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Bunjilwarra Residential Rehabilitation

Bunjilwarra Residential Rehabilitation is a peaceful and calming place

Situated on 1.7 hectares, it is our largest site.

Staff and residents will help you to adapt to your new surroundings and routine, while also ensuring that you feel safe and supported.

You will be welcomed into the program and guided to work on yourself in a way that encourages connection with culture, family, community and country. Reach

Site Manager Brooke
(03) 5979 2011

Meet our site manager

Hi! I’m Brooke. I am a proud Palawa woman who has a passion for the Mental Health, AOD and Family Violence sector. As a lived experience family violence advocate and practitioner, I have been working within areas of youth substance use, mental health and family violence for the prior five years and hold qualifications in these domains.

My passion is working with Koori Youth and am currently employed with Bunjilwarra Koori Youth Healing Service and Rehabilitation. Whilst at Bunjilwarra, I have undertaken robust projects with youth to provide holistic healing within an Aboriginal youth residential AOD treatment setting with a focus and passion for working within a social and emotional framework that promotes cultural, developmental, vocational, physical and mental health support and seeks to address addictive behaviours, family violence, trauma and criminal behaviours.

I love that Bunjilwarra is on a large property and has a sense of healing. A lot of young people that come here feel a sense of guidance from our elders and spiritual connection and its quiet.

Brooke

Bunjilwarra Residential Rehabilitation

“A lot of young people that come here feel a sense of guidance from our elders and spiritual connection”

Services:

Residential Rehabilitation

Bunjilwarra Koori Youth Alcohol and Drug Healing Service is a 12 bed residential rehabilitation and healing service based in Hastings.

The service is for young people aged 16 – 25 who identitify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander who want:

• Support with their drug and/or alcohol use, trauma, loss of culture, youth justice support available on site
• Support with building a stronger connection to culture
• Don’t have any other safe drug-free places or much support you can really on to help you try to have a break from using drugs
• Really want to make some changes and be drug free for a longer time
• Are not working or going to school

The Aboriginal-defined understanding of healing is protected and cultivated in this environment and is central to a cultural framework that guides the support of young people who enter the service. This means that moving toward a return to physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing can begin in this safe place.

Bunjilwarra is staffed 24 hours a day by a team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal workers. They are skilled in the areas of alcohol and other drugs, mental health, and complex life experiences so they can help you during your journey.

The program is structured with therapeutic activities including individual and group therapy, regular recreational, educational and training opportunities. These all help develop living skills, strengthen cultural identity, and increase physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Improving connection to family, community and culture is a priority along with building up your ability to care for yourself now and in the future.

At Bunjilwarra you can also access:

• Youth justice support coordinator (justice and legal work done on site)
• Family violence education programs (for young people)
• Koori leaders for change
• Anger management course

Referrals can be made by:

• Young people or family members/loved ones
• YSAS Community Programs
• Through community alcohol and other drug services, GPs, primary and mental health service, youth justice and homelessness services.

Things to think about

If you decide to go to Bunjilwarra you will need to be prepared. So getting support from Elders and workers in the community who can help you go through an assessment and make sure you are ready for the program is a good idea. When you are part of this intensive program you are expected to participate and will be challenged, supported and given time to build connections to self, community and culture.

The service is accessible state wide and run by Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) and YSAS.

YSAS Rehabilitation Services, including Bunjilwarra are free, confidential and voluntary.