
Site Visits, Tuesday 31st October. Conference full day Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd October and half day Friday 3rd November. Conference Dinner Thursday 2nd October.
About the Conference and Conference Advisory Committee
Each year the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA) hosts an international conference bringing together professionals working in Therapeutic Communities, researchers and clinicians in the Alcohol and Drug (AOD) field and affiliated areas. Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are an integral element of a comprehensive response to alcohol and other drug issues in our community, nationally and internationally. The ATCA Conference reflects this and has a broad appeal to those working in the field of addiction, mental health, justice and child protection. It tackles issues of significant importance around comorbidity, youth and the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Mãori and Pasifika peoples.
This is the 31st Annual Conference of the association and will be held in Brisbane from 31 October to 3 November. The conference is organised by Conference Online and supported by a Conference Advisory Committee of:

Gerard Byrne
Gerard has spent the past 28 years working in the AOD field initially in a counselling role, then as a Program Director, and currently as the Operations Manager for The Salvation Army Recovery Services across NSW, QLD and the ACT.
During this time Gerard also worked, on a contractual basis, in the private and government AOD sectors for 11 years, providing a range of specialist AOD assessment, referral, intervention and case management services.
Gerard holds qualifications in Social Sciences, Alcohol and Other Drugs Work, Psychotherapy, Clinical Supervision, Business Management, Human Resource Management and Training and Assessment. Prior to working in the alcohol and other drug sector, he worked in the banking and finance sectors.
Gerard has held Board positions on peak bodies such as the Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies NSW (NADA), Queensland Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies (QNADA), Alcohol Tobacco Other Drugs Association ACT (ATODA), Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA), holding Executive positions on most of these Boards.

Mitchell Giles
Mitchell Giles is the CEO of the Lives Lived Well which has three Therapeutic Communities: Mirikai, Logan House and Shanty Creek. Mitchell also served as an appointed member of the ATCA Board for a number of years
Mitchell is a Registered Nurse, holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Health Science (majoring in Mental Health). Mitchell is also on the Board of the Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (QNADA).

Trevor Hallewell
Trevor has been involved in the alcohol and other drug sector since 1985. He has served on the boards of several Not for Profits involved in providing help for those with alcohol and other drug problems, including 18 years with We Help Ourselves (WHOS).
Eleven years ago, Trevor was instrumental in the establishment WHOS Najara, a residential drug treatment program. He has overseen the implementation of the initiative to improve the service’s Dual Diagnosis capability, and is the program manager of the WHOS Najara service.
Trevor is very active in the Queensland AOD NGO sector. Working with other state NGOs in the establishment of a Peak body to serve their interests. After receiving funding from Queensland Health in 2005 for a secretariat, the Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies was set up, Trevor currently serves on this board as president.

Rachel Ham
Rachael is a proud Ewamian and Western Yalanji woman born and raised in Cairns Far North Queensland. She is the Manager of Operations, Performance and Treatment Services, FNQ for Lives Lived Well and shares her time between the Shanty Creek Therapeutic Community near Mareeba and Cairns.
Rachael is passionate about empowerment and providing safe spaces for people suffering from worries in their lives and in particular alcohol and drugs.

Rebecca Lang
Rebecca is the CEO of the Qld Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (QNADA), the peak body for the non-government alcohol and other drug treatment sector in Qld. QNADA represents and provides support to 44 organisational members operating in over 75 locations across the state, providing drug education and information, early intervention, outreach, detoxification, residential rehabilitation, psychosocial and medical treatment, relapse prevention and justice diversion services.
She previously worked with the West Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (WANADA) to develop the Standard for Culturally Secure Practice (AOD Sector), the first AOD sector specific accreditation standard.

Bernice Smith
Bernice has over 25 years of experience with working in the Health and Community services sector in Queensland with various agencies across the community, government and private sector. She was Service Manager at Goldbridge Rehabilitation Services from 2010 to 2015 before heading to Toowoomba as Executive Director of Sunrise Way Therapeutic Community. Bernice is now back with Goldbridge part-time in a Management Consultant role.
After starting her first career as a Nurse in 1977, Bernice then worked in various agencies across the community. Following the attainment of her Bachelor of Social Science from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 1998, Bernice undertook training in Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation through the Gestalt Association of Queensland and then became a member of the Steering Committee for the Drug and Alcohol Summit held in 2001. She was Director of the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland and later worked for four years on the Hospital GP Accreditation project throughout Queensland and Australia. Bernice has been a member of many Boards including being a member of the Committee for the Queensland Community Service Strategy, and Member of the Queensland Taskforce Committee for Child Protection.
