Delivery Mode: Online

Webinar: When less is more’: Benzodiazepines deprescribing

This is a 45 minute Turning Point Connect & Learn webinar. To attend the webinar, click the link below to register.

Description:
Dr. Daniel Pham is an addiction psychiatrist at Turning Point, currently working across its Statewide Services in Richmond and Turning Point Eastern Treatment Services in Box Hill. His area of interest includes the treatment of persons with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders, including pharmacological, psychological, and social intervention modalities. This webinar will explore a broad look at the different approaches to the prescribing, deprescribing and management of benzodiazepines in the addictions/AOD context.

Date: Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Time: 1:00pm – 1:45PM

Cost: Online – A link will be sent to you before the webinar

Who should attend: This webinar is only available to staff who are working in a Victorian Department of Health (DH) funded AOD organisation.

Registration:  Click here to register

Introduction to Gambling Disorder: An overview of the concepts & assessment of Gambling Disorder & an introduction to treatment principles

Presented by Dr Nicholas Burgess

Register Here

Since the legislative and societal shift from addressing public intoxication with a law-enforcement response to a health response, cohealth and other providers have been providing both outreach and temporary sobering-up services to people displaying intoxication in public places.

In this presentation, Dean and Andrea will reflect on the learnings from operating this service. Dean will also look at the current treatment approach to alcohol use disorder and review the evidence for adopting a more harm reduction-focused paradigm. Andrea will discuss how public intoxication services operate as an entry point for those requiring assistance to manage their use of alcohol.

Dr Dean Membrey is a general practitioner and addiction medicine specialist who has over a decade of experience providing health care to people experiencing substance use disorders. He is passionate about providing holistic, patient-centred care in community settings to understand the social, cultural and psychological influences on their presentation. He currently works at cohealth Innerspace and provides outreach services in the Melbourne CBD to people experiencing homelessness.

Andrea Fischer is the Director of Community-based Drug and Alcohol Responses at Cohealth. Andrea has a long career in Public Health, having worked for the Burnet and Doherty Institutes. She specialises in managing large-scale public health activities in Victoria and overseas. Her passion is working with people who use alcohol and other drugs, with an emphasis on infectious diseases prevention, testing and treatment.

Connect & Learn webinar series addresses a wide range of practice-relevant topics presented by local expert clinicians. The webinars aim to enhance the capabilities of Victorian AOD and MH workers in responding to substance use and addiction issues among their clients and consumers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This webinar is funded by the Victorian Department of Health and is only available for Victorians to register

Date: Tuesday 21st April 2026
Time: 1pm to 1:45pm AEDT

Register Here

Enquiries: tp@turningpoint.org.au

Moving the goalposts a non-punitive, non-abstinence approach to alcohol use

Presented by Dr Dean Membrey and Andrea Fischer

Register Here

Since the legislative and societal shift from addressing public intoxication with a law-enforcement response to a health response, cohealth and other providers have been providing both outreach and temporary sobering-up services to people displaying intoxication in public places.

In this presentation, Dean and Andrea will reflect on the learnings from operating this service. Dean will also look at the current treatment approach to alcohol use disorder and review the evidence for adopting a more harm reduction-focused paradigm. Andrea will discuss how public intoxication services operate as an entry point for those requiring assistance to manage their use of alcohol.

Dr Dean Membrey is a general practitioner and addiction medicine specialist who has over a decade of experience providing health care to people experiencing substance use disorders. He is passionate about providing holistic, patient-centred care in community settings to understand the social, cultural and psychological influences on their presentation. He currently works at cohealth Innerspace and provides outreach services in the Melbourne CBD to people experiencing homelessness.

Andrea Fischer is the Director of Community-based Drug and Alcohol Responses at Cohealth. Andrea has a long career in Public Health, having worked for the Burnet and Doherty Institutes. She specialises in managing large-scale public health activities in Victoria and overseas. Her passion is working with people who use alcohol and other drugs, with an emphasis on infectious diseases prevention, testing and treatment.

Connect & Learn webinar series addresses a wide range of practice-relevant topics presented by local expert clinicians. The webinars aim to enhance the capabilities of Victorian AOD and MH workers in responding to substance use and addiction issues among their clients and consumers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This webinar is funded by the Victorian Department of Health and is only available for Victorians to register

Date: Tuesday 21st April 2026
Time: 1pm to 1:45pm AEDT

Register Here

Enquiries: tp@turningpoint.org.au

The role of dual diagnosis in AOD rehabilitation

Presented by Dr Lea Foo & Elvira Tsecoutanis

Register Here

This presentation aims to improve knowledge about the prevalence of comorbid mental health and substance use disorders, their relationship and impact on recovery. Dr Lea Foo and Elvira Tsecoutanis will provide tools and strategies to support addressing comorbid mental health conditions in the AOD space.

