Via NUAA:

COME ALONG TO ANOTHER GREAT NUAA EVENT!

NUAA invites you to a symposium of our top three presentations from the 2012 APSAD Conference.

Dr. Alex Wodak AM What would taxed and regulated cannabis look like?

Ms. Amanda Roxburgh Trends in fentanyl prescriptions and fentanyl – related mortality in Australia

Dr. Ingrid Van Beek AM Sydney Naloxone distribution program what clinicians and clients think

NUAA will also be launching our new peer resource If I knew then what I know now a pocket guide for people thinking of accessing opioid treatment. The resource will be launched by Dr. Mark Montebello from the Langton Centre and Ms. Candice Gilford from the NSW Consumer Participation Sub Committee.

When: Thursday 2 May 2013 14:00-16:30

Where: Albion Street Centre Theatre, 349 Crown St, Surry Hills 2010.

A light afternoon tea will be provided.

Places are limited, please RSVP to Yvonne on 02 8354 7300 or yvonner

Please accept this invitation to attend a seminar presenting findings from the Ambo Project: Alcohol and Drug Related Ambulance Attendances 2011/12.

This project provides detailed statewide and local information regarding non-fatal ambulance attendances where alcohol or other drugs were involved in the presentation, and is a valuable tool for exploration of acute alcohol and other drug related harms in the community, impact on emergency services, and harms in populations not routinely engaged with the specialist AOD sector.

This presentation provides an overview and new findings of this ongoing project which is undertaken by the Population Health Research team at Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in collaboration with Ambulance Victoria, and which is funded by the Victorian Department of Health.

Please circulate this email to your colleagues.

Time: 11am – 12pm

Date: Tuesday 14th May 2013

Location: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, 142 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could confirm your attendance, or provide details of an alternative contact who may be interested in attending to Cathie Garrard by Friday 3rd May via email – cathieg or phone – 03 9412 9959.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The 2013 National Suicide Prevention Conference 

Suicide Prevention Australia is excited to announce the 2013 Annual National Suicide Prevention Conference. With the theme Collective Impact: Partners in Prevention, the conference will be held in Melbourne on the 24– 26 July at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins.

The conference will feature plenary panels focusing on the Workplace & Suicide Prevention and Ageing & Aged issues.
The conference is an opportunity to share and exchange knowledge, skills and experiences; and facilitate the development of a cohesive, united, and responsive suicide prevention sector.
Every year the conference brings together Australia’s leading researchers, practitioners and organisations in suicide prevention and amplifies the voices of those with lived experience.

The LiFE Awards winners will be announced at the conference welcome reception event on Wednesday 24 July.
The welcome reception will feature performers from the Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus.
The LiFE Awards are a celebration of the outstanding work done within the Australian suicide prevention sector.

For more information on the conference please subscribe to the SPA newsletter to receive updates on the program and notification of the call for nominations for the LIFE Awards at http://suicidepreventionaust.org/conferences/.

Abstracts will be accepted until 15 April 2013.

LiFE Award nominations will be accepted until 22 April 2013.
Online registration will be available until 19 July 2013.

The Department of Health has funded Caraniche to provide a series of free two-day training workshops for forensic AOD clinicians, workers and case managers working with ACSO clients or other substance using clients with current or past histories of offending behaviour. The training will look at a range of personality, system and clinical factors that impact on work with the client group. Topics to be covered include:

· Understanding substance use and offending behaviour, and forensic AOD treatment in Victoria

· Working with Corrections, appropriate documentation , and court reports

· Understanding anti-social personality and boundaries

· Understanding the prison experience and working with parolees

The flyer can be downloaded here

The two-day training program will be delivered on consecutive days across Victoria at 3 metropolitan and 5 regional locations. The first round of trainings will take place in Sunshine on April 29 and 30. Other locations and dates to follow:

· Sunshine – April 29 and 30 (Mon/Tues)

· Geelong – May 13 and 14 (Mon/Tues)

· Wangaratta – May 27 and 28 (Mon/Tues)

· Bendigo – TBC

· Dandenong – TBC

· Preston – TBC

· Sale – TBC

· Ballarat – TBC

Details on the dates for other locations will be posted on our website (www.caraniche.com.au) and VAADA news.

You can secure a place in any one of the trainings by emailing training or telephone 03 8412 7111. Remember to include name of attendees, contact details and location in the email.

We look forward to hearing from you

Via NDSIS:

Some recent studies of interest…

1. Project leads to reduction in Indigenous binge drinking

A community initiated binge drinking awareness campaign in Indigenous communities is working, according to new results released this week by researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of NSW James Cook University’s Cairns Institute and the University of Newcastle. The ‘Beat da Binge’ initiative, developed by Gindaja Treatment and Healing Indigenous Corporation in partnership with other local community organisations, focuses on binge drinking as a key concern in the North Queensland Indigenous community of Yarrabah. The two year $250,000 project, funded through the Federal Government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy, targets greater involvement of young Indigenous people in gaining evidence about binge drinking behaviours, and analysing and influencing the possible causes of binge drinking.

