Mental health and AOD workers unite in Maitland to improve support for people with co-occuring needs
Nearly 100 community mental health and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) workers gathered in Maitland for the first Meet your Neighbour event of 2026, creating space to explore how local services can work more effectively together to reduce barriers to support for people with co-occurring mental health and AOD challenges.
Hosted by Mental Health Coordinating Council and partnered with the Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (NADA), the event reflected a shared understanding across the two sectors – that whilst conversations around the intersections of mental health and AOD challenges are not new, the work of improving how services connect and respond in practice is ongoing, particularly in regional communities.
Maitland is a small city along the Hunter River about 35 kilometres northwest of Newcastle, serving as a key hub for surrounding towns and rural communities. It is estimated at least 30-50% of people with AOD issues also have a mental health challenge, and with mental health reported as the most common long-term health condition among Maitland residents, the need for integrated community mental health and AOD supports was clear.
Meet your Neighbour Maitland opened with presentations from Chris Keyes, Acting CEO at NADA, and Dr Evelyne Tadros, CEO at MHCC, followed by a rich panel discussion on the impact of stigma on supports, meaningful inclusion of lived experience, and how services can work together. An audience-led Q&A then sparked roundtable discussions that helped bridge knowledge across sectors.
The panel brought together perspectives from:
Anthony Tuite
Peer Support – Acute Care Team
Greater Newcastle Mental Health Service Hunter New England LHD
Victoria Headon
Senior Social Worker,
Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hunter New England LHD
Stigma as a barrier to support seeking
A central theme was how mental health and AOD stigma – whether internalised, interpersonal, culturally reinforced or experienced within services – affected people seeking support, compounding shame and reinforcing silence.
Victoria, Senior Social Worker at Mental Health and Substance Use Service, Hunter New England LHD, noted that judgement within services could discourage people from reaching out again, while Michael, Community Support Worker AOD at Life Without Barriers, emphasised using open, accepting communication to combat this.
Having observed stigma’s impact on self-belief, Anthony, Peer Support Worker at Greater Newcastle Mental Health Service, pointed to the workforce’s role in helping people recognise their own strength and sense of possibility.
Tory and Ali from ACON Hunter
Describing ACON’s beginnings as a community-led response by people living with HIV in the 1980s, Ali, counsellor and care coordinator at ACON, grounded the discussion with the important history of peer-driven advocacy.
What does meaningful inclusion of lived experience look like in practice?
As a peer worker, Anthony explained that when lived experience is truly respected, not just acknowledged, magic can happen.
“Doctors tell you everything from the book. I can tell you everything from the heart,” he said.
Panellists agreed the relational and wisdom exchange from lived experience workers can be profound, and that clinicians sometimes need to step away and listen deeply.
“They’ve been there, they know what it takes to rebuild a life,” Michael affirmed.
Ali added that everyone carries lived experience in some way, pointing to a cultural shift from “don’t self-disclose, follow the script” toward a more human, compassionate approach.
The panel stressed the need for lived experience perspectives across organisations, from governance to service delivery, to drive cultural change.
How can we improve collaboration between mental health and AOD services?
Victoria suggested that when clinicians cannot meet a client’s needs, a ‘no wrong door’ approach means drawing on collective wisdom.
“It’s about actually picking up the phone and asking [another clinician], ‘what do you think?’” she said, encouraging workers to keep local contacts and programs up to date.
Panellists also advised regular consultation, client-centred decision-making, and prioritising warm handovers. Clarifying roles early and creating more opportunities to connect were also identified as priorities for cross-sector communication.
Audience discussion: practical challenges and local solutions
Audience questions and roundtable discussions reinforced the panel themes, raising challenges such as access to AOD treatment, affordability of residential rehabilitation, transport, housing and financial stress.
Highest on the agenda was supporting people with complex mental health and AOD needs, particularly those unable to afford residential rehabilitation. Ali acknowledged the toll this work can take on the workforce, and encouraged curiosity about client goals and “meeting people where they’re at”.
The room discussed advocating collectively with funders to address systemic barriers. “Knowing who to call” again emerged as a priority for connecting people to the right supports, alongside taking the long view and addressing foundational barriers one by one to support better mental health over time.
Uniting NSW’s Adult Mental Health Service (formerly Warekila) was identified as a free, locally based care coordination program close to public transport and accessible without a referral. Michael also outlined Life Without Barriers’ new program Onwards Outreach, designed to reduce access barriers through flexible delivery, including telehealth, one-on-one counselling, short recovery groups, outreach, and travelling to meet consumers.
Meet your Neighbour concluded with networking and service sharing, using the event as a space for building lasting local relationships.
Chris Keyes, Ali Duncan, Anthony Tuite, Victoria Headon, Michael Peattie, Evelyne Tadros
Victoria suggested that when clinicians cannot meet a client’s needs, a ‘no wrong door’ approach means drawing on collective wisdom.
