Gambling & Financial Assessment
A Clinical Question Guide for Assessing Gambling Behavior and Financial Risk
“Tell me about your relationship with money and gambling — from the beginning, in your own words.”
Purpose: Open, non-leading — lets the client organize their own narrative first.
“What sources of money have you used for gambling that you haven’t told anyone about?”
Purpose: Direct, normalized.
“Have you disclosed the full financial picture to anyone close to you? What have you left out?”
Purpose: Financial disclosure status.
“How close to the edge are you financially right now? What would happen if nothing changed in the next 30 days?”
Purpose: Crisis assessment.
“Walk me through the last time you moved money around to cover losses or keep gambling going.”
Purpose: Identifies financial crisis from financial deception.
“Is there a number — a debt, a loss — that feels unrecoverable to you?”
Purpose: The perception of irreparable damage is a direct suicide risk marker.
If the client identifies a debt or loss as “unrecoverable,” conduct a full suicide risk assessment before proceeding. Do not minimize financial shame as a precipitating factor.
