Matilda Centre

Join Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri for a webinar exploring emerging treatments in the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector, with a focus on psychedelic-assisted therapies.Dr. Arunogiri is a clinical psychiatrist specialising in addiction and the Deputy Clinical Director at Turning Point, a national centre for addiction treatment, research, and education. She is also an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at Monash University, where she leads research into innovative approaches to treating substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.With extensive contributions to national policy, clinical training, and service development, Dr. Arunogiri is a recognised leader in the AOD field and currently serves on the board of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD).Key learning outcomes: By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:• Understand the current evidence base for the use of MDMA and psilocybin in addiction and related mental health problems• Understand key evidence gaps in existing evidence in psychedelic assisted therapies • Identify and critically appraise challenges with implementation of psychedelic assisted therapies in AustraliaSpeaker: Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri

In this webinar we hear from speakers about their lived, living and clinical experiences of trauma-informed care. These perspectives are critical to informing the development and implementation of treatments and other supports that are physically, psychologically and culturally safe environments that foster healing. Speakers include Kellie Stastny, Chair of Intervoice and a dedicated leader in the Hearing Voices Movement.By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:• Understand lived, living and clinical experiences of trauma-informed care• Understand the importance of safety, trust, collaboration, choice and empowerment in the provision of trauma-informed care.• Understand how a trauma-informed approach may support clients in achieving their treatment goals

Presented by Dr Marlee Bower (The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney) and Carlos Duarte (clinical psychologist, Haymarket Foundation Drug and Alcohol Service)Dr Marlee Bower is a Research Fellow at the Matilda Centre who is interested in the broader social determinants of mental health, particularly in understanding loneliness and isolation amongst marginalised individuals and how this relates to the built environment. Marlee will be presenting findings from her PhD research, completed in 2019, which examined the experience of loneliness amongst Australians with lived experience of homelessness. Prior to working at the Matilda Centre, Marlee worked in government research and strategy in prison and homelessness settings.Mr Carlos Duarte is a clinical psychologist who has been working at the Haymarket Foundation AOD Counselling Service in inner-city Sydney for almost 20 years. Carlos generally sees 95 clients in a year, the majority of whom are in recovery. Approximately half have issues with alcohol, followed by methamphetamine use. The service is free to disadvantaged people who have co-occurring AOD and mental health issues including people who are homeless, Indigenous, from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, those leaving custodial sentences, people who have experienced violence and those from gender and sexually diverse communities. The benchmarking for the service’s PREMS (‘Yes’) survey – a requirement for all AOD services – exceeds all those of the Department of Health.This webinar will provide participants with an understanding of:The prevalence of substance use and loneliness amongst people experiencing homelessnessHow loneliness impacts the wellbeing of people experiencing homelessnessRisk and protective factors for loneliness amongst people experiencing homelessnessHow AOD services can help people experiencing homelessness and co-occurring loneliness or substance use

This webinar will be presented by Associate Professor Louise Mewton (The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney). Associate Professor Louise Mewton is a public health researcher with a focus on the epidemiology, assessment, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use and related disorders across the lifespan. She is Program Lead in Lifespan and Brain Health Research at the Matilda Centre, University of Sydney. This webinar will provide attendees with a practical understanding of: The physiological impacts of alcohol use on older adults The impact of alcohol use on the brain of older adults, including the relationship between alcohol use, cognitive impairment and dementia Effective approaches for treating harmful alcohol use in older adults