*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Date: Thursday, 16 April 2026 9:30AM – 4:30PM
Location: Online
Description:
Alcohol and other drugs can affect the brain in both consistent and idiosyncratic ways. Up to 70% of people in alcohol and other drug treatment have significant temporary or long term cognitive impairment related to drug use, lifestyle or other factors.
In this workshop, learn about how different parts of the brain can be affected by drug use and how this may impact functioning. You will gain a thorough understanding of how the brain works, the functional impact of drugs and the effects on treatment.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand how alcohol and other drugs affect the brain in the short and longer term
- Gain skills in assessment of functional impairment and daily functioning
- Adapt treatment to improve outcomes for clients who have cognitive impairments
Suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners and workers in low threshold and clinical settings.
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Date: Thursday, 27 August 2026 9:30AM – 1:00PM
Location: Online
Description:
This half-day workshop will build and strengthen core knowledge and skills in understanding and maintaining professional boundaries, specifically when working with clients with alcohol and other drug issues. This will include:
- Understanding professional boundaries
- Strategies to prevent and respond to boundary challenges
- Consideration of specific boundary issues to different AOD treatment roles, including lived experience roles
- The use of technology
- Selfcare
This workshop will use case based discussion throughout to ensure knowledge and skills taught are relevant to the AOD workforce.
Key learning outcomes:
- Understand professional boundaries and their maintenance
- Recognise and respond to boundary challenges
- Build your own toolkit of practitioner specific boundary maintenance strategies, including managing technology
- Recognise your own and your colleagues’ warning signs and challenging client presentations
- Enhance your self care skills and know when to debrief and access further support
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Date: Thursday, 2 July 2026 9:30AM – 1:00PM
Location: Online
Description:
In this half-day workshop, we explore effective ways of managing challenging and aggressive behaviours in professional settings. Learn to recognise early warning signs, understand common triggers and respond with confidence to maintain safety and therapeutic engagement.
You’ll improve your informal screening skills and learn how to have effective conversations about challenging and aggressive behaviours. Increase your toolbox of effective responses, including brief and longer therapeutic interventions, build skills in maintaining therapeutic relationships and learn how to practice self care.
You’ll walk away with the skills you need to handle difficult situations and maintain strong professional relationships while also prioritising your own wellbeing and self care.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand professional boundaries and their maintenance
- Understand challenging and aggressive behaviours and their contributing factors
- Build screening, formulation and conversation skills about challenging and aggressive behaviours
- Learn and practice effective responses, including de-escalation
- Enhance self and other care techniques
Suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners and workers in low threshold and clinical settings.
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Date: Thursday, 26 February 2026 9:30AM – 1:00PM
Location: Online
Description:
In this half-day workshop, we explore effective ways of managing challenging and aggressive behaviours in professional settings. Learn to recognise early warning signs, understand common triggers and respond with confidence to maintain safety and therapeutic engagement.
You’ll improve your informal screening skills and learn how to have effective conversations about challenging and aggressive behaviours. Increase your toolbox of effective responses, including brief and longer therapeutic interventions, build skills in maintaining therapeutic relationships and learn how to practice self care.
You’ll walk away with the skills you need to handle difficult situations and maintain strong professional relationships while also prioritising your own wellbeing and self care.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand professional boundaries and their maintenance
- Understand challenging and aggressive behaviours and their contributing factors
- Build screening, formulation and conversation skills about challenging and aggressive behaviours
- Learn and practice effective responses, including de-escalation
- Enhance self and other care techniques
Suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners and workers in low threshold and clinical settings.
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Details:
Date: Thursday, 10 December 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Online
Description
Prerequisite: The workshop is suitable for workers who have completed MI Foundation Skills AND Developing Skills (or equivalent) and now want to deepen and integrate MI skills more effectively into their practice.
Deepening Conversations builds on the Foundation Skills and Developing Skills workshops to build confidence in guiding curious, respectful conversations about change. This workshop is highly practice-based, applying the principles and core skills to common challenges to work with resistance and ambivalence, evoke change talk and foster hope.
