Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Neurodiversity and Substance Use – Symposium

There is a growing body of research that suggests that neurodivergent people may be at an increased risk of developing problematic substance use. This is likely due to the increased burden on neurodivergent people trying to function in a world not designed for them.

This event is for AOD workers who are interested in learning more about the intersection of neurodiversity and substance use, and how to support neurodivergent people to achieve their goals.

This symposium will focus on two areas; ADHD and Autism and feature a series of keynote presentations and interactive workshops. We have invited leading experts, including people with lived experience, to share their insights and experiences. We encourage all attendees to actively participate in the discussions and ask questions.

Details

Date: Thursday, 21st September,

Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30PM

Address:  Catholic Leadership Centre, 576 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne

Booking: via Eventbrite

See Program

See Venue Floorplan

Speakers

Dr Eddie Mullen MB BCh BAO, FRANZCP, AFRACMA,

Dr Eddie Mullen is a youth psychiatrist and has been at Orygen Specialist Program in Melbourne, Victoria for over 9 years. He is the Co-Lead of the Orygen Youth Addiction and Dual Diagnosis Stream as well as working with the Orygen Substance Use Research Group as a Principal Investigator on several studies looking into novel treatments for cannabis, methamphetamine and tobacco misuse in young people.

Dr Mullen has a strong interest in understanding developmental perspectives of substance use from early adolescence into adulthood and how this can inform our approach to screening, assessment and offering evidence based treatment as well as the intersection of youth, neurodivergence and addiction. He also works at Turning Point as an Addiction Fellow in Training.

Dr Dianne Grocott MBBS FRANZCP

Dr Grocott is a psychiatrist with 30 years experience in public and private practice, who has specialised in ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Addiction Psychiatry. In 2015 she co-founded the Victorian Adult ADHD Interest Group (VAADHDIG), a multidisciplinary group of clinicians who share expertise and resources to improve the lives of their patients with ADHD. VAADHDIG members are developing an accredited GP Training Course on ADHD and are collaborating in the design of best practice models for ADHD assessment and holistic management.

Mel Spencer OAM, Chief Executive Officer of Different Journeys 

Mel Spencer OAM is a fierce Autistic advocate. As a parent to 3 Autistic teenagers and identifying as Autistic herself (Mel realised this as a result of her own children being diagnosed ), she is committed to ensuring that the world is more accommodating and accepting of the Autism community, which includes supporting both the Autistic individual and their family, including parents and carers. She is very passionate about making a difference and finding creative ways to overcome the challenges and obstacles that present along the way.
Her background is 18 years with the Victoria Police Force, predominantly in the area of investigations and support of victims of sexual, physical and domestic violence. She has completed a Certificate IV in Disability and Small Business Management. She has, for the past two years been the proud recipient of the State Government Women In Boards Leadership program, which connected her with the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2020 she was inducted into Victorian Women’s Honour roll that supports outstanding achievements by women.
Mel is the co-founder and current Chief Executive Officer of Different Journeys which she started with Merrin Ayton to ensure that her children had the opportunity to connect with a wider world than their bedrooms. Her vision for Different Journeys is to provide opportunities for our Autistic community to find meaningful ways to connect and empower both themselves and their families, ensuring they have every opportunity that is afforded to them so they can lead a fulfilling life.

Professor Edward Ogden PSM

Professor Edward Ogden PSM is the Principal Research Fellow, Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology, a staff specialist in addiction medicine at Austin Health in Melbourne and the Addiction Medicine Specialist at Goulburn Valley Health.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, a Fellow of the Chapter of Addiction Medicine of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and a Fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Forensic Medicine of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. He was awarded the Public Service Medal for services to Forensic Medicine on Australia Day 2005.

His research interests focus on the role of alcohol and drugs in traffic safety, and the development of treatments for alcohol and drug abuse. He is working with academic and clinical colleagues to form a centre for ADHD research with particular interest in ADHD and Substance Use Disorder.

Tim Ridgeway ADHD Coach and AOD Clincian

Tim is an ADHD and Recovery Coach, who operates ‘ADDAPTIVE COACHING’, a specialised coaching service that supports clients who have co-morbid ADHD and Recovery needs. He has designed psychoeducation programs being utilised in rehabilitations, as well as working with a local institution ‘The Cottage’ as a facilitator. An experienced therapeutic clinician with a lived experience facing the challenges of ADHD, addiction, homelessness, justice interaction and mental health. With professional experience as a practitioner working independently, in addition to residential and community rehabilitation experience. He specialises in working with Substance Use Disorder and Co-Morbid ADHD. Tim has worked for some of the local leaders in AOD Treatment: GV Health, Odyssey House Victoria and The Cottage Shepparton. He has qualifications and experience in Community Services, AOD. As well as being ICF Coaching and Mentor Coach trained.