Bernice completed TC Standards training with ATCA in 2013 to become a Peer Reviewer and was a member of a Peer Review team in New South Wales. In 2014 Bernice led the Goldbridge project to
obtain ISO 9001:2008 standards to acknowledge Goldbridge’s robust continuous improvement processes and Quality Management Systems.

Lynne Magor-Blatch
Lynne is the Executive Officer with ATCA and a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist. She holds a position of Visiting Fellow with the University of Wollongong, where she was previously an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology. Lynne has a long history with therapeutic communities and within the AOD sector, commencing with Alpha House and the Ley Community in the UK in 1974. She has worked in both the non-government and Government sectors, as a program and clinical director, policy officer, lecturer, researcher and consultant in Australia. In 2010, Lynne was inducted into the National Drug and Alcohol Awards Honour Roll.
Lynne has extensive clinical and research experience and has published over 30 peer reviewed journal articles, book chapter and monographs. She has also served as the National Convener of the Australian Psychological Society’s Psychology and Substance Use Interest Group and was the Chair of the Illicit Drugs in Sports Initiative. Lynne has held appointments to the IGCD National AOD Workforce Development Strategy Working Group, the Advisory Committee for the Review of the Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Treatment Services Sector and the Of Substance Editorial Reference Group. She is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Therapeutic Communities.
Site Visits
The site visits play an important part in any ATCA Conference, as they provide the opportunity for delegates to visit the host programs and to experience first-hand the work which they are doing. This year’s site visits will provide delegates with the opportunity to select one of three site visits, and to meet with staff and clients of these services. Sponsorship will cover the cost of bus hire and lunch and refreshments. Delegates will choose either Site Visit 1, 2 or 3 and will be transported by bus, leaving the hotel in the morning and returning in the afternoon.
SITE VISIT 1 – THE GOLD COAST
Goldbridge Rehabilitation Services (Goldbridge) is a Therapeutic Community established in 1987 by the local community in Southport on the Gold Coast. Goldbridge provides alcohol and other drug rehabilitation services to a broad range of individuals and their families. The residential component of the program substantially contributes to the reduction of social, health and justice issues associated with drugs, alcohol and mental health problems.
Goldbridge’s residential program runs from a one month Induction to a six-month program and has a capacity to assist 28 men and women. People need to have completed detoxification prior to entering the program. The target group is adults 21 to 65 years who are affected by co-occurring alcohol, other drug and mental health problems. Goldbridge, which is situated in the Gold Coast CBD, liaises with neighbours, the Gold Coast City Council and the wider community to provide key services. Residents progress to the Goldbridge 6-month Transition to Community program which includes family support and individual counselling.
Fairhaven is located at Eagle Heights (Mt Tambourine) Qld. Fairhaven provides an AOD Therapeutic Community for 56 people and an inpatient detoxification service for 11 people. It is part of the Salvation Army Recovery Services, and also provides assessment, referral, aftercare and transitional housing programs from “Turning Point”, located in Scarborough St in Southport.
SITE VISIT 2 – SUNSHINE COAST
WHOS Sunshine Coast® TC - Najara is a 4 – 6 months residential Therapeutic Community for men and women set in the tranquil hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. Its goals are to help individuals find freedom from alcohol and other drug dependence (AOD) and discover a better way of living.
SITE VISIT 3 – BRISBANE
Logan House is a 37-bed facility located on a peaceful property and accommodates adults, aged 18 and over. The tranquil environment at Logan House affords a unique healing opportunity within a rural location removed from the temptations and demands of urban living.
The treatment program usually takes place over a six-month period and the holistic program includes community based interventions and intensive therapies, and takes a therapeutic community approach to recovery. One to one counselling, groups and case management are provided.
Moonyah is part of the Salvation Army’s Recovery Services and provides an AOD Therapeutic Community for 86 people and an inpatient detoxification service for 12 people. Moonyah also has a residential problem gambling service, aftercare and transitional housing, and employment programs.
