Hamish Lane was working as a bricklayer and changed career paths to complete his Certificate IV in AOD studies, motivated by his own lived experience.

“While going through my own journey of recovery, I thought about my lived experience and wondered how I could use that as an asset,” he said.

Hamish began his traineeship at the Drug Withdrawal House in St Kilda, guided by the residential withdrawal team to support clients in a safe and comfortable space to detox from alcohol or other drugs.

“I got to work around clients on my first day and I learned very quickly what AOD work is all about,” he said. Gaining hands-on experience, Hamish recalls, has been an effective way to apply the knowledge he has gained from schooling.

“The trust and respect in us trainees has definitely been helpful. It’s not just about shadowing someone – the team puts a lot of faith in me, and I’ve always got people around me to answer questions.”

He describes an experience with a client, supporting them on their journey while working together with another trainee, Kristy:

“I got a referral to detox for a client from Kristy, who she worked with in her first placement at community services. We swapped placements and I took over his [the client’s] counselling, so we got to really build a relationship with him during his time here. When he finished, he hadn’t used drugs for 70 days and he’s still doing really well.”

Hamish's experience Working at the Drug Withdrawal House has allowed him to discover the areas he’s most interested in.

“It’s completely opened up the sector to me and my understanding of it,” he said. “I learned that I want to continue working in residential care, whether that’s detox or rehab.”

Most importantly, it’s strengthened his passion for contributing to positive change in people’s lives. “I really enjoy getting to work with clients over a period of time where you really get to know them. Being able to see someone go from having no energy for life to bouncing off the walls with happiness has been the best experience.”

With a background working in the mental health sector, Kristy Holwerda noticed a number of presentations were linked to alcohol and other substance use, inspiring her to enter the AOD field.

Kristy commenced her first placement in cancellations at Bentleigh. Here, she was surprised by how soon she began working with clients, supported by the team to apply her skills and contribute in a clinical setting.

“You’re so well supported and that puts you at ease to take the next step,” she said. “You can come out and debrief, and they [the clinicians] help you feel comfortable to do that.”

For Kristy, some of her first experiences as a trainee will “stay with her forever”. She recalls working with a client at Bentleigh, who happened to transition to the Drug Withdrawal House (DWH) in St Kilda when she began her second placement rotation.

“He was nervous about going and by chance he was admitted on the first day I moved to DWH,” she said. Walking alongside the client, Kristy felt more comfortable in taking the next steps as a trainee.

“He could share the next part of his treatment with me because we were familiar with each other,” she said. The client remains in contact with Kristy to celebrate his milestones.

As she develops as a professional, Kristy is gaining essential skills that will allow her to enter the workforce with confidence. Structured placements across Windana services have allowed Kristy to delve deeper into client pathways and discover how she can make the greatest impact.

“Having real life, hands-on experience is so necessary because every presentation is so different,” she said.

Now, working in intake at SECADA Dandenong has “confirmed her passion” for helping clients at the beginning of their recovery journey.

“The ability to just be there for someone taking those initial first steps, it’s empowering to know you could make a difference in someone’s life. I’m excited to continue to expand my knowledge and learn from people’s lived experiences.”

Having made an outstanding impact as part of the team at St Kilda over the past four years, Mirella Mammone was ready to take on a new challenge in her career. She commenced her Certificate IV in AOD studies and began as a trainee at Frankston, doing assessments and counselling.

Through training, courses and seminars both with Windana and its partner organisations, Mirella has deepened her knowledge and has taken the opportunity to translate this learning into meaningful action.

“A lot of care is put into how we’re learning,” said Mirella. “We get to visit different sites, have a thorough induction and have external training to understand the industry and the partnerships we work with.”

“It’s one thing to be able to study, but to actually put it in practice and gain skills by listening and learning from other clinicians is so important,” she said.

After spending some time at the Youth Hub in Moorabbin, Mirella is working in family reunification at Frankston.

She describes having a “breakthrough moment” with a client after several sessions together.

“She had this moment of self-reflection and told me the ‘penny dropped’. It was really important and meaningful to hear she had got something out of that,” Mirella said.

From her experience with the program, she has realised her passion for working with parents or carers and children.

“To support someone you know is going through a difficult time in their lives and to know you can be a little part of it, even if it’s just helping them take that next step... That’s absolutely amazing,” she said.

Mirella has found value in connecting with other trainees, learning from their perspectives and feeling supported through a shared community of practice. “You’re not simply alone in it even if you’re doing different things – we have regular catch-ups to touch base,” she said.

“Everyone is equal here, everyone understands that questions are a part of the job no matter what stage in your career you’re at. The clients are our clients and we support them together as a team.”