Aaron Gilhooley, General Manager, The Cottage Shepparton

Aaron Gilhooley is the General Manager of The Cottage—a privately funded, not-for-profit organisation located in the heart of Shepparton. Recognising a vital need in the community, The Cottage was established to provide a life-skills residential facility. It operates on the therapeutic community model, offering a holistic and participative group-based approach to address long-term mental health challenges, personality disorders, neurodiversity, and addiction.

2-day Youth-focussed AOD Practices

Dates:

Day 1: Tuesday 15th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM in person

Day 2: Wednesday 16th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM in person

Description

This training program aims to increase the capacity of workers to effectively support and respond to the needs of young people who are using substances.

Our sessions are interactive and enhanced through real-world case examples. The trainers empower participants to reflect on their own work to learn for future practice experiences.

This workshop will look at how the understanding of trauma, attachment and adverse early childhood experiences informs our work with young people who use AOD. It will equip workers with a foundational knowledge of adolescent development and the function, meaning and purpose of risk-taking and other challenging behaviours, including AOD use.  This workshop will cover key areas that underpin effective planning and support for young people through Resilience Based Care Planning.

 

Day 1 – Trauma, Attachment and Adolescent Development, Tuesday 15th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM

Learning outcomes:

  • Introduction to Attachment
  • Understanding Trauma
  • Impacts of Trauma on the Young Person
  • Understanding the links between trauma and AOD use
  • Adolescent Development Theories
  • Risk in Adolescence
  • Developmental needs and adolescent substance use

 

DAY 2 – Young People, drug use and resilience-based care, Wednesday 16th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM

Learning Outcomes:

  • Perspectives on Youth AOD issues
  • Harm reduction
  • Commonly used drugs
  • Understanding the function of substance use and exploring alternatives
  • Engaging young people in ways that work for them
  • Principals of assessment
  • Building motivation and supporting change
  • Overview of resilience-based care

Eligibility Criteria

This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, including those who are new to the AOD sector or recently employed under the COVID-19 Workforce Initiative and Peer workers.

Who is not eligible?

Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as Family Violence, Homelessness and Mental Health and AOD workers outside of Victoria.

Please ensure you have clearance to attend from your line manager. If you cannot attend, even if you find out the day before, please cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waiting list.

2-day Youth-focussed AOD Practices

Dates:

Day 1: Tuesday 15th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM in person

Day 2: Wednesday 16th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM in person

Description

This training program aims to increase the capacity of workers to effectively support and respond to the needs of young people who are using substances.

Our sessions are interactive and enhanced through real-world case examples. The trainers empower participants to reflect on their own work to learn for future practice experiences.

This workshop will look at how the understanding of trauma, attachment and adverse early childhood experiences informs our work with young people who use AOD. It will equip workers with a foundational knowledge of adolescent development and the function, meaning and purpose of risk-taking and other challenging behaviours, including AOD use.  This workshop will cover key areas that underpin effective planning and support for young people through Resilience Based Care Planning.

 

Day 1 – Trauma, Attachment and Adolescent Development, Tuesday 15th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM

Learning outcomes:

  • Introduction to Attachment
  • Understanding Trauma
  • Impacts of Trauma on the Young Person
  • Understanding the links between trauma and AOD use
  • Adolescent Development Theories
  • Risk in Adolescence
  • Developmental needs and adolescent substance use

 

DAY 2 – Young People, drug use and resilience-based care, Wednesday 16th August, 2023, 9:30AM- 4:30PM

Learning Outcomes:

  • Perspectives on Youth AOD issues
  • Harm reduction
  • Commonly used drugs
  • Understanding the function of substance use and exploring alternatives
  • Engaging young people in ways that work for them
  • Principals of assessment
  • Building motivation and supporting change
  • Overview of resilience-based care

Eligibility Criteria

This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, including those who are new to the AOD sector or recently employed under the COVID-19 Workforce Initiative and Peer workers.

Who is not eligible?

Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as Family Violence, Homelessness and Mental Health and AOD workers outside of Victoria.

Please ensure you have clearance to attend from your line manager. If you cannot attend, even if you find out the day before, please cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waiting list.

1-day Brief Interventions – Youth

This session will cover how workers can provide effective brief intervention support to young people unwilling to engage in more traditional, clinical or intensive AOD support.  The workshop will also cover other experiential and novel ways to work with young people who might resist traditional approaches.

