Home > Defining alcohol and other drug treatment and workforce.

Berends, Lynda and Connolly, Kieran and Pennay, Amy and Mugavin, Janette and Cogger, Shelley and Strickland, Heidi and Kenny, Pauline and Roberts, Bridget (2010) Defining alcohol and other drug treatment and workforce. Victoria: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre.

[img] PDF (Defining alcohol and other drug treatment and workforce) - Published Version
1MB

In 2009 the Victorian Department of Health commissioned Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre to undertake a review, to identify the essential treatment components of a specialist alcohol and other drug treatment service system and the workforce required to deliver these treatment components. This information would be used to identify directions regarding proportional investment.

An Expert Panel was convened, which comprised leaders from Australia, Northern Europe, and North America. The Expert Panel took part in a series of consultations to inform the project. Additional methods comprised reviews of the research literature, analysis of patterns of alcohol and drug use and treatment received among clients in Victoria, a sector workshop, and analysis of information on State and Commonwealth Government investment in specialist alcohol and other drug treatment.

Major findings
1. Treatment components
There are four essential treatment components:
Pharmacotherapies ~ including the establishment of a small number of specialist clinics to counter vulnerabilities of the current system:
Withdrawal ~ residential and non-residential elements which must be provided as part of a regime of treatment;
Behavioural therapies ~ including indicated prevention, brief intervention, individual counselling, group counselling, family therapy, and day programs;
Residential rehabilitation ~ comprising therapeutic community and modified therapeutic community treatment elements.

For each of these treatment components and elements a target group has been defined, a definition of treatment provided and associated therapeutic techniques described and common drugs of concern listed.


Repository Staff Only: item control page