Workshops
Specialist evidence based workshops, hands-on and interactive, with ‘real’ conversations. To enhance and grow worker confidence and skills, to work effectively with people who use drugs and to gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of mental health and trauma.
Behaviour Crisis Response - ‘Be Part of the Solution’
This workshop aims to enhance worker skills and confidence, to respond to crisis behaviour presentations, and to develop a toolkit of strategies, to prevent and respond to crisis behaviours, using evidence based, health approaches.
✦ Identify potential crisis behaviours
✦ React, act, exploring staff approaches
✦ Assess degree of risk for the client, worker, bystanders
✦ Trauma informed approaches
✦ Precipitating factors influence on outcomes ✦Communication, de-escalation strategies and interventions
✦ Exit and emergency responses
✦ Post-incident review, hot debrief/cold debrief
✦ Re-engaging the client and the worker
‘The key to responding to the unpredictable, is having a predictable approach, to minimise the impact, harm and shame associated with out of control behaviours’.
Trauma Aware - ‘Through the Trauma Looking Glass’
Learn to create a healing, person centred approach, when working with clients impacted by trauma, through developing an understanding and respect of the role that coping strategies like drugs and alcohol may play in survival.
Being Trauma Aware is making a commitment to understanding the different types of trauma,Trauma Informed Care principles and the impact trauma has on the mind, body and spirit.
Discover the ‘window of tolerance’, the vagus nerve and mindfulness tools, to calm the nervous system and develop connection with self. Interactive activities to develop trauma informed practice as a worker and a service, for client and worker wellbeing, transformation and hope.
“Traumatic stress is an illness of not being able to be fully alive in the present.” Bessel Van Der Kolk
Safer Festivals and Night Venues - ‘Dance Hard, Party Safe’
Practical harm reduction approaches in festival and night venue settings, to keep patrons who are affected by drugs safe.
Current landscape of drug trends and patterns of use at events. ‘What’s on the street’ and the horizon, with novel and new emerging drugs. Identify signs and symptoms of drug use to inform effective, supportive, health approaches by staff, to reduce drug related harms, overdose and deaths.
Responding to disclosure of drink spiking and sexual violence in event settings, a supportive, safe evidence based approach.
‘Look after your mates’- tips and strategies for young people to look out for each other; to identify the signs and symptoms of distress and drug use; and to access early support and medical assistance.
Australian Drug Education & Consultancy, provides expert advice to create contemporary evidence based harm reduction messaging for festival, event and night venue settings and promotion.
This workshop is aimed at events industry workers and organisers including; local council; bar staff; security; first aid and chill out space providers; School Leavers event organisers; volunteer event staff; universities; schools; and Police.
Drugs and Harm Reduction - ‘What’s on the Street?’
Cutting edge drug information and harm reduction approaches. Equipping workers with the skills and knowledge to hold targeted harm reduction conversations.
Drugs, how drugs are used, signs and symptoms of drug use, responding safely to people who have used drugs, preventing drug related harms and overdose deaths.
What’s on the streets in Western Australia and on the horizon, novel and emerging drugs and drug alerts.
‘Look after your mates’- tips and strategies for young people to look out for each other; to identify the signs and symptoms of distress and drug use; and to access early support and medical assistance.
‘Drug kit’ - what they look like, weights, injecting equipment and other drug use paraphernalia.
Preventing Heroin & Opioid Overdose - Naloxone, Know How to Use It!
A leading expert in overdose prevention and naloxone in Australia, Grace Oh, has played a pivotal role calling for innovation and expanded access to free naloxone in Australia. Grace coordinated Western Australia’s Take Home Naloxone Program and advised on the National Naloxone Reference Group (NNRG), for the last 10 years.
Mark and Grace are extremely passionate when it comes to conversations around naloxone and overdose prevention and have provided naloxone training to well over a thousand sector and volunteer workers in Western Australia, including WA Police, Health and Ambulance services.
You will take away a snapshot of the current landscape of heroin and opioid drug trends, opioid overdose death rates and what’s on the Australian horizon with potent novel and emerging opioids and novel benzodiazepines.
‘Hands on’ skills and education on how to; hold a targeted overdose and naloxone harm reduction conversation; identify signs and symptoms of opioid overdose; naloxone the drug and how to use it to save a life, to prevent overdose harms and deaths in our community.
Sex & Drugs - ‘Do Not Disturb’
Enhancing drug and alcohol sector workers capacity, to hold and raise sexual wellbeing conversations with clients who use drugs.
Understand the impact of stigma and other barriers to accessing services, for clients to talk about their drug use, sexual behaviour and sexual wellbeing.
Increase knowledge of language and terminology around sexual behaviours, sexual wellbeing, gender and sexuality.
Strategies to reduce impacts on significant others and the client, when using drugs with sex. Get comfortable with the conversation with skills-based practice scenarios.
Referral pathways to targeted support services and resources for; testing options; preventing STI and blood borne virus transmission; safer sex equipment; sexual wellbeing; and sexual coercion and violence.
Drug Injecting - the ‘Nitty Gritties’
This workshop will place a lens over understanding injecting drug use behaviours and which drugs are commonly injected.
A ‘hands on’, interactive workshop, to learn about the extensive range of injecting equipment and a ‘how to’ for safer injecting practices.
An opportunity to increase knowledge and confidence, to hold harm reduction conversations around injecting drugs with skills practice.
‘Drug kit’ - what they look like, weights, injecting equipment and other drug use paraphernalia.
Mindfulness and Wellbeing - Labyrinth Workshops
Accredited Veriditas facilitator Grace Oh, introduces Labyrinth walking. A holistic, grounding and reflection tool for clients and workers, to quieten the mind and nervous system, a space to connect with self and others in a safe container.
Labyrinth walking is a culturally secure practice for the mind, body, spirit, and connection to nature and country. Ideal for group work, yarning circle, family inclusive practice, individual contemplative walking, meditation and staff team building.
The Labyrinth ‘literal path and symbolic path’, can be used to understand the Stages of Change and reflects the many turns and steps of a client's journey.
“Mindfulness practice is the cornerstone of recovery from trauma.” Bessel Van Der Kolk