  • What are and when can we use AOD brief Interventions with young people
  • Experiential and novel approaches to supporting young people experiencing AOD issues
  • Exploring creative and tailored ways to meet the needs of young people experiencing AOD issues

Eligibility Criteria

This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, including those who are new to the AOD sector or recently employed under the COVID-19 Workforce Initiative and Peer workers.

Who is not eligible?

Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as Family Violence, Homelessness and Mental Health and AOD workers outside of Victoria.

Please ensure you have clearance to attend from your line manager. If you cannot attend, even if you find out the day before, please cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waiting list.

Youth AOD: 2-day Single Session Family Consultations

The 2-day training is provided in a blended format with both in-person and self-paced online learning. This workshop provides skills in facilitating productive and efficient family meetings where resource building and meeting the developmental needs of young people are central. Particular attention is given to the process of negotiating when and how to bring family members together to ensure the primary relationship between the young person and the practitioner is maintained.

Learning outcomes:

  • Describe the rationale and practice principles underpinning Single Session Family Consultations (SSFC) and its place within a comprehensive response to families
  • Unpack the conceptual and practical contributions of Single Session Thinking and Family Consultation to the model
  • Outline and consideration of key tasks in convening an SSFC
  • Describe and demonstrate the key stages of SSFC with young people

2-day: Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk and MARAM with Young People

This course aims to introduce family violence literacy, practice skills and foundational theories, this workshop covers a range of topics necessary for identifying and responding to family violence and enhancing participants understanding of how family violence impacts young people and the skills required for providing appropriate support.

Participants will be introduced to foundational family violence knowledge including an exploration of the drivers of violence, an introduction to Intersectionality and develop communication skills that support young people’s safety, dispel family violence myths and avoid collusion. This workshop will also introduce workers to the use of the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Tool from a youth AOD context, discuss adolescent-specific risk assessment considerations and provide an overview of the family violence service system. This workshop is an evidence-informed introduction to preliminary practice strategies to support young people who are victim-survivors and/or users of family violence and adolescent intimate partner violence.

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe and identify family violence
  • Discuss the drivers of violence
  • Introduction to Intersectionality in Family Violence
  • Be familiar with the Typologies of Family Violence used at YSAS
  • Use sensitive and appropriate language when discussing or communicating about family violence
  • Recognise risks of collusion and misidentification as the perpetrator
  • Communicate in ways that dispel family violence myths
  • Understand how family violence impacts young people
  • Introduction to relevant legislation and practice frameworks including mandatory reporting
  • Introduction to the role of the Multi-Agency-Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) framework
  • Understand responsibilities as an Information Sharing Entity (ISE)
  • Adolescent specific Risk Assessment considerations
  • Use Sensitive Inquiry to discuss Family Violence
  • Provided with basic skills to collaboratively Safety Plan

1-day Brief Interventions – Youth AOD

This session will cover ways that workers can provide effective brief intervention support to young people who are not willing to engage in more traditional, clinical or intensive AOD support.  The workshop will also cover other experiential and novel ways to work with young people who might be resistant to traditional approaches.

  • What are and when can we use AOD brief Interventions with young people
  • Experiential and novel approaches to supporting young people experiencing AOD issues
  • Exploring creative and tailored ways to meet the needs of young people experiencing AOD issues

1-day Workshop: Cultural Bridging Workshop with Robyne Latham

In-person training

Location:

Multicultural Hub – Green Room
506 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Details

Safe and effective practice for young people from diverse backgrounds and communities (Co-presented with First Nations Community member)

This Cultural Bridging Workshop is founded on the deeply held belief that people genuinely want and need to understand and connect with each other and they will do so when they are in environments that promote curiosity and creativity.

The intention underpinning this one-day workshop is to create opportunities to bridge the space between one’s own culture and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture(s). The participants will explore, in a non-blaming and non-shaming way, the continuum of the similarities and differences between mainstream and First Nation Cultures.

The training has very few slides, is experiential in nature and hopefully will be fun.

Areas addressed (learning outcomes) will include:

  • Listening deeply with all your senses.
  • Collective unconscious racism and how it manifests.
  • Working as a team, against the odds.
  • To experience ‘being the other.’

This workshop will also be supported by Robyne’s friend and colleague, Dr Jacqui Sundbery, YSAS General Manager of Research and Practice.

Eligibility Criteria

This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, including those who are new to the AOD sector or recently employed under the COVID-19 Workforce Initiative and Peer workers.

Who is not eligible?

Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as Family Violence, Homelessness and Mental Health and AOD workers outside of Victoria.

Please ensure you have clearance to attend from your line manager. If you cannot attend, even if you find out the day before, please cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waiting list.

