Our Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Services (MHAOD) are here to support people as they find solutions towards living well.

Both clinical streams span the geographical footprint of the District from Tweed Heads to Grafton. 

The Mental Health Services work with adults, adolescents, and children living with mental illness, to support them and their families and carers with options to assist recovery. The Alcohol and Other Drugs Services help people make positive changes to their alcohol or substance use.

Career opportunities are available across inpatient and community settings in a variety of clinical and non-clinical support roles. 

Our greatest strength is the commitment, resilience and warmth of our teams. We care about creating a connected culture where our people feel valued, empowered and have a strong sense of belonging. As a service we strive for excellence, prioritising patient safety, continuous improvement and professional development. We offer educational opportunities from our graduate nurse programs through to ongoing education for senior staff. We promote upskilling of staff by providing opportunities to relieve in senior roles as well as between services. We have embedded a new Clinical Supervision program for clinicians to support reflective practice and staff wellbeing and facilitates transparent and patient centred decision making and high standards of clinical practice.

Explore current career opportunities in Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs in Northern NSW. 

Staff Highlights  

Dr Jason Koutsodontis - Psychiatry Registrar

 

 

Rachel Cowe - Counsellor, Alcohol and Other Drug Service 

After years of living in fast-paced cities like Sydney and London, Rachel Cowe, made the move to the Northern Rivers in early 2024 and hasn’t looked back. Drawn to the Byron Shire for its natural beauty and relaxed lifestyle, she said the relocation was her “best decision yet!”

Rachel works as a Counsellor across two sites, Riverlands in Lismore and the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) team at Tweed Valley Hospital.

Her work focuses on supporting individuals with challenges related to addiction, trauma and adverse childhood experiences, people with mental health experiences, those in crisis, offending behaviours and she has a particular passion for working with people with forensic histories.

Rachel highlights the collaborative culture within Northern NSW Local Health District, where mutual respect, diverse skillsets and genuine care for each other and the community are part of the everyday.  

“Humour is essential in our teams; it makes all the difference when working in this sector and brings joy to the work we do.”

The therapeutic alliance, the connection that helps individuals feel truly seen and understood, sometimes for the first time, is at the heart of Rachel’s practice.

“Supporting someone to reconnect with their own inner wisdom, especially when it’s been clouded by addiction or trauma, is a magical space to be in.

“It’s a privilege to hear someone’s story and walk alongside them in their healing.”

Rachel’s began working in mental health and community-based roles within NGOs, before joining NSW Health as a Counsellor in Kings Cross. Here she worked with marginalised populations in a vibrant primary healthcare setting.

Her experience spans individual and group counselling, case management and rehabilitation support for people navigating complex life experiences.

Outside work, Rachel enjoys exploring the coast and hinterland of the Northern Rivers. She loves hiking and swimming or simply soaking in the slower rhythm of life.

“The lifestyle shift has enriched both my personal and professional life,” she said.

Callen Farmer - Acting Nurse Manager, Alcohol & Other Drugs for Richmond and Clarence

From providing healthcare in a correctional facility, working in opioid treatment programs and hospital consultation liaison to nurse unit manager in Hunter New England, Callen’s journey in nursing has been diverse and exciting.  

After relocating to the Northern Rivers just over a year ago, Callen took on the challenge of Acting Nurse Manager, Alcohol & Other Drugs (AOD) for Richmond and Clarence.

“Moving to NNSWLHD was an amazing decision. I wanted to get out of the city and experience a different culture and discover a new location. I love the mix between the country and the coast,” he said.  

“I also wanted to progress my career and be brave enough to try something new.

And he hasn’t looked back!

He describes the AOD team as a unique, vibrant, dynamic group from diverse backgrounds and knowledge bases.  

“We all collaborate respectfully and seek out multiple perspectives and utilise the experience of all involved parties – especially the patient,” he said.

In fact, it’s the patients who keep Callen motivated.

“Their resilience and stories inspire me every day. I think a challenging thing for families and patients can be how to access our services, I’d love to increase knowledge about this,” he said.

“However, I’m excited about virtual care as an option in the treatment plan. It’s been great and allowed for increased connection and access with rural patients and colleagues.

“I’m motivated daily by the impact we are having in vulnerable communities – improving healthcare access and making a real difference in people’s lives.

In his free time, you’ll find Callen trying to play golf and eating the best sandwiches he can find.

Kate Willock - Clinical Nurse Consultant with Perinatal Infant Alcohol and Other Drugs

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Kimberly Barrett - Registered Nurse

A keen traveller with you two young children, Kim Barrett is passionate about reducing the stigma of patients with drug and alcohol addictions and mental health issues. The 2022 Quality Award winner never thought she would get this level of recognition for her work. 