Dr Lea Foo is an Addiction Psychiatrist at Western Health Drug Health Services. She works with people who use drugs (PWUD) and supports other clinicians working with PWUD through the Hamilton Centre Victoria Statewide service for people living with mental illness and substance use or addiction, and in general hospital settings through the Addiction Medicine consultation service. Dr Lea Foo also coordinates the training program for doctors specialising in Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry at Western Health.

Elvira Tsecoutanis has been in recovery from a long-term heroin addiction for eight years. Elvira has Bipolar II Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). She spent three decades trying to navigate services for dual diagnosis to access treatment for her addiction and mental health issues. Eight years ago, she found a recovery support group and multidisciplinary team of professionals, all of which she credits with saving her life. Elvira is employed by Western Health in Drug Health Services as a Peer Lead for AOD Peer Workforce.

Cost: Free
Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2026,
time: 1:00 PM  to 1:45 PM AEST

Register Here

Enquiries: tp@turningpoint.org.au

All About Adult ADHD presented by Dr Limor Theedar

Presented by Dr Limor Theedar

 

Session Full

Dr Limor Theedar is a consultant psychiatrist and an addiction specialist. She has experience working across a broad range of psychiatry in the past 25 years. Dr Limor was the lead psychiatrist involved in setting up and running Westside Lodge, which is a statewide public dual diagnosis residential rehabilitation service that provides treatment for clients with severe substance use disorders and co-existing psychiatric conditions. It is now in its 8th year since opening.

Dr Limor will be talking about Adult ADHD. Discussion about the increasing public awareness of this diagnosis and, consequently, a rising demand for assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

Clients with a history of substance misuse face additional difficulties in accessing assessments, diagnosis, and treatment. What impact is increasing public awareness of Adult ADHD having on the demand for assessment, diagnosis and treatment? What additional difficulties are clients with a history of substance misuse facing in accessing assessments, diagnosis and treatment?

How do we sensibly approach ADHD assessment, and what are the specific considerations for clients with a positive substance use history?

Connect & Learn webinar series addresses a wide range of practice-relevant topics presented by local expert clinicians. The webinars aim to enhance the capabilities of Victorian AOD and MH workers in responding to substance use and addiction issues among their clients and consumers.

 

Eligibility Criteria

Open to workers in Victorian state-funded services.

Register Here

Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future – culturally safe trauma-informed care

This webinar is hosted by Safer Care Victoria.

Date & Time: Tue, 24 Mar 2026, – 
Cost: Free

Click here to register

The Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future culturally safe trauma-informed care training aims to improve service providers understanding of trauma and build confidence providing safe and supportive care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

In this webinar we will focus on one aspect of this training – the neurophysiology and neurological biology of trauma. We will:

  • describe different types of trauma (PTSD, Complex PTSD, intergenerational trauma), how the stress response can become dysregulated, trauma-related changes to brain structure and function, and how epigenetic changes may facilitate the inheritance of trauma-related responses across generations.
  • help providers understand how challenging behaviours and presentations may be explained by previous trauma and should be viewed as understandable, adaptive coping strategies, and provide strategies to prevent re-traumatisation in health care settings.
  • introduce Working Towards Safe and Sacred Care: A toolkit to support culturally responsive, trauma-aware, healing-informed continuity of care/r for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the perinatal period.

 

Presenter: Dr Kim Jones is a Senior Research Fellow and deputy head of the Indigenous Health Equity Unit at Onemda, the University of Melbourne. She is a non-Indigenous researcher with a background in trauma research and training, neuroscience, and clinical guideline development. Kim’s research focuses on community-led and co-designed implementation and evaluation projects that aim to strengthen services to support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with complex and intergenerational trauma.

MARAM In Practice: Family Violence in AOD Work

Click here to register

MARAM In Practice: Family Violence in AOD Work, presented by Bella Tambakau & Sheridon Byrne 

Date: Thursday 16th April 2026
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm
Venue: Online
Cost: Free
Enquiries: tp@turningpoint.org.au
IMPORTANT NOTE: this training is only available to staff who are working in a Victorian Department of Health (DH) funded AOD organisation in an AOD role.

