QNADA

Stepping Stones Toowoomba 4 Day Course
2024-11-23 09:30 - 2024-11-24 16:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Toowoomba City Library, Level 3, 155 Herries St, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
4 DAY COURSE for family members and friends supporting loved ones with AOD use.
Course provides support and information to improve their own wellbeing and improve outcomes and needs of everyone.
23rd- 24th of November 2024 (Saturday & Sunday)
9.30 am – 4.00 pm
each day
FDS Members $40 for workbook
Non-members $70 (includes annual membership)

Stepping Stones Toowoomba 4 Day Course
2024-11-16 09:30 - 2024-11-17 16:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Toowoomba City Library, Level 3, 155 Herries St, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
4 DAY COURSE for family members and friends supporting loved ones with AOD use.
Course provides support and information to improve their own wellbeing and improve outcomes and needs of everyone.
16th-17th of November 2024 (Saturday & Sunday)
9.30 am – 4.00 pm
each day
FDS Members $40 for workbook
Non-members $70 (includes annual
membership)

Volunteering for Family Drug Support 2 day training course
2024-11-16 09:00 - 2024-11-17 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Family Drug Support, 3 Robinson Rd Nundah, QLD, Brisbane, QLD, 4012, Australia
FDS are seeking volunteers for their National Support Line, that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Some benefits of volunteering for FDS:
· Learn and apply practical skills
· Practical experience for your resume
· Opportunity to give back to your community
· Ongoing support and education in your work with FDS
· Phone shifts from your own home
Day One: Introduction to Family Drug Support and Services
A basic introduction into Alcohol and Other Drugs
Triggers, assumptions, biases
Stages of Change
Day Two: Active listening skills
Communication skills
Procedures and Responsibilities
Management of call, including difficult callers
Day Three (optional): Group facilitator skills
Group safety and time management
Challenging group members
FDS Requirements:
Commitment to one shift every 3 weeks for a minimum of 12 months
Attendance at our yearly residential volunteer weekend
FDS Membership ($30 per calendar year)
Telephone Volunteer Manual ($30)
Visit their website to register your interest: https://www.fds.org.au/volunteers-training/volunteer-training/vol-training-qld
OR please contact James Lomas on 0448 169 205 or our head office on (02) 4782 9222

Introduction to Drug and Alcohol First Aid
2024-11-15 08:00 - 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Queensland
Lives Lived Well will be offering Drug and Alcohol First Aid training in Far North Queensland in early 2025. An information sheet about the training is attached. Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion following the workshop.
********Please note – The date listed above is not the workshop date**********
Please contact Clare Thompson, Drug and Alcohol First Aid Coordinator, if you would like to discuss organising a workshop for your team on 0461 293 352 or at cl************@****************rg.au.

Support The Family - Improve The Outcome Workshop
2024-10-04 10:00 - 13:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Queensland
Support The Family Improve The Outcome Workshop
Support the Family Improve the Outcome (STFITO) Workshops are primarily for specialist AOD services providing education on anti-oppressive practice to enhance service engagement with families and carers impacted by substance use. Barriers to help-seeking are well documented and include a lack of local availability or knowledge of services, services targeting the drug user rather than family, or a reluctance to seek support due to the shame, fear and stigma surrounding addiction. Resisting stigma and discrimination at a policy, systems and practice level is a constant recommendation for family inclusion and the Support the Family Improve the Outcome workshop is a direct response from FDS to address this barrier.
Central to the curriculum of STFITO is a curated program outlining the impact of stigma and discrimination for families, with the aim to increase an understanding of the experience for families applying the FDS ‘Stages of Change for Families’ model. The workshop offers a series of coping and resilience strategies to offset the stress and strain that families experience, and explores how to engage with families to establish a better understanding of their situations and experiences in relation to problematic use of AOD within the family unit.
The in-service STFITO workshop focuses on understanding and identifying what individual triggers, assumptions and biases exist with the intention to combat stigma and discrimination towards families and carers. There is evidence that demonstrates when family support is provided, better outcomes are achieved as the family is a key resource in harm avoidance and treatment effectiveness strategies. The workshop assists in defining the family unit and the different ways in which people access support. The workshop identifies ‘what are the needs of families in their unique circumstances and ‘what are their expectations’ and presents strategies for constructive service engagement with families.
Engaging with families & carers of a person who has alcohol and/or other drug dependence.
Family Drug Support (FDS) has developed a highly successful model for supporting families & carers affected by someone’s problematic substance use.
Workshop Outcomes:

Gain knowledge of successful ‘Models of Change’ for supporting families affected by someone’s drug issues.

