Odyssey House Annual Report 2010

• Odyssey House hosted over 400 guests at our annual
Open Day held in October 2009. The Open Day is
designed to acknowledge the great work and support of
Odyssey House staff, residents and community
supporters, and provide the public with an opportunity
to learn more about what we do. A highlight of the day
for many was the graduation ceremony to officially
recognise residents who had completed the
rehabilitation program, with guests being privileged to
hear their moving accounts of how they had overcome
dependence and rebuilt their lives.
• We established an ongoing working relationship with the
University of Western Sydney’s Psychology Department,
providing placements for graduate psychology students
interested in alcohol and other drugs work. The
students may undertake discrete research projects as
part of their degree requirements.
• We also hosted several fourth-year medical students
from the University of Western Sydney’s Medical School
for placements of 6-8 weeks. This program follows our
participation on the Community Consultation
Committee, established to ensure the Medical School
met the needs of the local community.
Working with the
Community
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Odyssey House Annual Report 2010
• Staff represented Odyssey House at several major
conferences during the year. A presentation on the Cost
benefits of therapeutic community drug treatment was
made at the Australasian Therapeutic Communities
Association Conference in Canberra in September 2009.
In June 2010, we participated in the inaugural National
Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Conference in Adelaide
and presented a paper on the Indigenous influences that
enhance therapeutic community treatment. Also in June,
we presented in Brisbane at the Winter School in the Sun
conference on The evolution of the therapeutic
community in Australasia - From residential rehabilitation
to multi-disciplinary service provision.