Education and Research

Staff

Research Staff

		Andrew Bruun, Acting Executive Officer Andrew has been working with high-risk adolescents for over 20 years and was a founding member of the YSAS implementation team. Andrew’s early work was with the Federal Government Community Rehabilitation Services Youth Independence Unit in Brisbane where he implemented and conducted rehabilitation programs for young people with mental health and developmental issues. Prior to working with YSAS he spent six years (two of them as Co-Director) developing and managing the Youth Program at Task Force Community Agency in Melbourne’s inner-south. The Youth Program was one of only three Victorian alcohol and other drug services catering specifically for adolescents. Andrew is recognised as a pioneer in this highly specialised and emerging field. Over time, Andrew has had a key role in several workforce development and research initiatives in the adolescent alcohol and other drug and complex needs areas. He has been instrumental in developing high quality resources and publications for those providing direct services in this field. He is credited with developing the original blueprint for what is now YSAS in a position paper prepared in 1994 for the then Inner City Regional Youth Committee and later submitted to the Victorian Premier’s Drug Advisory Council. Andrew qualified in Community Welfare at the Queensland University of Technology in 1984. He then studied Social Work at Monash University, graduating in 1990. He has a Diploma in AOD work (YSAS 2003) and a Certificate IV Workplace Training and Assessment (University of Melbourne 1998). Andrew has nine years’ counselling experience and is an Hon Fellow with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne.

		Dr Penny Mitchell Dr Penny Mitchell is currently working as a Senior Research Fellow at YSAS. She is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics (CHPPE) at the University of Melbourne. Penny has worked in the field of health services research and program evaluation for over 20 years. Her early work was in the mental health field, and spanned research into schizophrenia, transcultural mental health, youth suicide prevention, and primary mental health care. Penny was centrally involved in the evaluation of the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy which ran from 1995 to 1998. Over recent years Penny’s research interests have moved towards issues of organisational behaviour and service development in health and human services, particularly intersectoral collaboration and system-level strategies for better serving clients with complex psychosocial needs. Her PhD, based at the University of Melbourne and completed in 2007, examined the mental health care roles and organisational capacities of a wide range of primary health and social care services. Penny also holds a BSc in Psychology (UNSW) and a Masters of Public Health (USyd). Penny is currently working on a program of research with Andrew Bruun and the YSAS Research and Education Team. The aim is to develop and test a set of performance indicators and measures that recognise both the unique and shared contributions of services that collaborate to care for young people with multiple and complex needs.

		Rachael Green, Research Officer Qualifications Rachael has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Anthropology (University of Western Australia, 2001), and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health (Curtin University of Technology, 2004). Rachael is currently a PhD Candidate at the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI, Melbourne office), Curtin University of Technology. Rachael’s PhD research involves ethnographic investigation of the cultural practices and social contexts of recreational drug use among young people aged between 18-31 yrs in Perth. Her PhD is due for completion in 2012. Experience Rachael has been involved with YSAS since 2008, where she has provided research support to the Education and Training unit (currently not operational), and within the Research and Development team. Prior to commencement of her PhD, Rachael was involved in the youth sector in WA and the ACT in policy development, research, and health promotion. Her involvement in the drug and alcohol field began through work on the Secretariat for the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) across 2004-05. Rachael’s PhD project also included concurrent work to inform a wider NHMRC funded drug policy modelling project. This project has involved integration of ethnographic and epidemiological data on the drug practices of young people in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth using agent based modelling. She has been involved in numerous research projects relating to young people’s drug use, including the Youth Illicit Drug Reporting System Study (YDRS), a study involving 13-21 year old Victorians. The primary focus of her recent work at YSAS has been contribution to the Practice Framework Re-development Project, through collection of qualitative data documenting client’s perspectives of their service needs and outcomes of involvement with YSAS. This work aims to contribute to the articulation and refining of a set of therapeutically useful outcome domains and indicators. Recent publications Bruun, A., Ennis, D., Wansborough, H. Green, R., Mitchell, P. A guide to assisting young people experiencing ATS related problems In Allsop, S. and Lee, N. (eds.) Understanding and responding to Amphetamine Type Stimulants. I.P Communications. [In Press] Dwyer, R., Pennay, A., Green, R., Siokou, C., Barratt, M.J., Thomson, N. and Moore, D. The social contexts and cultural meanings of ATS use and their implications for policy and practice. In Allsop, S. and Lee, N. (eds.) Understanding and responding to Amphetamine Type Stimulants. I.P Communications. [In Press] Abstract Dray, A., Perez, P., Moore, D., Dietze, P., Bammer, G., Jenkinson, R., Siokou, C., Green, R., Hudson, S. and Maher, L. (2011). Are drug detection dogs and mass-media campaigns likely to be effective policy responses to psychostimulant use and related harm? Results from an agent-based simulation model. International Journal of Drug Policy. [In Press] Abstract Perez, P., Dray, A., Moore, D., Dietze, P., Bammer, G., Jenkinson, R., Siokou, C., Green, R., Hudson, S. and Maher, L. (2011). SimAmph: An agent-based simulation model for exploring the use of psychostimulants and related harm among young Australians. International Journal of Drug Policy. [In Press] Abstract Green, R. and Moore, D. (2009). 'Kiddie drugs' and controlled pleasure: Recreational use of dexamphetamine in a social network of young Australians. International Journal of Drug Policy, 20, (5), pp. 402-408. Moore, D., Dray, A., Green, R., Hudson, S., Jenkinson, R., Siokou, C., Perez, P., Bammer, G., Maher, L. and Dietze, P. (2009). Extending drug ethno-epidemiology using agent-based modelling. Addiction, 104, (12), pp. 1991-1997. MacLean, S., Bruun, A., Mallett, S., & Green, R. (2009) Social contexts of substance use for vulnerable 13-15 year olds in Melbourne: Youth Drug Reporting System. Melbourne: Premier’s Drug Prevention Council.