Workshops
Professional Development Workshops
Workshop: Preparing your TC for certification under the ATCA Standard
Facilitated by Barry Evans, Consultant
Barry holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Masters Degree in Organisational Development & Training. Most of Barry's working career was with The Buttery, beginning in 1983. In 1988, Barry was offered the position of Director in 1988, and continued in the role of Executive Director (CEO) until his retirement in July 2014. The Buttery is the largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment services in northern NSW. Its residential program, located near the seaside town of Byron Bay, operates as a therapeutic community, providing medium-term residential rehabilitation
In 1990, Barry was elected to the Board of what was then the Australian Therapeutic Communities Association. In 1995, he was elected to the position of President of ATCA and served for two years in that position. He was again re-elected as ATCA President in November 2000 and in 2008, was elected Chairperson for the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association, a position he held until retiring in 2014.
Prior to this, Barry reviewed therapeutic communities in Australia and New Zealand, using a Peer Review model which was an early prototype of the ATCA Standard. Since his retirement, Barry has worked with ATCA as Project Officer, focusing on the development and registration of the ATCA Standard. He has also been employed by the Institute for Healthy Communities Australia (IHCA) as a Technical Expert to accompany their auditors when they review agencies for certification as a Residential Rehabilitation Service or a Therapeutic Community.
Barry has served on many Boards and been involved in a wide range of services, including NADA, the Northern Rivers NGO Health Network, the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, and the NSW Quality in Treatment Review Committee.
Workshop details:
This workshop will explore what is required of a member agency as it prepares for a certification audit. The session will focus on the necessities for certification as a Therapeutic Community under the ATCA Standard and the rating scale that determines whether certification is recommended by the auditors. The session will also examine the Essential Elements that inform the Standard and audit outcome and review Stages One and Two of the certification audit.
Workshop: Art Therapy, Trauma and Creative Practice
Facilitated by Robert Henderson: The Henderson Gallery
Part of Robert's vision for The Henderson is to provide life skills to Indigenous prisoners through art. He has entered the Archibald Prize competition four times. The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australian art. His entry in 2014 was a portrait of nationally popular and respected artist Archie Roach. In 2015 his entry was a portrait of Australian Aboriginal activist, academic, writer and actor Gary Foley. Celeste Liddle, an Australian Indigenous feminist, was the subject of Robert's 2016 entry. This year 2017 Archibald entry is of Ken Gormly, musician "The Cruel Sea."
Robert's dream for The Henderson Gallery is for it to be an outlet and education centre for artistic expression, the preservation of history and for the future appreciation of Aboriginal culture and art.
Workshop details:
Robert will be facilitating a dynamic Workshop focusing on a mindset orientated attitudinal framework. This framework will offer insights to complement existing practices. Exploring the other side of the brain - utilising both sides of the brain in your practice and ways to begin to have consideration for a flexible and balanced approach through difference lens.
Participants will leave with an insight of how to utilise this framework to assist clients to experience a paradigm shift. This involves client/s and the practitioner working together which culminates in an immersive practice event. The framework is a great engagement tool as it is often too hard for clients to verbalise past traumas, therefore this framework enables them to produce a visual illustration to which they can speak as a third person narrative.
The centre of First Nation's culture is story telling which includes historical and current Narrative. Most powerfully presented through dance, song, painting and other artistic practices.
Speakers
Meet our Keynote Speakers:
Chris Shipway

Agency for Clinical Innovation
Chris Shipway brings a wide range of expertise and more than 30 years' experience in the health service setting including, primary health, community health, chronic disease management, aged care, palliative care, youth health, mental health, drug and alcohol services, acute hospital settings, workforce development and policy development. During that time Chris has held leadership positions in the NSW Health system in Drug and Alcohol, Mental Health, Community Partnerships and Chronic Disease. For the past five years Chris has led the Primary Care and Chronic Services Portfolio at the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation.
Originally trained as an enrolled nurse working, Chris is also a qualified Social Worker and has a Masters in Public Administration.
Robert Henderson
Practicing Artist - Owner: The Henderson Gallery
To gain an understanding of others, first gain an understanding of yourself. Robert Henderson is a prime example. He took 32 years to discover his roots and now works and lives as a proud Wiradjuri man from New South Wales. He is also a Practising Artist and Owner of the Henderson Gallery.
Robert came up the hard way. After his first day at school he came home and announced to his mother he didn't need to go back as he had already "learned everything". This was his attitude in life. From the age of five he was a dynamic personality, strong minded, arrogant and often not interested in anyone else's viewpoint.
He learned totally from his own experiences and would not ... or perhaps could not ... learn from anything other than life and the experiences life brings.
At school in Buderim his IQ was among the highest; however, Robert was tacitly voted by his friends and their parents as to most unlikely candidate to survive until his 21st. He smoked, drank and did drugs. He was violent, rebellious and living on the edge very early in life.