Identify the 5 stages that families experience and effective ways to respond.

Learn how to communicate more effectively with families in a professional situation.

Develop clearer understanding and gain skills to assist families to build resilience and improve the outcome for both the person with the drug issue and the family.

Recognise the benefit of psycho-social education for a family, in relation to the significant barriers

2024 Australian Winter School Conference
2024-08-21 - 2024-08-23 | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Southbank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Australian Winter School is an opportunity to catch up with colleagues from across the alcohol and other drugs and related sectors. At Winter School you’ll be part of the conversation about innovations in evidence informed treatment, policy, and system reform. ​Winter School’s expert speakers, presentations, and workshops provide delegates with the knowledge, tools, and solutions to implement in the real world.
Click here for more details

2024 ANNUAL REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY
2024-07-24 10:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Queensland
Family Drug Support will again be recognising lives lost to drugs
and alcohol by marking the Annual Remembrance Day – an
international event with ceremonies held all around the world.
Click on the image below for details

Webinar - Alcohol use in older adulthood: Physiological impacts and effective treatment options
2024-05-28 13:30 - 14:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to develop a series of on-demand webinars on evidence-based practice. Our webinars are freely available and focus on building capacity in relation to evidence-based practice approaches to the management and treatment of co-occurring alcohol and other drug (AOD) and mental health conditions.
Presented by: Associate Professor Louise Mewton (The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney)
This webinar will provide attendees with a practical understanding of:

The physiological impacts of alcohol use on older adults
The impact of alcohol use on the brain of older adults, including the relationship between alcohol use, cognitive impairment and dementia
Effective approaches for treating harmful alcohol use in older adults

Register via website below

Webinar - How to work therapeutically with individuals involved in the criminal justice system
2024-04-30 13:30 - 14:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to develop a series of on-demand webinars on evidence-based practice. Our webinars are freely available and focus on building capacity in relation to evidence-based practice approaches to the management and treatment of co-occurring alcohol and other drug (AOD) and mental health conditions.
Presented by: Clara Fritchley (PhD candidate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, Clinical Psychologist)
By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

Recognise the challenges that arise when addressing the mental health needs of individuals involved in the criminal justice system
Understand how to conduct multi-layered case formulations to guide therapeutic work with individuals with mental health conditions who are involved in the criminal justice system
Identify core clinical skills necessary for successful therapeutic work with individuals with mental health conditions who are involved in the criminal justice system

Register via website below

SMART Recovery Training
2024-03-13 - 2024-03-14 | Queensland
Scholarship Applications for 2024 are now open for training and membership. Follow the link below to register your interest.

SMART Recovery Brisbane Facilitator Training (F2F)
2023-06-07 08:00 - 2023-06-08 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Queensland
SMART Recovery face to face training helps people who want to help others with problematic and addictive behaviours, by training them to deliver SMART’s 4-point program and supporting them to set up and run their own SMART Recovery group. SMART Training allows you to reach more clients with a program that works for any problematic behaviour or substance dependency.
SMART Recovery’s foundational training is a 2 day experiential and interactive training. It teaches you the framework and tools and techniques of the SMART Recovery program. With guidance, participants are given the opportunity to practice their skills in facilitating a SMART group.

Webinar: Dopamine Nation - Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, by Dr Anna Lembke
2023-05-16 08:00 - 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Queensland
Join us for this one of webinar where we get the opportunity to chat to Anna Lembke, MD. Anna is Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation, and is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education. In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018). Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives. Her latest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and has been translated into 25 languages. It combines the neuroscience of addiction with the wisdom of recovery to explore the problem of compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.
Register now for this free webinar!