Education Staff

		Steve Wilson, Research and Education Consultant Steve has over 24 years’ experience working in the human services sector developing innovative practice and service system responses for young people. Prior to joining the YSAS Research and Education Unit, Steve worked in a range of government and community-based organisations including positions in direct service, management, community development, research, policy development and training. In 2007, Steve was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study international programs for young people involved in self-injury. He holds a Diploma of Community Services: Alcohol and Other Drugs Work as well as Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training. He brings to his work extensive knowledge and practice experience in working with young people. This experience encompasses alcohol and other drugs, homelessness, CALD communities, STI/HIV, sport and recreation and male sexual assault. Since joining YSAS Steve has developed and conducted workforce training in the areas of alcohol and other drugs, managing aggressive clients, and responsive services to young people who self-injure. Recipients of this training have included government and non-government services as well as private sector organisations across Victoria, nationally and within South East Asia. Steve is also the author of a number of formative publications that include: Pathways to Recovery: providing outreach services to active and ex-drug users, YSAS Education and Research Unit and AIDS Project Management Group, 2005 Boys Don’t Cry… working with sexually abused young men, Department of Health and Community Services, Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, 1992 Sport: creating a level playing field - increasing the participation of young people from ethnic communities in sport, Department of State Development and the Ethnic Youth issues Network, Sport and Recreation Victoria, 1998.

		Constance Karametos, Senior Project Officer Constance has over 15 years’ experience working in the alcohol and drug sector. Prior to her current position, Constance was the YSAS Senior Project Officer, Service Development and Organisation Support. Previous experience includes manager of Tandana Place, Waverley Emergency Adolescent Care, AOD counsellor at DHS Parkville Youth Residential Centre, Community and Research Development Worker at Banyule Community Health Service, and manager of the drug withdrawal and assessment program at the Windana Society. Constance is experienced in education and training and has provided external consultancy in these areas. Constance’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Social Work, a Grad Diploma Health Promotion, Cert IV Workplace Training, Dip Community Services, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Cert in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and Cert in Critical Incident Stress Management.

		Cath Sedunary Cath Sedunary has worked in vocational education and training for the past twenty years, predominantly, in Indigenous education at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT). Cath has been responsible for the production of a range of health promotion resources for Aboriginal health workers and has worked with key Victorian Aboriginal community agencies as a consultant. Cath is also an experienced social worker who has provided services at Pentridge and Fairlea prisons, and then at Pleasant View Centre, Smith Street Clinic and the Chemical Dependency Unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital. Since 2008, Cath has been the RTO manager at YSAS and is the driving force behind the organization maintaining its RTO status. Additionally, she managed and delivered the Certificate IV in AOD work to Aboriginal AOD workers. Cath’s expertise is supported by a Bachelor of Arts (La Trobe University), Bachelor of Social Work (University of Melbourne), Diploma of Education (La Trobe University), and a Certificate IV in Workplace Training & Assessment (NMIT).

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