The Langton Centre is a Drug & Alcohol Service within the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, that provides assessment, information and treatment services for people experiencing problems arising from their use of alcohol, pharmaceutical or illicit drugs.

The amazing Amanda Morris works from headspace Bondi Junction on Wednesdays, and offers support and counselling to young people for any drug-related issues.  We asked Amanda a bit about herself...

What is your role at headspace? What do you do?

I work as a therapist at the Langton Centre with drug and alcohol issues as my specialty, and do this a day a week from headspace.  At headspace, I do individual counselling for any issues related to a person’s drug or alcohol use.  At the Langton Centre, I do individual therapy around drug and alcohol use, as well as facilitate a therapy group within a harm minimisation framework, train other workers to run groups, and help run qualitative research focus groups, for example around clients with take-home naloxone kits (to prevent overdoses).

What do you love about your job?

When I heard about headspace opening, I actually put my hand up to ask if I could work here.  Having my own 17-18 year old sons has me interested in this age group.  I have discovered I love working with younger people here at headspace, because they often have less experience of services and less set ideas of “the way it should be”, so are more open to new ideas, and new ways of looking at things in their lives.  This lets us make up the “script” of the counselling together.

What I really love, is those occasions when working with someone who really wants to make things better for themselves, and so there is a strong sense of a “team” relationship with the person, us working together.  When what I offer, is exactly what a person wants.  There is nothing more satisfying than the person trying something out, us then talking about what happened, getting feedback, and something’s happened to support that person to make a change.

I also love being part of a team at headspace, and hearing from other clinicians how they do things.  I’m also learning how to work with the families of young people more, including having them in session with the young person.

If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?

I would have a humility-zapper for certain people who misuse their power.

What is one thing on your bucket list?

I don’t really have anything on my bucket list, I love my life as it is.  One thing I would like to do, is just practice being thankful for what I already have, to continue to appreciate this, and not take it for granted.  Take the time to sit in the sun and read a book, or smell the roses.

What song would you choose to sing at karaoke?

I’m not one for Karaoke, but probably Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” for the memories it brings, of years in an early sharehouse, where we would sing it together.