2023 International Women's Day
2023-03-08 | Queensland
UN Women Australia’s International Women’s Day theme for 2023 is ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future’.
Based on the priority theme for the United Nations 67th Commission on the Status of Women – Cracking the Code highlights the role that bold, transformative ideas, inclusive technologies, and accessible education can play in combatting discrimination and the marginalisation of women globally.
For more information and local events, please refer to UN Women Australia’s website www.unwomen.org.au

Giving Birth to Change: A SMART Recovery FASD Webinar
2023-01-30 11:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Sydney) | https://smartrecoveryaustralia.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B5LkEivgRMCBYe_4IJEbsg
Giving birth to change: The personal journey of a FASD mother

Angelene Bruce is a lived experience expert for FARE and NOFASD Australia. She is also a member of the Victorian FASD Special Interest Group and a fierce advocate for FASD awareness and prevention.
Ange has lived experience of alcohol and poker machine addiction. She is also the biological mother to a child with diagnosed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure during pregnancy. Ange is passionate about FASD awareness and ending the stigma faced by all women who have consumed any alcohol at any stage during their pregnancies with an emphasis on physically dependent women under a strict no blame no shame policy.
Ange has been featured on Channel 10’s The Project, been a guest on multiple podcasts, participated media print articles and is a mentor / coach to parents and caregivers of children with FASD all over the world.
Join us for a first in SMART Recovery’s history and hear her share her amazing and inspiring journey.

Time

Jan 30, 2023 11:00 AM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Supporting Family and Friends: SMART Recovery Panel discussion webinar
2022-12-13 10:00 - 11:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
This webinar will run as a panel discussion and we will hear the perspectives of Family and Friends, Facilitators and Participants whom are currently or have journeyed through the Family and Friends program. Please join us for a one of event that will hope to inspire, encourage and explore the positive impacts this program.

Families of substance: a two day advanced masterclass in working with families
2022-12-07 09:00 - 2022-12-08 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Increase your confidence and provide advanced intervention for families with alcohol and other drug issues
Working with families can be complex and challenging often due to multiple people and perspectives that are sometimes misaligned. This masterclass goes deeper into the Orford stress-strain-information-coping-support model drawing on elements of the Orford and Velleman 5-step model. Learn key ideas from family therapy, motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy on how to work more effectively with families and carers of people who use alcohol and other drugs.
Learning outcomes:

Understand models of family functioning and how that affects treatment
Describe the stress-strain-information-coping-support model for working with families and how to use it in practice
Establish collaboration and utilise it to improve outcomes for people in treatment and their families
Implement effective responses to the challenges of working with families
Know how to utilise families’ wisdom and coping to achieve improved outcomes

Who should attend:
This is an advanced skills workshop suitable for experienced and advanced practitioners. We recommend you do our Working with families workshop before attending this workshop.
Facilitators: Paula Ross

The art of thriving at work
2022-11-24 09:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Don’t just survive alcohol and other drug work. Really thrive
Alcohol and other drug work can be challenging and comes with a high rate of burnout. It can be mentally demanding work, but there are some simple self-care strategies to prevent burnout. In this workshop, you will find out what it takes to not just survive but thrive while working in the alcohol and other drug and mental health fields. Gain real strategies to relax, recharge and revive to ensure you are at your best for your clients for the coming year.
Learning outcomes:

Understand the potential impacts of working with complex and at-risk clients on your mental health and wellbeing
Understand the difference between, and recognise warning signs of burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma
Build your own toolkit of practitioner specific resilience strategies
Enhance your self-care skills and know when to debrief and access further support

Who should attend:
This is a specialist skills workshop suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners. This workshop is suitable for workers in low threshold and clinical settings.
Facilitator: Paula Ross

Inside CBT: A 4 day masterclass in behavioural and cognitive therapies
2022-11-08 09:00 - 2022-11-11 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Level up your practice with our acclaimed 4-day self-practice/self-reflection masterclass in cognitive behaviour therapy
This 4-day intensive is for you if you are an alcohol and other drug worker in a counselling or case management role. Discover exactly what makes CBT tick to build and strengthen your core clinical skills, the foundation for all best practice in alcohol and other drug treatment. You will gain new knowledge, advanced skills and greater confidence in both traditional and newer behavioural and cognitive therapy models, including mindfulness-based therapies. Immerse yourself in self-reflection and self-practice to build on your foundational skills in assessment, case formulation, intervention and responding to therapeutic challenges. Our cognitive behaviour therapy experts, Professor Nicole Lee, past President and Honorary Fellow of the AACBT, and Paula Ross, counselling psychologist and clinical expert, present this top-rated four-day workshop.
Learning outcomes:

Deepen your understanding of the CBT approach and the similarities and differences between the many forms of CBT
Understand what really drives motivation and change from a behavioural and cognitive therapy framework
Apply a comprehensive CBT model that offers a clear framework for effective assessment, formulation, and intervention
Recognise and respond to therapeutic relationship challenges within a CBT framework