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
If you cannot attend, cancel your registration at least 24 hours before the cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
No shows will be charged a $50 cancellation fee.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Details:
Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Online
Description
Prerequisite: The workshop is suitable for workers who have completed MI Foundation Skills AND Developing Skills (or equivalent) and now want to deepen and integrate MI skills more effectively into their practice.
Deepening Conversations builds on the Foundation Skills and Developing Skills workshops to build confidence in guiding curious, respectful conversations about change. This workshop is highly practice-based, applying the principles and core skills to common challenges to work with resistance and ambivalence, evoke change talk and foster hope.
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
If you cannot attend, cancel your registration at least 24 hours before the cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
No shows will be charged a $50 cancellation fee.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Details:
Date: Tuesday, 10 November 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Online
Description
As a follow up from the Foundation Skills workshop, this one-day course offers an opportunity to refresh, consolidate and deepen understanding of MI and practical application of the model after a period of putting the skills into practice.
This workshop provides participants to practice core skills in a positive learning environment with coached feedback. The aim is to have fun revisiting the skills, and gain more focus in their ongoing practice. The workshop extends the foundation skills training, including deepening reflections, exploring the role of values and working with change talk.
The workshop is suitable for workers who have prior training in MI (or completed the MI Foundation Skills training).
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
If you cannot attend, cancel your registration at least 24 hours before the cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
No shows will be charged a $50 cancellation fee.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Details:
Date: Thursday, 20 August 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Online
Description
As a follow up from the Foundation Skills workshop, this one-day course offers an opportunity to refresh, consolidate and deepen understanding of MI and practical application of the model after a period of putting the skills into practice.
This workshop provides participants to practice core skills in a positive learning environment with coached feedback. The aim is to have fun revisiting the skills, and gain more focus in their ongoing practice. The workshop extends the foundation skills training, including deepening reflections, exploring the role of values and working with change talk.
The workshop is suitable for workers who have prior training in MI (or completed the MI Foundation Skills training).
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
If you cannot attend, cancel your registration at least 24 hours before the cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
No shows will be charged a $50 cancellation fee.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Details:
Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Online
Description
As a follow up from the Foundation Skills workshop, this one-day course offers an opportunity to refresh, consolidate and deepen understanding of MI and practical application of the model after a period of putting the skills into practice.
This workshop provides participants to practice core skills in a positive learning environment with coached feedback. The aim is to have fun revisiting the skills, and gain more focus in their ongoing practice. The workshop extends the foundation skills training, including deepening reflections, exploring the role of values and working with change talk.
The workshop is suitable for workers who have prior training in MI (or completed the MI Foundation Skills training).
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
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.
Terms & Conditions
If you cannot attend, cancel your registration at least 24 hours before the cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
No shows will be charged a $50 cancellation fee.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2026 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Online
Description:
This training will be facilitated by VACCHO. The training encompasses, and builds on, cultural awareness content by providing considerations and advice to implement cultural safety considerations into practice. Participant learning and understanding are enhanced by the personal stories and the lived experience of our facilitators while exploring Aboriginal identities, cultures, and history.
Session topics:
- The historical and intergenerational impacts of colonisation and policies and how they have shaped Aboriginal culture, peoples and Communities
- Aspects of Aboriginal identities, culture and protocols
- Fostering respectful relationships with Aboriginal peoples and Communities
- Foundational skills and strategies for implementing cultural safety into practice
The training aims to provide the necessary foundational knowledge to enable participants to:
- Develop a greater understanding of Aboriginal cultural and social perspectives
- Engage meaningfully with Aboriginal peoples and Communities
- Strengthen existing relationships and integrate cultural safety into practice
- Identify ways to embed and apply learnings in professional and personal contexts.
Eligibility Criteria
This training is funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded AOD service, including LLE 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.
Terms & Conditions
No shows will be charged a $50 late cancellation fee. If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