2. Early cannabis use and link to early onset psychosis – for more on this Australian study, click here.

3. Smoking increases risk of infection and delays healing of fractures

Research has long shown the negative effects cigarette smoking has on cardiovascular health. But now, a new study from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania corroborates early evidence showing that cigarette smoking leads to longer healing times and an increased rate of post-operative complication and infection for patients sustaining fractures or traumatic injuries to their bone. The full results of the study are being presented this week at the 2013 AmericanAcademy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting in Chicago….

4. New app shows the effects of smoking on your beauty

A NEW smartphone app that shows smokers how much cigarettes will destroy their looks has been developed to encourage people to quit while they’re young. Developed by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), the “Smoking Time Machine” can age the face by up to 20 years to show much havoc the 4000 chemicals found in cigarettes can wreak on the skin. It is hoped the app will give young people the necessary reality check to give up before it’s too late.

5. Tap and go: smart cards could change the culture of booze

In 2008, an electronic system was introduced in Japan to help regulate the sale of tobacco products. The TASPO card is an smart card card similar to Melboune’s or London’s Oyster system and it acts as a proof-of-age card for the purchase of tobacco products from vending machines. The roll out of TASPO was largely trouble-free and it has been widely taken up in Japan. By combining these two technologies, and making some simple, yet fundamental changes to the way alcohol is sold in Australia, it would be possible to create a national smart card system that could provide consumers with detailed information about their own levels of consumption and help individuals reduce their alcohol intake.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Coordinator

APS 6 – Townsville, QLD

Salary $74,169 – $84,726 (plus super)

The North Queensland Regional Mental Health Team is seeking a highly motivated mental health professional who enjoys challenging and rewarding work.

This regional position will be required to coordinate and deliver psychoeducation and treatment programs, provide up-skilling training for NQ Defence employees, and provide clinical advice for complex Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATODS) related matters.

For further information please review the job information pack, reference VCDF/00589/13 on http://www.defence.gov.au/apscareers/ or directly at APS 6 – Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Coordinator or contact Carolyn Clark on (07) 4411 2099.

Applications must be received no later than 11.30 pm (AEDT) 3 April 2013.

WHOS (We Help Ourselves)
Service Coordinator for the New Beginnings Women’s Service

· Recognised qualification in AOD and Mental Health or equivalent degree,

· Demonstrated experience in AOD/Mental Health services

· An interest in working with women and an understanding of their related issues

· Sound knowledge of harm reduction strategies

· A current NSW drivers licence, Current First Aid certificate,

· Computer literacy and word processing skills

Desirable:

· Minimum 3 years experience in the AOD field with expertise in assessment, referral, group work and case management,

· Experience working in a Therapeutic Community

· Experience in team leadership and service coordination

Being a woman is a genuine occupational qualification under Section 31 of the NSW Anti- Discrimination Act.

Applications close: 15th April 2013

The International Symposium on Motivational Interviewing

Melbourne, Australia – 13-14 May 2013

Registration and more information: www.ismi2013.com

ISMI offers a rare opportunity to engage with the latest thinking, challenges and opportunities in Motivational Interviewing and the broader field of effective communication and behaviour change.

The event offers a friendly, stimulating environment to examine our practice, share ideas and sharpen skills. The driving curiosity behind ISMI is to ask “Is what we are doing working?” and “How can we do it better?”

ISMI is open to clinicians, researchers, trainers, supervisors, managers and clients – together these different perspectives create a richer understanding of how to make the most of the conversations we have in our workplaces.

13 May

One day Workshops

Stephen Rollnick (University of Cardiff, UK)

Integrating MI into an already busy practice

Anya Sheftel (University of Oregon, USA)

MI on the Fly: Outreach, Residential and other curious settings

14 May

Interactive Symposium Presentations

Stephen Rollnick: Reflections on how we learn MI

Anya Sheftel:

David Manchester (Disability, Aging & Home Care, NSW, Australia): Motivational interviewing and cognitive impairment

Helen Mentha (Mentha Consulting, VIC, Australia): From Client to Practice

Ken McMaster (HMA & Associates, New Zealand): “It’s all her fault”: Using MI with men who engage in abusive behaviour

Kylie McKenzie (Ballarat Health Services, VIC, Australia): The Felix the Cat approach to MI: Do clinicians in health care just pull MI out of their “bag of tricks”?

Joel Porter (Goldbridge Rehabilitation Services, QLD, Australia): More than a two-day workshop: What it takes to for an organisation to become proficient in MI

Sean Manning (Moana House, New Zealand): ‘The tyranny of goal setting – how do people really make big changes?’

Stan Steindl (Psychology Consultants, QLD, Australia): Beyond the science: MI and compassion

Eileen Britt & Mark Wallace-Bell (Canterbury University, New Zealand): MI is easy to learn – isn’t it?

Kelly Austin (Achieve Wellness, New Zealand): Motivating clients to improve health behaviors: the complimentary work of MI and Wellness Coaching

And a few more yet to come…

Closing panel: Stephen Rollnick, Anya Sheftel, David Manchester + 2 members of the audience

Registration and more information: www.ismi2013.com