Who should attend:
This is an advanced skills workshop suitable for experienced and advanced practitioners. We recommend you do our Understanding CBT workshop before attending this workshop.
Facilitators: Professor Nicole Lee and Paula Ross

SMART Recovery Family and Friends Online Training
2022-11-03 10:00 - 15:00 (Australia/Sydney) | Queensland
This training will provide you with the knowledge and practical skills required to confidently and competently facilitate SMART Recovery Australia’s award-winning SMART Family & Friends program. You will learn how to run the SMART Family & Friends program in two key formats: Video conference and support meetings, so you can get started immediately In person support meetings, for when it is safe to do so.

$408.40 excl. GST

Negotiating roadblocks in treatment
2022-10-20 09:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Increase the effectiveness of treatment by identifying and resolving ruptures and breaks in the therapeutic relationship
Therapeutic impasses are common but can be frustrating and difficult to resolve. They can also impact the effectiveness of treatment. Roadblocks can be practitioner or client-initiated, but nearly always require practitioner input to repair. In this workshop, you will learn how to identify and resolve roadblocks to ensure treatment is most effective.
Learning outcomes:

Understand the common client and practitioner behaviours that interfere with treatment
Learn how to identify and resolve roadblocks in treatment
Find out how to turn an impasse into a learning opportunity for you and your client

Who should attend:
This is a specialist skills workshop suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners
Facilitator: Paula Ross or Dr Richard Cash or Dr Moira Junge

Good night. Sleep tight: Helping people who use alcohol and other drugs sleep better
2022-10-13 09:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Develop an in-depth understanding of sleep to aid your AOD practice
People with alcohol and other drug issues are up to 10 times more likely to experience sleep problems. We now know that poor sleep contributes to a range of other physical and mental health problems, as well as low resilience and low motivation. But some simple strategies can help your clients to have a good night and sleep tight. Join Dr Moira Junge, our sleep specialist, in this fascinating and practical workshop to help you help your clients sleep better. Gaining an understanding of the biopsychosocial processes involved in sleep/wakefulness and common sleep disorders. Your AOD practice will be better informed by this online interactive workshop.
Learning outcomes:

Understand what happens in the brain and body to promote sleep and wake states
Understand how sleep and alcohol and other drugs interact
Gain skills in performing a thorough sleep assessment in alcohol and other drug settings
Know how and when to refer to specialist sleep services
Learn evidence-based strategies to address your clients’ sleep difficulties, including cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia

Who should attend:
This is a specialist skills workshop suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners.
Facilitator: Dr Moira Junge

Integrating MI with CBT
2022-10-04 09:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Effectively blend motivational interviewing and CBT to achieve better client outcomes
Boost your effectiveness with clients by seamlessly integrating these two key approaches in alcohol and other drug treatment. Through this interactive one-day workshop, you learn where these two core approaches overlap and where they are unique and how to move seamlessly between them.
Book Integrating MI with CBT with Understanding CBT for 15% off the Early Bird price!
Learning outcomes:

Understand motivation and why people change, and the impacts on treatment outcomes
Describe how motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy can work in unison
Seamlessly integrate cognitive behavioural therapy with motivational interviewing
Apply motivational interviewing to improve outcomes from cognitive behavioural therapy

Who should attend:
This is a core skills workshop suitable for experienced and advanced practitioners and assumes basic knowledge of MI and CBT. We recommend you do our essential skills MI and CBT workshops before attending this workshop.
Facilitator: Paula Ross

Trauma inside out: A two-day trauma masterclass
2022-09-12 09:00 - 2022-09-13 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Understand the causes and impacts of trauma and how to effectively respond
Building on our ‘Responding to trauma workshop’, you will deepen your knowledge of trauma and practice advanced strategies to effectively support people with trauma symptoms in alcohol and other drug treatment. Go deeper into understanding and responding to trauma to enhance your knowledge, skills and confidence in working with people who have trauma histories.
Learning outcomes:

Apply a model for responding to trauma to the specific context of alcohol and other drug treatment
Increase your range of sensitive responses to trauma disclosure
Understand how to integrate trauma into screening, assessment and treatment
Develop detailed case conceptualisation and treatment planning for clients with co-occurring alcohol and other drug and trauma

Who should attend:
This is an advanced skills workshop suitable for experienced and advanced practitioners. We recommend you do our Working with trauma workshop before attending this workshop.
Facilitators: Dr Richard Cash

