Clients who present to Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) treatment services are likely to have been exposed to a vast range of traumatic experiences throughout their lives. Clients with unaddressed trauma are often at increased risk of developing mental health and substance or dependency use issues. However, there has been limited research exploring AOD clinicians’ perspectives of trauma-informed care when treating clients with trauma backgrounds. Front-line AOD clinicians working across Victoria were interviewed to explore their:
(a) experiences when working with clients exposed to trauma
(b) perspectives of trauma-informed care when working with AOD clients,
(c) perceived benefits and limitations of trauma-informed care and
(d) recommendations for practice and/or policy to improve trauma-informed care for AOD clients.
This data will be analysed using thematic analysis to explore the key findings.
Presenter
Rachael Broomhall, Master of Psychology Student Monash University
Rachael Broomhall is a provisional psychologist completing her Master of Psychology (Education & Development) at Monash University. Rachael has worked in the AOD sector for the past 6 years and is interested in the intersection of AOD use and trauma narratives.