12/1/23 - Here Come The Holidays! Understanding and Treating Compulsive Stealing (Shoplifting and Employee Theft) and Compulsive $hopping and $pending (The Hidden Addictions)

Here Come The Holidays! Understanding and Treating Compulsive Stealing (Shoplifting and Employee Theft) and Compulsive $hopping and $pending (The Hidden Addictions)
Friday, December 1, 2023 from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Online via Zoom
6.0 CE Hours for Social Work (MICEC) and MCBAP (RELATED)
Course fee: $99
Presenter: Terrence Daryl Shulman, JD, LMSW, ACSW, CAADC, CPC
The holiday season shall be upon us before we know it.  For many, the holidays are the best of times; for many more, they are the worst of times.  And for some, they are both as addictions of all kinds tend to take root and/or escalate.  Two of those addictions are less acknowledged or, at least, less understood: compulsive stealing (especially shoplifting and employee theft) and compulsive shopping/spending.  Of course, these and all kinds of addictions are present throughout the year, yet compulsive stealing (distinct and far more common than "kleptomania") and compulsive shopping/spending are not yet recognized as official disorders or addictions.  Statistics report that at least 10% of American have shoplifted with some degree of regularity and that about half of this group (5%) shoplift with a frequency, duration and manner that would be described as addictive.  Statistics also report that nearly 75% of American workers have engaged in some form of dishonesty in the workplace and that a high percentage of employee theft is repetitive and seemingly emotion-based rather than out of economic need and/or greed.  Research and studies over the last 15-20 years suggest that shopping/spending can become addictive-compulsive for approximately 10% of Americans, yet many think that "shopping addiction" is a joke if not a badge to be worn proudly.  Join in to learn more about how to diagnose and treat these disorders.