In this piece, we chat with Rachel, one of our outreach counsellors in the AOD (Alcohol & Other Drugs) team. She explains how the team breaks down barriers to engage with vulnerable clients.

Tell us about yourself Rachel-

Hi, I’m one of the Outreach Counsellors in the AOD team and I’ve worked with Star Health for 8 years. Initially, I was employed within the RhED program (Resourcing Health & Education in the Sex Industry)and it was the work that was being done within RhED that drew me to wanting to work at Star Health.

How do you help your clients at StarHealth?-

I joined the AOD team in 2016 and I love the work we do. We tend to work with people who may find it difficult to engage in traditional counselling, may have more complex needs and need a more flexible delivery of support. We have the ability to incorporate some case management into our role which can really allow us to assist clients to work through some of the barriers they might be facing as well as undertake some advocacy work for them. I work out of Access Health twice a week and this allows for a collaboration between the services to best meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable and difficult to engage clients.

What do you love the most about your work?-

I find the privilege of listening to our clients’ stories; their resilience and courage is what makes this role rewarding. Sitting with people at their most vulnerable and hopefully observing a positive shift in their lives is pretty amazing. I also have the most incredible colleagues which makes this job all the more enjoyable.

How can people access this service?-

People can get in touch with us at StarHealth on 03 9252 1300 or through BayAODS Free call 1800 229 263.

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