Collectors MD continues to expand its presence across the problem gambling, behavioral health, prevention, and recovery communities, receiving invitations to deliver professional trainings, webinars, keynote presentations, workshops, and panel discussions for organizations across the country.
These engagements reflect growing recognition of an emerging area of concern: the behavioral risks associated with modern collecting, compulsive spending, and gambling-adjacent activities, and the importance of ensuring that clinicians, prevention professionals, treatment providers, and recovery organizations are equipped to recognize and address them.
Building on the Momentum of NCPG 2026
A major milestone came in July 2026, when Collectors MD Founder Alyx Effron presented “Not Just a Hobby: How the Culture of Collecting Can Escalate Gambling Disorder” at the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, alongside Jamie Glick, LCSW, LAC, LAT, ICGC-I and Chigbo Nzoiwu of the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado (PGCC).
The presentation explored the evolving intersection of modern collecting and gambling-related behaviors, highlighting the importance of education, harm reduction, early intervention, and collaboration between the collectibles industry and behavioral health professionals.
The presentation was among the conference’s top three highest-rated sessions out of more than 60 presentations and was also one of its most highly attended sessions, reflecting significant interest among professionals seeking to better understand the intersection of collecting, gambling psychology, and behavioral health.
Building on that momentum, Collectors MD has received additional invitations from state problem gambling councils, prevention organizations, behavioral health providers, and conference organizers to deliver educational programming throughout 2026 and 2027.
Bridging The Gap Between Collecting and Behavioral Health
Through lived experience, real-world examples, practical case studies, and The CMD Framework, these presentations explore how modern collecting environments have evolved to incorporate randomized outcomes, variable rewards, scarcity, live commerce, card breaking, mystery products, and increasingly frictionless purchasing experiences.
Importantly, Collectors MD does not suggest that collecting itself is gambling or inherently harmful. Collecting can provide nostalgia, enjoyment, community, connection, and meaningful relationships. The focus is on understanding how certain environments and behaviors may create risks for vulnerable individuals, while preserving the positive qualities that make collecting so meaningful.
Training topics include recognizing warning signs of impaired control, understanding modern hobby terminology and purchasing mechanics, identifying potential financial and emotional harm, applying harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches, and connecting individuals and families with appropriate peer-support, recovery, and professional treatment resources.
Each engagement can be adapted to the audience, whether that includes therapists, clinicians, prevention specialists, public health professionals, recovery organizations, educators, industry stakeholders, or individuals with lived experience.
Bringing Education and Prevention to More Communities
As interest continues to grow, Collectors MD remains committed to helping professionals recognize potentially harmful collecting behaviors earlier, ask more informed questions, and develop stronger pathways between the collectibles industry and existing behavioral health resources.
The objective is not simply to raise awareness, but to translate that awareness into practical education, prevention, early intervention, and meaningful support.
Interested in having Collectors MD speak at your next event?
We welcome opportunities to participate in conferences, webinars, keynote presentations, professional trainings, workshops, and panel discussions. Presentations can be tailored to your organization’s audience, educational objectives, and programming needs.
To discuss speaking engagements or educational partnerships, contact info@collectorsmd.com.
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