One of his biggest challenges was his father. Ex-Navy, the Vietnam veteran clashed violently with his son. At 13 years, Robert was a large lad who knew that his mother thought it inappropriate and disrespectful for Robert to retaliate to his father's violent behaviour.
Rather than kill his father, he was just 14 when he hitchhiked to Sydney, bumped up his age and began working in pubs at Kings Cross. He mixed with all kinds of individuals from diverse backgrounds including police, prostitutes, drug addicts, criminals, entertainers, the military and the underworld. At age 16, Robert was in hospital in a coma. Drunk, he had walked in front of a car and was not expected to live.
He survived, but the accident had unleashed a mountain of pent up rage. For 16 years Robert embarked on a wild existence hitch hiking the east coast of Australia, living on the street, working on prawn trawlers, concrete pumps, in bands, mines, factories, pubs, publishing and more. He got into fights, drugs, and all kinds of self-sabotage and harm to both avoid the pain of his life and correspondingly fit the image he had of himself.
Robert's 'Sabotage Haze' came to a grinding halt at age 32 and he was not in great shape. He was addicted to alcohol, drugs, self-destructive/anti-social behaviour, cigarettes, adrenaline, violence, guitars and motorcycles. When he looked in the mirror, he saw his father. The very person he was running from was staring right back at him - only this time his name was Robert.
Soul searching and counselling eased him back to the person he was destined to be and he realised that through this work he now had something he could give back to young people who had been on a similar journey to his and had similar beliefs about themselves as he had as a child, teenager, adolescent and younger man.
He's been employed by many frontline organisations working with disenfranchised and abused people to rebuild lives, reunify families and champion hope. Robert is no longer violent, nor does he drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or does drugs. Robert has had an interest in art for many years but didn't start painting until quite recently. He says art is about creating a lens through which others might see and feel through different eyes. Art also has a responsibility to record the happenings of our times through artistic lens.
His early paintings produced a narrative collection of visual works inspired by Wiradyuri culture, history and spirituality.
As he painted he continued to unveil, in 16 pieces of work, the story of the massacre of his people in and around Bathurst under the declaration of martial law circa 1823-1827. Constructing these early works, he believes he was being taught and educated into the spirituality and pain of his people. His material is original, unique, practical and effective, using examples drawn from lessons in a life of extremes and tapping into his own inherent spirituality.
Robert's latest exhibition demonstrated a shift in form and technique showing his ability to expand, refresh and develop a style which builds on his early work. As well as his now full-time practice in visual arts, Robert runs art workshops using collaborative concepts that transfer usefully to individuals and organisations. Robert offers private tuition and is available to consult on art projects.
Part of his vision for The Henderson is to provide life skills to Indigenous prisoners through art. He has entered the Archibald Prize competition four times. The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australian art. His entry in 2014 was a portrait of nationally popular and respected artist Archie Roach. In 2015 his entry was a portrait of Australian Aboriginal activist, academic, writer and actor Gary Foley. Celeste Liddle, an Australian Indigenous feminist, was the subject of Robert's 2016 entry. This year 2017 Archibald entry is of Ken Gormly, musician 'The Cruel Sea.'
Robert's dream for The Henderson Gallery is for it to be an outlet and education centre for artistic expression, the preservation of history and for the future appreciation of Aboriginal culture and art.
Dr Stefan Gruenert
Chief Executive Officer, Odyssey House Victoria
Stefan is the father of two boys, a psychologist, and the CEO of Odyssey House Victoria where he manages a number of intensive treatment, training, research, and support programs for those affected by drug and alcohol and mental health problems. Stefan has worked in the alcohol and other drug sector for over 15 years and has been active in promoting change to better address the needs of children and families affected by problematic parental substance use.
In the past, Stefan has worked as a senior counsellor in a range of settings and has conducted research on alcohol use, men's issues, sexual coercion, intimacy, family work, and fathers. Stefan has delivered workshops to more than 5,000 young people in football and netball clubs across regional Victoria, and has also taught courses in counselling, statistics, drug and alcohol, family work, and personality disorders and has presented papers and workshops at several National and International conferences.
Stefan received a Harvard Fellowship in 2014, was an Australian delegate to the United Nations NGO Forum on Drugs in 2008, and is the current President of the Victorian Alcohol & Drug Association and a Board Director of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. On weekends, Stefan is a junior football and cricket coach, and enjoys cooking and travel.