Kim is a Registered Nurse with The Tweed Hospital’s Opioid Treatment Program who says working with patients dealing with addiction was the best decision she ever made. 

Kim’s passion and advocacy for her patients and her work was recognized at the Northern NSW Local Health District 2022 Quality Awards where she was presented with the Collaborative Staff Member of the Year Award.  No one was more surprised than Kim to be recognised for the work she does.   

Read more of Kim's story in the Northern-Exposure. 

Team Day - Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Service 

 

Alison Renwick - Workforce Manager - Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs 

From the cleaning team at a small hospital in the ‘90s, to the management team of the Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Service today, Alison Renwick has put her hand up for countless opportunities over a 30-year career in health. 

“After I finished my HSC as a 17 year old, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Alison said. 

“I just wanted a job and I needed to earn money.” 

Alison’s working life with the health service began as a Hospital Assistant Trainee at Ballina District Hospital, doing cleaning, kitchen and linen duties. 

“A lot of my colleagues were middle aged women, and there were some pretty tough characters,” Alison said. 

“But I loved it, and I am still in contact with some of those people I cleaned with. We had some fabulous fun; the hijinks and pranks we got up to. It was a great start!”

Alison went on to work as a cleaner at Ballina for 12 years, having two sons during that time. Once her sons had grown enough, she was ready for her next challenge.  

A couple of TAFE courses in medical terminology and office procedures gave Alison the confidence to try her hand at administration work, starting with some volunteer experience at the hospital. 

Read more of Alison's story in the Northern-Exposure. 

Trish Collie - Addiction Medicine Physician, Alcohol and Drug Service

 

Mental Health Services in our District 

Alcohol and Other Drug Services in our District 

• Drug and Alcohol Counselling
• Community Engagement Team
• Perinatal Infant Alcohol and Other Drugs Service
• Hospital AOD Consultation Liaison Service
• MERIT Program
• Opioid Treatment Programs
• Riverlands Inpatient Withdrawal Unit - Lismore

Career Pathways  

Djirruwang Aboriginal Mental Health Trainee Program

The Djirruwang Program is conducted through the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at Charles Sturt University (CSU). CSU in NSW provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with an opportunity to obtain a Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health).
The course was developed in collaboration with Aboriginal community-based organisations, the mental health industry and CSU to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The objectives of the Training Program are to: 
• increase the number of qualified Aboriginal Mental Health Workers in the workforce 
• increase the knowledge of mental health services staff about health beliefs and needs of Aboriginal people 
• improve the responsiveness of mental health services to the needs of Aboriginal consumers 
• improve the effectiveness of mental health services, including promotion, prevention, early detection, intervention and treatment for Aboriginal people and communities 
• increase the number of Aboriginal people accessing the range of mental health services

NNSWLHD Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs Services currently has three trainee positions working in the Community Mental Health teams in Grafton, Lismore and Tweed Heads.

 

Business Administration Traineeship 

Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs Services offers Administrative Traineeship opportunities in partnership with MEGT and TAFE NSW. Traineeships includes the opportunity to achieve a Certificate III in Business Administration qualification during the 12-month duration of the traineeship.

Trainees in MHAOD have a unique opportunity to work in a variety of work areas during their traineeship employment including corporate, inpatient and community settings. Our traineeship program is a highly successful non-clinical pathway and many of our graduates have been successfully appointed to permanent administrative positions across the Local Health District.

Mental Health GradStart Program

Mental Health Nursing Practice GradStart program is offered at:

• The Tweed Hospital
• Byron Central Hospital
• Lismore Base Hospital

The program commences in February each year and offers permanent part-time or full-time positions. GradStart participants will have an opportunity to rotate through a number of differing clinical settings, including Acute Inpatient, Sub Acute, Child and Adolescent and Community Mental Health.

All Graduates are required to work a 7-day rotating roster, including morning, evening and night shifts.

The mental health GradStart Program is delivered in collaboration with Southern Cross University providing structured learning and group activities on key mental health topics.

Throughout the program participants are assessed on their learning in various ways including written assignments and oral presentations to peers. In addition to experiential and structured learning, participants will be supervised and mentored throughout the program. A certificate of completion will be issued to participants on satisfactory completion of the program content. The program aims to prepare participants to undertake higher degree study in the area of mental health such as Graduate Certificate or Masters.

Explore current career opportunities in Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs in Northern NSW. 

Contact

Alison Renwick
Workforce Manager - Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs 
E: Alison.Renwick@health.nsw.gov.au
P: 0447 605 277 or 02 6620 7967

Other related pages: 
Working in Northern NSW 
Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme 
Employee Benefits
Our Staff