Date: Wednesday, November 11 April 2026 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Online
Description:
This half day workshop provides AOD workers with information and strategies to work with clients who have histories of trauma and substance use. The workshop covers frameworks of trauma, its impact on the brain, the link between trauma and addiction, and recommended treatment approaches when working with this cohort.
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service including those under the AOD Traineeship Program.
Who is not eligible?
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.
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.
Location: Catholic Leadership Centre – 576 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002 (read more about travel contribution)
Cost: $80 + booking fee
Description:
Co-occurring mental health issues are the norm rather than the exception among people seeking alcohol and other drug treatment. Across this 2-day workshop you will learn how to adapt and expand your existing alcohol and other drug treatment skills to assist your clients with managing mental health symptoms.
Deepen your understanding of co-occurring mental health and alcohol and other drug issues and build your knowledge, confidence and skills to better understand clients’ needs, respond effectively, and adapt treatment. Find out what you need to know about the different co-occurring conditions you may encounter and how to effectively incorporate best practice responses into your treatment.
Learning outcomes
Recognise and understand the common mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment
Undertake a thorough assessment and develop an integrated case formulation to guide your practice
Apply a range of alcohol and other drug treatment skills to working with clients with co-occurring mental health conditions
Learn how to respond therapeutically and effectively within the bounds of the alcohol and other drug treatment setting
Eligibility Criteria
This training is open to people working in AOD-specific roles in publicly funded services (i.e. AOD, mental health locals).
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships, workers outside of Victoria, workers not in an AOD-specific role.
Terms & Conditions
If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist. Refunds available only up to 1 day before event.
Location: Monash College City Campus – 750 Collins Street, Docklands VIC 3008(read more about travel contribution)
Cost: $80 + booking fee
Description:
Co-occurring mental health issues are the norm rather than the exception among people seeking alcohol and other drug treatment. Across this 2-day workshop you will learn how to adapt and expand your existing alcohol and other drug treatment skills to assist your clients with managing mental health symptoms.
Deepen your understanding of co-occurring mental health and alcohol and other drug issues and build your knowledge, confidence and skills to better understand clients’ needs, respond effectively, and adapt treatment. Find out what you need to know about the different co-occurring conditions you may encounter and how to effectively incorporate best practice responses into your treatment.
Learning outcomes
Recognise and understand the common mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment
Undertake a thorough assessment and develop an integrated case formulation to guide your practice
Apply a range of alcohol and other drug treatment skills to working with clients with co-occurring mental health conditions
Learn how to respond therapeutically and effectively within the bounds of the alcohol and other drug treatment setting
This training is open to workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service only.
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as family violence, homelessness, mental health, and AOD workers outside of Victoria.
Terms & Conditions
Refunds are available up to 7 days prior to the event. Please email elevate@vaada.org.au if you can no longer attend.
*To enrol, change ‘Enrol Now’ to ‘I’m Going’. Check if you’ve enrolled correctly under ‘My Courses’
Date: Thursday, 9 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 is open to people working in AOD-specific roles in publicly funded services (i.e. AOD, mental health locals).
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships, workers outside of Victoria, workers not in an AOD-specific role.
Terms & Conditions
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.
This is a full day workshop with Jen Thompson, a psychotherapist and trainer passionate about creating welcoming, hopeful, and trauma informed service systems.
Description: Working with cognitively impaired clients can be a significant challenge, particularly when access to assessment services and resources are limited. Cognitive difficulties may arise from a range of aetiologies including acquired brain injury, mental health, substance use, or neurodevelopmental differences and together, this can have a cumulative and adverse impact on treatment outcomes and recovery. This workshop will provide practical strategies for working with clients who present with or have concerns regarding cognitive difficulties. In particular, this workshop will cover four main themes:
Recognising cognitive impairment
Underlying aetiologies across the lifespan
Supporting clients with cognitive impairment
Referral pathways: When might assessment be indicated?
Date: Friday, 28th November 2025
Time: 9:30pM – 4:30PM
Location: Turning Point, 110 Church Street, Richmond, VIC 3121
Cost: Free
Who should attend: AOD clinicians, counsellors, support workers and allied health working in a Victorian Department of Health funded AOD organisation.
This is a full day workshop with Jen Thompson, a psychotherapist and trainer passionate about creating welcoming, hopeful, and trauma informed service systems.
This workshop will explore the following concepts and will bring them to life with experiential exercises and discussion:
Creating safety and the felt experience of safety
Understanding trauma in the context of substance use
Bringing body awareness into our work
Understanding trauma informed care principles and applying to our work
Understanding Polyvagal Theory
The Zone of fabulousness
Collective Care and Solidarity Teams
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) and Mental Health service including peer workers.
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships 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 at least 24 hours before the cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
This is a full day workshop with Jen Thompson, a psychotherapist and trainer passionate about creating welcoming, hopeful, and trauma informed service systems.
This workshop will explore the following concepts and will bring them to life with experiential exercises and discussion:
Creating safety and the felt experience of safety
Understanding trauma in the context of substance use
Bringing body awareness into our work
Understanding trauma informed care principles and applying to our work
Understanding Polyvagal Theory
The Zone of fabulousness
Collective Care and Solidarity Teams
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) and Mental Health service including peer workers.
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships and AOD/MH workers outside of Victoria.
Terms & Conditions
Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. 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.
We at VAADA acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People as the traditional owners of the land on which we reside and pay respect to elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge that this land was never ceded.
