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Hear from Sharon, Irene, Kyra, and Lachlan as they talk about their rewarding careers helping people in the alcohol and other drugs sector.
Lachlan is a provisionally registered psychologist. He’s a caseworker on our MERIT program. He works one on one with people participating in the court-based diversion program, with a focus on providing treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health concerns.
For Lachlan, the most rewarding part of his job is supporting people through treatment and seeing them meet milestones, rebuild their lives, and reconnect with themselves and their loved ones. “I had a client reach out to update me that they’d continued using the breathing techniques to destress at home and gotten the family to join in too. They had started a morning routine with their daughter and it had become a way for them to connect.”
Lachlan switched to the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector due to an interest in behaviours that can impact a patient’s treatment rather than a specific diagnosis. “Taking this kind of approach is needed in AOD and can be more effective in the long term.”
Having completed his Master of Professional Psychology, Lachlan’s passion for supporting his clients is centred around their experience.
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Sharon is an Aboriginal Health Worker in our alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector whose passion for mob and community led her to choose AOD as an opportunity to improve health outcomes.
“In this role I’m able to embed cultural values into their healthcare and ensure services are not just clinical, but culturally respectful,” she said.
“Being able to walk beside my patients through their journey and work with a team that is focused on providing holistic care that empowers mob has been so rewarding.”
Sharon highlighted that the connections made on the job have been a rewarding part of the role. “Having the AOD team behind me, and working with other Aboriginal Health Workers, allows us to share knowledge to ensure we’re providing mob holistic care.”
Sharon encouraged the next generation of Aboriginal Health workers to be proud of their role.
“I’ve heard patients talk about having no one who listens without judgement. In AOD I'm able to provide a safe, supportive environment where people feel empowered to set their own goals without shame or stigma.”
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Kyra works as a drug and alcohol counsellor. As a counsellor, Kyra focuses on helping people reduce their substance use, create strategies to support long-term wellbeing and explore the underlying reasons that may lead people to substance use.
“I’m here to break the stigma around substance use and to help people understand it as a response to human suffering rather than a moral failing,” Kyra says.
Having recently completed her Master of Counselling, this career was an obvious choice. "Overcoming my own challenges with addiction, trauma, and witnessing the impacts made me want to help others,” she said. “It’s given me a deeper understanding of addiction that I apply to my work every day.”
She added that a big part of her work is understanding why someone uses substances and supporting them with finding healthier ways to meet these needs without substances. This can be through lifestyle changes, setting boundaries, or other management strategies.
For Kyra, it’s the quiet breakthroughs that matter the most. “When clients start to understand themselves, show self-compassion, and take steps to meet their needs without substances” – those are the moments that motivate her.
“In this role I get to walk alongside patients on their journey and see them take the steps needed to make meaningful changes in their lives,” she said.
Kyra shared advice with people interested in working in the sector: “Listen deeply and hold space with compassion and without judgement. It is about connecting with people and building trust to support them where they are in their journey and to guide them towards a better understanding of themselves. Those moments are life changing and powerful even if they often go unseen.”
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She’s a nurse specialist in our Opioid Agonist Treatment team at MNCLHD.
Her motivation comes from a love of people.
“We get to witness people rebuild their lives and become stronger members of their community. In the world of drug and alcohol care, progress isn’t always loud or linear. But when someone begins to reclaim their health, their dignity, or their sense of possibility, it’s monumental. We see shifts not just in clinical outcomes, but in relationships, self-worth, and life choices. And those shifts matter.”
While every interaction has impacted Irene, one story that stood out to her was the success of a patient who had been dealing with substance use since their preteens. Irene describes that the patient “didn’t believe recovery was possible and felt like they were ‘born to have drugs and alcohol weaved into their being.’”
“We stayed with them through the withdrawals, linked them to services, advocated fiercely for their entry into rehab, and celebrated every step they made through the program,” she added.
“They reached out after I moved to the coast and wanted to share that they were in recovery, thriving, and now working as a drug and alcohol counsellor to help others. Hearing that they’d never forget how I helped them believe it was possible is the kind of moment that reminds me why I show up day after day.”
Irene has been nursing for 14 years and transitioned to nursing in alcohol and other drugs (AOD) 5 years ago.
In this role, Irene gets to do a bit of everything: mentor other nurses, innovate ways to improve care, and work with patients. “Being in this team is to be both a healer and educator,” she said.
“When I transitioned from medical-surgical, intensive care and primary health nursing, many colleagues questioned the move, wondering why I’d ever choose this path. But it’s been the most meaningful shift in my career so far. AOD is one of the most rewarding and holistic areas of practice.”
Irene says that her role allows her to “mentor and empower nursing staff to grow into their best professional selves while also leading service improvement initiatives that make our care smarter, safer, and more human.”
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