Dr Lynne Magor-Blatch
Executive Officer, ATCA
Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Wollongong
Lynne is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and holds a position of Honorary Principal Fellow with the University of Wollongong, where she was previously an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology. Lynne has a long history with therapeutic communities and within the AOD sector, commencing with Alpha House and the Ley Community in the UK in 1974. She has worked in both the non-government and Government sectors, as a program and clinical director, policy officer, lecturer, researcher and consultant in Australia. In 2010, Lynne was inducted into the National Drug and Alcohol Awards Honour Roll.
Lynne has extensive clinical and research experience and has published over 30 peer reviewed journal articles, book chapter and monographs. She has also served as the National Convener of the Australian Psychological Society's Psychology and Substance Use Interest Group and was the Chair of the Illicit Drugs in Sports Initiative. Lynne has held appointments to the IGCD National AOD Workforce Development Strategy Working Group, the Advisory Committee for the Review of the Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Treatment Services Sector and the Of Substance Editorial Reference Group. She is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Therapeutic Communities.
Professor Michael Farrell
Director, National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC)
University of New South Wales
Professor Michael Farrell, is the Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia. He was a Professor of Addiction Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London up until 2011.
His area includes broad based population studies based on Psychiatric Morbidity and its relationship to substance use. His other key area is Evidence Based Practice and Treatment Evaluation and the Translation of research into practice with a focus on harm reduction. He is a founding Editor of the Cochrane Drug and Alcohol Group. He is the Theme lead for UNSW Faculty of Medicine promoting research collaboration across mental health, addictions, neuroscience and ageing.
He has published over 200 scientific papers and is a member of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. He is Assistant Editor of Addiction. He has undertaken a wide range of work for international agencies and for National Governments on aspects of National Drug Policies.
Professor Leanne Hides
NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
Lives Lived Well Professor of Alcohol, Drugs & Mental Health
The University of Queensland
Professor Leanne Hides holds an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship and the industry-supported Lives Lived Well Chair in Alcohol, Drugs and Mental Health at the University of Queensland. She is a senior clinical psychologist with over 17 years of clinical and research experience in the treatment of primary and comorbid substance use disorders in young people. Professor Hides has led 15 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on substance use treatment and has been a chief investigator (CI) on a further five. She also develops web and mobile-phone based programs. Her current work uses strengths-based approaches to target both risk and protective factors for youth substance use. Professor Hides have been a CI on eight NHMRC project grants (7 current) including two as the chief investigator. She has 123 publications including 99 peer reviewed journals and has written five treatment and training manuals. Professor Hides' work has presented her work at over 100 conferences and has been invited to present 13 keynotes and participate in 17 symposia at national and international conferences.
Professor Frank Deane
Director, Illawarra Institute for Mental Health
University of Wollongong
Professor Frank Deane teaches in the clinical psychology programs in the School of Psychology and is the Director of the Illawarra Institute for Mental Health at the University of Wollongong. He has worked as a clinical psychologist or clinical researcher in New Zealand, USA and Australia. His research is predominantly applied in nature and focuses on help seeking, 'recovery-oriented' service provision, routine outcome assessment and training in mental health and drug and alcohol treatment contexts. He has been a CI on ARC, NHMRC, Rotary Health, Movember Foundation and multiple industry funded grants. His research programs have been awarded multiple ANZ Mental Health Services Awards. The collaborative research work with The Salvation Army has led to a National Drug and Alcohol Research Award (2012), Excellence in Research and Evaluation Award at the NSW Non-Government Alcohol and Other Drug Awards (2016) and, the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association Excellence in Research and Evaluation Award (2016).
Deborah O'Neill
Deborah grew up in an Irish, small business family in outer Sydney before moving to the Central Coast in 1985. Before entering Federal Parliament, she was a high school teacher between 1986 and 2000 and a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle until 2010 where she co-ordinated courses in teacher education.
It was Deborah's connection to the regional NSW community through education that guided her into politics. She entered federal politics in 2010 when she was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Robertson. Deborah was appointed to the Senate in 2013 and in 2016 she was elected as a Senator for NSW for six years.
Deborah has been Junior Vice-President of NSW Labor since 2011.
In Parliament, Deborah has occupied a number of positions including Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Health; Chair and Deputy Chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Corporations and Financial Services; member of the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment and member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing.
In September 2016, Deborah was appointed Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation and Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health.
Deborah continues to live on the NSW Central Coast with her family.
