Caroline Clark, CertIVAssess&WorkplaceTraining, BA(Hons), GradDipHlthCareHistory, MA(AppSocResearch)
Senior Education & Training Officer

For a number of years Caroline taught philosophy and history of science at Melbourne University, RMIT and Swinburne. After five years in community development work in the alcohol and drug field she worked in project development and management in a division of general practice before moving to Turning Point where she has worked for five years, mainly undertaking needs analyses, managing projects and developing materials for the Education and Training Program.

Caroline is now undertaking the research for her PhD on the social and medical history of alcoholism in Australia at the Centre for Health and Society at the University of Melbourne.

Topics of interest:
· History of drug and alcohol use and treatment
· Drug use and women

Kieran Connolly, CertIVAssess&WorkplaceTraining, HND, GradDipTrain&Dev, MA(PrimHlthCare)
Program Leader, Training and Information Resources

Currently enrolled in a Doctorate of Health Science, Kieran is an experienced educator with more than 15 years in adult education. For the last 12 years he has specialised in the alcohol and drug sector, designing, delivering, evaluating and managing a broad range of education and training programs in a variety of health and welfare settings including the tertiary sector and the VET area.

Kieran is a Board member of VAADA and the Victorian representative on the Workforce Development Reference Group of ADCA.

Topics of interest:
· Workforce development issues in the AOD area

Rebekah Couldrey, BHumServ, CertIVTraining&Assess
Education & Training Officer

Rebekah has a correctional background and welfare qualification.  She was previously employed by Corrections Victoria for a period of ten years in a number of roles and across a range of programs.  Her most recent roles were AOD coordinator in a Melbourne prison and regional program coordinator and facilitator for psycho-social and CBT based programs.  Rebekah has experience working with involuntary clients, specialist assessment, case management and support to individuals with complex needs.  She has been employed by Turning Point since April 2008 as an Education & Training Officer and is currently studying for a Graduate Diploma in Addiction and Mental Health.

Topics of interest:
· Community engagement and the impact of AOD use on families
· Working with involuntary clients
· Group work

Shirley Gill, BA(Hons), DipEd, MPsych(Couns), MAPS
Education & Training Officer

Shirley is a registered psychologist who was awarded an Australian Psychological Society College of Counselling Prize for Excellence for her Masters thesis on the training of counsellors in experiential psychotherapy. Shirley has more than ten years clinical experience in addictive behaviours including alcohol, drugs and problem gambling. This is coupled with a background in education as well as in the training and supervision of professional counsellors.

Topics of interest:
· History and philosophy of counselling and psychotherapy
· Web-based counselling
· Pain management

Michelle Iannacone, CertIVTraining&Assess, CertIIOffice&Admin
Senior Student Administration Officer

Michelle has over twenty years experience in educational institution environments. Michelle has been with Turning Point for five years coordinating all of the student administration activities for Education and Training Services. Michelle’s extensive experience extends into both vocational and technical education and tertiary program standard requirements.

Topics of interest:
· Vocational and technical education
· Tertiary programs

Sharon Patterson, CertIVWorkplaceAssess&Training, BA(SocSc), RPN, GradDipHealthEd
Senior Education & Training Officer

Sharon has worked in the drug and alcohol sector for twenty years and has extensive experience as a drug and alcohol clinician. During this time she has worked in a wide range of clinical settings including inpatient withdrawal, specialist methadone services, rehabilitation and group therapy, counselling and assessment, drink driver education programs and women's drug and alcohol services. Sharon has been employed by Turning Point since 1995 as a Senior Education & Training Officer. Her work at Turning Point has had a major focus on working with GPs and other primary care workers.

Topics of interest:
· Alcohol related harm
· Alcohol and substance related brain injury
· Sociology of drug use

Margret is a registered psychologist and a member of the APS College of Counselling Psychologists. She has 20 years counselling experience having worked across a range of health and education settings including palliative care, telephone counselling, community health, TAFE and Higher Education counselling services. In the AOD sector, Margret has worked in intake, assessment and counselling with a diverse range of people including those with specific needs such as dual diagnosis, ABI and mandated clients.

Topics of interest:
· Counselling and psychotherapy
· Training and supervision of professional counsellors

Dimitra Petroulias, BEng(Hons), BAppSci, GradDipPharmSci&Drug Eval, CertIVTraining&Assess
Education & Training Officer

Dimitra is currently employed at Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre as an education and training officer and prior to that as a research fellow. She is involved in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Program, working on a project to review the minimum qualifications strategy. Prior projects within E&T include updating training modules for VET in Victoria and ACT and developing online activities for training of general practitioners to become prescribers in methadone and buprenorphine.

Previous projects in research include the implementation and evaluation of Forensic and Client Services projects (Youth Individual and Systems Interventions Program, Dual Diagnosis and Comprehensive Care Program and Bridging the Gap Program); the International Consortium on Buprenorphine and Pregnancy and the development of Youth Alcohol and Drug Outreach Guidelines. Dimitra has had over 12 years project and research experience and 7 years drug and alcohol experience at a number of organisations including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Custodial Medicine Unit, Victoria Police, Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, The Private Hospitals Association of Victoria and CSIRO.

Topics of interest:
· Education and training
· Research and evaluation of AOD related projects
· Project management of AOD related projects

Sandra Roeg, CertIVAssess&WorkplaceTraining, RPN, GradDipSocSc(DrugDep), CertSoulCentred
Senior Education & Training Officer

Sandra has worked in the AOD field for over twenty years and has extensive clinical and training experience. Prior projects include, working with the Inner Eastern Melbourne Division of General Practice for two years as the Nurse Counsellor/Educator for the Alcohol Problems in General Practice Project (a project that developed a shared care model with GPs, nurses and specialist AOD agencies). Recent areas of involvement have been hospital and MCH nurse training across the state, ethno specific workers, GPs and ambulance paramedics plus guest lecturing to social work and nursing students. For the past 3 years has she has been directly involved in the development and delivery of PsyCheck training (a training package for the screening and treatment of high prevalence disorders) at a national and local level and is currently studying for a Grad Cert in Mental Health Sciences at Flinders University.

Topics of interest:
· Dual diagnosis
· Counselling & psychotherapy, in particular Motivational Interviewing and CBT
· Staff development and supervision

Phoebe has worked in the alcohol and drug field for sixteen years and has experience in both clinical and community settings. Her community experience includes alcohol and drug consultancy roles in Community Health Centres and peer education coordinator at Juvenile Justice Service. Her clinical experience expands across various settings including Intake and Assessment, residential and outpatient withdrawal, specialist pharmacotherapy, CCCC, and Needle Syringe Programs.

For the past 12 years she has been employed in the clinic at Turning Point, her primary role over the past 5 years has been in Intake and Assessment. She commenced work in Education and Training in February 2007.

Topics of interest:
· Working with families affected by alcohol and drug use
· Working with CALD clients
· Alcohol and drug treatment options