Putting Together the Puzzle – Stigma, Discrimination & Injecting Drug Use
2022-08-26 09:30 - 13:30, 2022-08-10 09:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
QuIHN’s lived experience facilitators provide a comprehensive deep dive in to stigma & discrimination toward people who inject drugs. Using real life insights and interactive discussions, this workshop aims to improve health outcomes for people who use drugs within health & community settings.
Developed by Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL), Funded by QLD Mental Health Commission, Led by QLD Injectors Health Network (QuIHN).
Free Online Workshops for health & community workers – Via Microsoft Teams – 4 hours duration (including breaks). Facilitated by QuIHN’s lived experience peer workers, in collaboration with QLD Mental Health Commission, QuIVAA & AIVL. For more information please email Niki on np****@***hn.org
Please email Niki on np****@***hn.org to register your interestes for future workshops.

Rethink MI: A two-day motivational interviewing masterclass
2022-08-24 09:00 - 2022-08-25 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Develop advanced skills in motivational interviewing to supercharge your alcohol and other drug practice
Join one of Australia’s most experienced alcohol and other drug trainers in this two-day motivational interviewing masterclass for practitioners who want to advance their motivational interviewing skills. You will take your motivational interviewing skills to the next level by using self-reflection and practice to understand and apply advanced strategies in assessment, intervention and responding to therapeutic challenges within a motivational framework.
Learning outcomes:

Understand the ins and outs of motivational interviewing
Understand what drives, and how to better respond to, client ambivalence
Apply a comprehensive model of change that integrates client values
Develop advanced motivational listening and questioning skills, high-level skills in eliciting change
Understand and effectively respond to therapeutic relationship difficulties

Who should attend:
This is an advanced skills workshop suitable for experienced and advanced practitioners. We recommend you do our How and why of MI workshop before attending this workshop.
Facilitators: Paula Ross

Emotion regulation skills for alcohol and other drug workers
2022-07-28 09:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Help your clients to manage strong emotions
We all have strong emotions from time to time. Being able to recognise and self-regulate emotions and tolerate distress is a skill that can be learned. Emotion regulation is also a protective factor against mental health problems like depression and anxiety. In this workshop, you will gain strategies to help your clients better manage their emotions to improve resilience so they can better participate in treatment and cope with life’s stressors.
Learning outcomes:

Understand how lifestyle factors can impact a person’s ability to regulate their emotions
Know how to explain to clients how emotions work and how they interact with thoughts and behaviours
Identify strategies to help your clients identify triggers to strong emotions and respond effectively
Learn key emotion regulation skills and how to integrate them into your practice

Who should attend:
This is a specialist skills workshop suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners. This workshop is suitable for workers in low threshold and clinical settings.
Facilitator: Paula Ross or Dr Richard Cash or Dr Moira Junge

Putting Together the Puzzle - Stigma, Discrimination & Injecting Drug Use
2022-07-27 09:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online

Breaking the ice: Tailoring treatment for people who use methamphetamine
2022-07-14 09:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online
Adapt your existing skills to work effectively with people who use methamphetamine.
Understand how methamphetamine affects the brain and how to adapt existing treatments and strategies for people who use methamphetamine. You’ll learn the changes to approach that are needed and how to address common co-occurring conditions among people who use methamphetamine.
Learning outcomes:

Understand the unique effects of methamphetamine and how they impact treatment
Identify and apply effective responses to improve outcomes for people who use methamphetamine
Find out how to safely respond to complex behaviours, including heightened threat sensitivity, anxiety and psychosis

Who should attend:
This is a specialist skills workshop suitable for new, experienced and advanced practitioners. This workshop is suitable for workers in low threshold and clinical settings.
Facilitator: Paula Ross

2022 NAIDOC Week
2022-07-03 08:00 - 2022-07-10 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Queensland
The 2022 theme for NAIDOC Week is Get up! Stand up! Show up! The theme calls for systemic change; to support and secure institutional, structural, collaborative, and cooperative reforms and to keep rallying around for mob, for Elders and for communities. It also celebrates those who have driven and led change in communities over generations.
The NAIDOC Local Grants Program provides funding to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous organisations to contribute to the costs of local and regional NAIDOC activities across Australia that align with the theme of Get up! Stand up! Show up!
Events will be held around Australia during the week to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and will culminate in the 2022 National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony.
