (CSOs) affiliated with problem gamblers. A cautionary tale, it was prompted by the negative experience of one of Calderwood or Rajesparam, who observed an ‘‘expert’’ facilitator, self-described as a recovering addict, browbeat the participants of a hospital-sponsored psychoeducational group for problem gamblers and CSOs. On four separate occasions with four different family members, the lead facilitator’s first question to the CSO asked: ‘‘What is your problem?’’ Then, like a broken record, the expert proceeded to badger group participants about the putative characteristics of codependency for six weeks, albeit without actually ever uttering the offensive c-word. Noting that three of the four CSOs enrolled in the group became drop-outs, the authors became worried that other CSOs might also be at risk, because ‘‘workers in the gambling field have adopted or adapted treatment strategies used in the substance abuse field,’’ by which they mean problem-focused family systems theory, a codependency disease model of human behavior, and in-your-face confrontation. As an antidote, Calderwood and Rajesparam prescribe ‘‘more recent therapeutic trends such as a strengths perspective, solution-focused therapy, and a stress-coping model of understanding CSOs.’’