Mental Health and Addictions

The Manly Drug Education and Counselling Centre (MDECC) is a non-government, community based organisation that provides innovative programs for young people, parents and families on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. MDECC’s model of service delivery encompasses a multidisciplinary approach to working with young people and their families. Working with the families of young people is pivotal as parents often unknowingly contribute to enabling their young person’s behaviour. 

For every 1 person affected by their own SUD an additional 2 family members are affected. Treating the families is important for several reasons 1. There is a cost to the family (in terms of distress, family breakdown etc) and the wider society (crime, reduced productivity) of the adolescent/young person’s SUD, 2. The family often presents for help/treatment before the person with SUD 3.Treating the family can reduce the harms and risks to the family, can encourage the person with SUD into treatment and can improve treatment outcomes for the person with the SUD and this reduces significantly the impacts on the wider society.

Evidence highlights that family inclusive practice is the gold standard in treating SUD with young people. At MDECC parents and young people are allocated their own individual counsellor and each family is presented at clinical case reviews for MDECC’s team to look at the family system and consider which course of treatment is appropriate. This presentation will include the model of service delivery, how it was developed and implemented, what the case reviews focus on and how ethical areas such as confidentiality are maintained in order to keep young people engaged in the service.