Youth Focussed AOD Practices: Adolescents who use alcohol and other drugs (Youth AOD 1-4 combined)

In-person

Save the Children,
Ground Floor Training Room,
33 Lincoln Square South
Carlton Vic 3053

Details

This training program aims to increase the capacity of workers to effectively support and respond to the needs of young people who are using substances.

Our sessions are interactive and enhanced through real-world case examples. The trainers empower participants to reflect on their own work to learn for future practice experiences.

This workshop will look at how the understanding of trauma, attachment and adverse early childhood experiences inform our work with young people who use AOD. It will equip workers with a foundational knowledge of adolescent development and the function, meaning and purpose of risk-taking and other challenging behaviours including AOD use.  This workshop will cover key areas that underpin effective planning and support for young people through Resilience Based Care Planning.

 

Day 1 – Trauma, Attachment and Adolescent Development

Learning outcomes:

  • Introduction to Attachment
  • Understanding Trauma
  • Impacts of Trauma on the Young Person
  • Understanding the links between trauma and AOD use
  • Adolescent Development theories
  • Risk in Adolescence
  • Developmental needs and adolescent substance use

 

DAY 2 – Young People, drug use and resilience-based care

Learning Outcomes:

  • Perspectives on Youth AOD issues
  • Harm reduction
  • Commonly used drugs
  • Understanding the function of substance use and exploring alternatives
  • Engaging young people in ways that work for them
  • Principals of assessment
  • Building motivation and supporting change
  • Overview of resilience-based care

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ABOUT PROVIDER

The Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS) is Australia’s largest, youth-specific community service organisation. Operating since 1998 as Victoria’s flagship Youth AOD service, YSAS now employs over 350 skilled staff across 19 sites in metropolitan and regional Victoria. While the prime focus of YSAS remains on effective Youth AOD Treatment and sector leadership, the organisation also has extensive experience in providing young people and families with services that support improved mental health and improve meaningful community participation.

Level 3/33 Lincoln Square South
Carlton VIC 3053
Ph: 03 9415 8881
Em: reception@ysas.org.au
web: ysas.org.au
Dec 01
Youth Focussed AOD Practices: Adolescents who use alcohol and other drugs (Youth AOD 1-4 combined)
clock Duration: 2-full days
location Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Enrolment Open

YSAS have combined Youth AOD 1-4 into a 2-day training for Youth AOD workers. Day one focuses on understanding trauma, attachment and adverse early childhood experiences and how it informs working with young people who use AOD. Day two will cover key areas that underpin effective planning and support for young people through Resilience Based Care Planning.

clock Timetable:
location Details:

Day 1: Thursday 1st December, 9:30am – 4:30pm

Day 2: Friday 2nd December, 9:30am – 4:30pm

  • Training Type: Non-accredited
  • Topic: Adolescent Development, Attachment, Care Planning, Case Work, Harm Minimisation, Harm Reduction, Practice wisdom, Trauma
  • Priority Population: Youth
  • Age Group: Youth
  • Location: 

    Save the Children,
    Ground Floor Training Room,
    33 Lincoln Square South
    Carlton Vic 3053
About this training:

This training program aims to increase the capacity of workers to effectively support and respond to the needs of young people who are using substances.

Our sessions are interactive and enhanced through real-world case examples. The trainers empower participants to reflect on their own work to learn for future practice experiences.

This workshop will look at how the understanding of trauma, attachment and adverse early childhood experiences inform our work with young people who use AOD. It will equip workers with a foundational knowledge of adolescent development and the function, meaning and purpose of risk-taking and other challenging behaviours including AOD use.  This workshop will cover key areas that underpin effective planning and support for young people through Resilience Based Care Planning.

 

Day 1 – Trauma, Attachment and Adolescent Development

Learning outcomes:

  • Introduction to Attachment
  • Understanding Trauma
  • Impacts of Trauma on the Young Person
  • Understanding the links between trauma and AOD use
  • Adolescent Development theories
  • Risk in Adolescence
  • Developmental needs and adolescent substance use

 

DAY 2 – Young People, drug use and resilience-based care

Learning Outcomes:

  • Perspectives on Youth AOD issues
  • Harm reduction
  • Commonly used drugs
  • Understanding the function of substance use and exploring alternatives
  • Engaging young people in ways that work for them
  • Principals of assessment
  • Building motivation and supporting change
  • Overview of resilience-based care
Provider: YSAS

Eligibility Criteria

This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, including those who are new to the AOD sector or recently employed under the COVID-19 Workforce Initiative and Peer workers.

Who is not eligible?

Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as Family Violence, Homelessness and Mental Health and AOD workers outside of Victoria.

Please ensure you have clearance to attend from your line manager. If you are unable to attend, even if you find out the day before, please cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waiting list.
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