RACGP NT: Gambling and Its Links To Mental Health and Other Addictions
Webinar 30 Jun, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (ACST)
Judy Avisar, Project Coordinator, 3SOC – Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC), will facilitate this interactive webinar for GPs and healthcare clinicians, combining lived experience insights with clinical discussion and practical guidance. The session will support participants to recognise gambling‑related harm, understand its links to mental health, substance use and social factors, and apply effective, stigma‑reducing approaches to screening, communication and patient care. Attendees will also explore how gambling harm may present in general practice and how to respond confidently using a patient‑centred approach.
Learning outcomes
- Outline key indicators of gambling harm for general practice patients, including related risk factor screening
- Recall key intersections between gambling, trauma, mental health conditions, alcohol and other drug use, and family violence
- Describe options for structured stigma-reducing communication approaches
Educational
Activities
1.0
hours
Measuring
Outcomes
0
hours
Reviewing
Performance
0.5
hours
Speakers
Judy Avisar
Project Coordinator (SHARC)
Judy Avisar is the Project Coordinator of the Three Sides of the Coin (3SOC) Gambling Harm Project at the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC) and is the backbone of this initiative, and has cradled the project from its infancy in 2012 with Arnold Zable’s story-telling workshops and various theatre forms, to the vibrancy of what it is today.
Judy works with individuals with lived experience of gambling harm to share their stories through facilitated workshops, live performance, and online education. The project aims to reduce stigma, increase awareness, and support behaviour change in professionals and communities.
Judy has extensive experience delivering professional development sessions to health professionals across Australia, focusing on the intersection of gambling harm with mental health, substance use, trauma, and social determinants of health.
Dr Sam Heard
Chair, NT Faculty Council
Dr Sam Heard is a General Practitioner based in the Northern Territory with extensive experience in remote and Aboriginal health, medical education, and health systems innovation.
He is currently Chair of the RACGP Northern Territory Faculty and is widely recognised for his work supporting the development of the GP workforce and improving access to primary care in rural and remote communities.
Dr Heard previously served as Medical Director of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, where he provided clinical leadership across multiple urban and remote clinics. He has also held senior roles in GP training, including Regional Director of GP Training in the Northern Territory, and academic positions with Flinders University.
Internationally, Dr Heard is recognised for his contributions to health informatics and electronic health record development through his work with the openEHR Foundation.
He has a long-standing commitment to training and mentoring GPs and was awarded RACGP General Practice Supervisor of the Year (SA/NT) in 2017. In 2019, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to medicine.
Dr Heard brings a strong focus on culturally responsive care, clinical education, and improving health outcomes for communities across the Northern Territory.