This workshop is designed for Victorian AOD workers, ideally who have completed foundational MARAM training although not necessary. The workshop aims to enhance practical understanding and application of the MARAM framework and applying it to day-to-day work with clients. 

Participants will explore how to integrate MARAM principles into real-world scenarios through the use of case studies and facilitated breakout room discussions. These sessions will provide opportunities to apply knowledge, share insights, and learn from peers across the sector. 

The workshop will focus on strategies to keep victim-survivors safe, reduce the risk of collusion with people using family violence, and strengthen confidence in responding to complex situations. 

Bella Tambakau is a Specialist Family Violence Advisor in Alcohol and Other Drugs, auspice to Turning Point. Bella brings forth her extensive experience in the family violence sector in crisis and direct response to her current role, where she supports AOD services to build family violence capacity and support the alignment to the MARAM framework. 

Sheridon Byrne is a Trainer within the workforce development team, with over two decades of experience in the family violence sector. Her career spans a wide range of roles, including work in women’s refuges, family violence crisis counselling, program coordination, and project leadership. Sheridon has delivered significant training and capacity-building initiatives across multiple sectors, particularly at the intersection of family violence, alcohol and other drugs, and mental health. Her work includes private consultation and the design of tailored training programs that support sustainable, effective practice. Sheridon is deeply committed to fostering systemic change and empowering practitioners to engage in family violence work with confidence and resilience. 

Who should attend? This workshop is designed for Victorian AOD workers, ideally who have completed foundational MARAM training although not necessary. The workshop aims to enhance practical understanding and application of the MARAM framework and applying it to day-to-day work with clients. 

NOTE: This online training is only available to staff who are working in a Victorian Department of Health (DH) funded AOD organisation in an AOD role, please register with your WORK email, your ticket will be cancelled if you do not use your work email, thank you.

Cancellation policy: This training is free, however if your circumstances change please log into your Eventbrite account and cancel your registration or alternatively email tp@turningpoint.org.au to advise of your inability to complete.

Just Swapping One Drug For Another: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

This is a 2-hour webinar

Register here

Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2026, 10:00AM – 12:00PM

Location: Online

Cost: Free

Description: This webinar will be presented by Addiction Medicine Specialists Dr Paul MacCartney and Dr Ryan D’Cunha. They will discuss medications for Opioid Use Disorder, how we got here, how they work, how people can get them and future options including hydromorphone.

This session is ideal for AOD workers, GPs, clinicians and anyone wanting to feel more confident talking about and working with pharmacotherapy for the people they support.

Register here

Alcohol and Other Drugs Skill Set 2026 (closed)

Expressions of interests are now closed.

Alcohol and Other Drugs Skill Set 2026

Expression of Interest (EOI) only for all four units of competency of the AOD Skill Set.

Turning Point (RTO 6948) has been contracted by the Department of Health (DH) Victoria to deliver competency training and assessment opportunities to the Victorian Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) workforce.

This training is targeted at employees currently in the AOD sector and employed in DH funded AOD Services. Turning Point staff delivering the AOD competencies have both AOD experience and meet the training and assessment requirements as outlined in the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF).

Eligibility: To be eligible for this training you must work in a publicly funded AOD service in a funded AOD role within Victoria. You must also be an Australian Citizen/Permanent Resident or New Zealand Citizen.

Cost: There is no cost to complete these units of competency if you meet the selection criteria.

Application process: This is an expression of interest only and not an enrolment. You must be available to attend all mandatory virtual classes advertised for all units of competency. You will be notified via email if you have been successful in securing a place and you will be required to accept your offer by a due date, as demand for this skill set is high and there are limited places.

Enquiries: tp@turningpoint.org.au 

Webinar: All Things GHB

This is a Turning Point Connect & Learn webinar. To attend the webinar, click the link below to register.

Description: This presentation will aim to improve knowledge about the substance; its effects; its abuse potential; dependency criteria and withdrawal management.

Presented by: Dr. Ferghal Armstrong is an Addiction Medicine specialist at Eastern Health. Ferghal is committed to improving delivery of clinical education and the improvement of outcomes for all people experiencing alcohol and other drug issues. He has a strong interest in complex medical detox, lifestyle medicine, as well as cannabis medicine. Ferghal is also the host of the successful podcasts Cracking Addiction and Med Heads.

Date: Monday 23 March 2026

Time: 1:00pM – 1:45PM

Location: Zoom

Cost: Free

Who should attend: This webinar is only available to staff who are working in a Victorian Department of Health (DH) funded AOD organisation.

Registration:  Click here to register

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