James A. Pitts Oration
The James A. Pitts Oration has been established as an annual event to feature Australian and internationally renowned individuals who have been a significant contributor to research or practice in therapeutic communities. Named in honour of James A. Pitts, who has worked in the Alcohol and other Drugs field for more than 38 years, the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA) takes great pleasure in partnering with Odyssey House McGrath Foundation in this important event.
James retired as CEO of Odyssey House in 2016 after more than 32 years in that role. James was selected to a number of prominent boards over his career and was awarded the Ted Noffs Foundation Award for Individual Achievement in the AOD field in 2000, the Australia Day Medal in 2001 by the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia in recognition of his contribution and commitment to the field, the inaugural fellowship by the Harvard Club of Australia, Not For Profit Fellowship Program in 2001, and in 2007 was inducted to the Honour Roll of the National Drug and Alcohol Awards. In 2016, James was presented with the O. Hobart Mawer Award, in Recognition of Excellence in the global field of Therapeutic Community Treatment, by the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities at a ceremony in Mallorca. James has also previously served as a Board Member of the ATCA Board over many years and was a founding member of ATCA.
The James A. Pitts Oration has been made possible thanks to the generosity of a long-time Odyssey House donor.
This year's oration will be delivered by (Hon) Professor Jan Copeland.
(Hon) Professor Jan Copeland (PhD) is the founding and sole Director of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) at UNSW Australia from 2007 to its defunding by the Turnbull Coalition government in 2016. She is now leading her own consultancy Cannabis Information and Support. She is a registered psychologist and a member of the US College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the Australian Psychological Society, International Society for Research on Internet Interventions and the International Cannabinoid Research Society. She has worked in the addictions field at UNSW for more than 25 years, specialising in the development and testing of tools and brief interventions for the management of cannabis use disorder among adults and adolescents.
Her research and research translation work has attracted $42.5million including 14 clinical trials, 4 as CIA with NH&MRC and 5 as a member of NH&MRC CI teams. She has more than 350 publications (n=175 in peer reviewed journals) including lead author of a 2015 book on quitting cannabis for Allen & Unwin and sole author of a clinical manual for US Hazelden Publications on brief CBT interventions for cannabis use disorder released in 2017. She has advised national and international governments on cannabis-related prevention and treatment. She is an Associate Editor of Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment among other journal editorial roles. Prof. Copeland has received a number of awards for her contribution to drug-related treatment, public health and community education.
Gala Dinner
The 2017 ATCA Conference Advisory Committee and the ATCA Board would like to acknowledge the donation of the original artwork:
Maliyan wulinya
(Flight of the Wedge Tailed Eagle)
by artist
Mr Robert Henderson, Wiradjuri
for Auction
during the
ATCA Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony
sponsored by WHOS.
The Auction will take place at the Pullman Hotel on
Thursday 2 November 2017, commencing at 7pm.
This painting is about new horizons, meeting challenges, growth and development through a series of initiations. The energy in the middle is about focusing through mastery. The change of direction towards the top is about using everything learned and applying to head in new direction. To begin the process again.
There are parallels to be drawn from this story with the process of recovery
Date: August 2017
Size: 150cm x 100cm
We invite all ATCA members, interested guests and art lovers to attend the dinner and to take part in the auction. Funds from the sale of the painting will be donated to ATCA as conference sponsorship to further support members’ professional development.
Accommodation
We have negotiated a favourable accommodation room rate of $205.00 per room per night for conference delegates at the Pullman Tower, or $150.00 per room per night in the Mercure Tower. We encourage delegates to stay at the venue. Rate includes complimentary in-room WIFI. Buffet breakfast is available for $25.00 per person per day, charged on consumption.
Accommodation will be charged in full within your accommodation booking, a separate tax invoice will be provided.
Accommodation Cancellation Policy:
Your accommodation will be charged in full on this invoice. A merchant service fee (1.96% Visa and MasterCard, 3.96% American Express) will be added to your accommodation booking. This fee will be calculated and shown on screen prior to payment.
Pullman & Mercure Brisbane King George Square
Cancellations received more than 30 days prior to arrival will forfeit one night’s accommodation as a cancellation fee. Cancellations received 14 days prior to arrival will forfeit 100% of accommodation booked. ‘No shows’ forfeit 100% of accommodation booked.
Refund Processing:
A refund processing fee of $25.00 plus GST is payable for all refunds requested and processed by Conference Online.
Accommodation Link
Organisations & Sponsors
Contact
Contact Name: Lynne Magor-Blatch
Company Name: Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association
Telephone: +61 422 904 040
Email: atca@atca.com.au