Clarence Street

About Clarence Street 

Clarence Street is part of the Mater Young Adult Health Centre. Located in South Brisbane, it is a free, confidential service supporting young people to make positive changes to their alcohol and other drug use. 

Clarence Street aims to support young people to achieve some of their goals around their drug and alcohol use, such as having a break from using, cutting back on use, or quitting. The Clarence Street programs can help young people through individualised support, brief interventions, relapse prevention planning and alternative drug-free activities. The service also aims to reduce harm associated with drug use by utilising harm reduction strategies that take into account personal goals and choices.

Programs

Day program: Young people can attend the day program in our large and vibrant ‘Area 40’ space. The day program operates five days a week for young people aged 13-25 years, offering a range of activities to suit everyone. These include:
• PIVOT: A vocational training program providing Certificates II and III in Hospitality and Retail. Young people attending PIVOT are supported to learn at their own pace.
• Job club: A program supporting young people to build skills to prepare for work or further training (e.g. résumé writing, preparing for interviews).
• FWD: A therapeutic group program supporting young people to enhance their motivation, build insight, and develop skills to cope with the emotional and interpersonal difficulties that often reinforce problematic substance use (by referral only).
• Drop in: A safe place for young people to meet and participate in creative activities such as skateboard making, painting, screen printing, cooking, and playing music. Young people can attend Drop In every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. No appointment necessary.

Axis community team: specialist youth work service providing individual support to young people who are concerned about their alcohol and other drug use. It offers young people an opportunity to develop an individualised treatment program tailored to their level of motivation and their specific goals related to alcohol and other drug use. Appointments are hosted at Clarence Street or in the community within the greater Brisbane area. Young people are encouraged to nominate a meeting place that feels comfortable for them.

Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal Service (ADAWS): an 11 day ‘live in’ program supporting young people to safely withdraw from alcohol and other drugs. ADAWS provides a comprehensive program to enable young people to work towards their goals and achieve change in their lives. It can accommodate up to five young people at a time, providing individual rooms and 24-hour staff support. Ongoing support after the program is also provided.
In addition to the above services, Clarence Street recently opened the Thread and X-Tend programs for young people aged 13 to 17 years.

Thread offers an extended stay option for young people who have completed the residential withdrawal program and feel they would benefit from additional time in a therapeutic live-in environment. At Thread, residents have the opportunity to engage in ongoing relapse prevention work. Young people’s care plans are individualised and intervention planning is co-designed by young people in collaboration with key workers. Thread is a holistic program focusing on residents’ emotional, psychological, physical, and social wellbeing. Treatment may involve individual and group therapy, medical assessments, recreational activities, support with education and training, and life skills development. At Thread, young people participate in a 3-phase program, with young people invited to provide feedback and review their progress and goals at the end of each phase (10-week maximum stay). Throughout the program, young people are supported to build relationships with family and community (including other support services) to assist with their transition back into the community post Thread. At Thread, we pride ourselves on being youth and client-centred, honouring the expertise of young people who participate in our program.

The X-Tend program is an intensive outreach program for young people who have tried to access different types of Alcohol & Other Drug (AOD) support and found it difficult to gain traction in these traditional models. X-Tend may be helpful for young people who have a lot of other things going on in their lives in addition to their alcohol and other drug use. For example, it might be difficult to attend appointments due to transport issues or stressors at home. At X-Tend, young people have the opportunity to engage with their worker multiple times per week to allow for the development of a strong therapeutic alliance. X-Tend outreaches to the community across southeast Queensland.

Intake, assessment and referral

Initial appointments can be in person, phone, or video call. Method chosen is based on the program the young person is seeking to engage in. e.g. outreach may initially be face to face or by phone; residential programs would be dependent on where young person is living as this is a Statewide service.

Additional information

Outreach services via their Central Intake point – an outreach worker is usually allocated within 48 hours once we receive the call.

Clarence Street also provides family support families and carers, with a view to growing family resilience and connectedness. This may involve education and/or skills training around areas such as understanding substance use, navigating boundaries, and enhancing communication skills.