BRACE Services
Overview of Services
BRACE Services respond to a continuum of needs ranging from low threshold harm reduction interventions to post substance use/abstinence-based aftercare/continuing care.
Access and Intervention Centre
The Access and Intervention Centre provides multi-issue drug and alcohol users, who struggle to maintain commitments and who have minimal contact with other services, access to a range of drug treatment services, including harm reduction and minimisation.
Addiction Counselling
Addiction Counselling provides a therapeutic process, informed by specific skills/theory in working with addictions, both within this service, and in partnership with Primary Care Services. It occurs within individual and group settings. Holistic/Complimentary therapies provide an adjunct to this work.
Key Working and Case Management
Throughout the services, key working and case management provide support and interventions to individuals who are seeking to respond to the impact of their drug or alcohol use.
Key working with an individual is focused on the main concerns and challenges faced by the person in addressing their desired changes. At times, always with consent, it will include working with other services and agencies, either to access additional resources, or to advocate for the person if there are obstacles being presented.
Key working is guided by a person’s care plan, which sets out what goals are being worked on. When the work involves more than one service or organisation, case management is important in keeping the different pieces of the work connected and working toward the same end.
BYAP provides an in-reach Key Working and Case Management service to Domville House HSE Clinic.
Treatment Programmes and Courses
Treatment Programmes and Courses involves the structured delivery of short courses, and longer programmes, which address specific addiction related areas.
During the initial assessment process, a treatment package or range of treatment elements that meet the needs of the person are identified. This package can include programmes and courses that provide appropriate therapeutic or psychosocial support for the person. These programmes include “off the shelf” evidenced programmes, as well as specific pieces developed to respond to emerging needs.
Prison related services
Prison related services involved individual and group therapeutic interventions to drug/alcohol users, while in prison. Specific engagement pre and post release is an important parts of this work, as individuals prepare to return to the community, often without a strong support system.
Aftercare/Continuing Care
The Aftercare/ Continuing Care Team provide ongoing interventions and support for individuals who have made significant positive changes in their drug/alcohol use. These interventions are delivered with a view to reinforcing and maintaining these positive changes. This work is done on a one-to-one basis, and within a group setting.
Engagement with Aftercare/ Continuing Care requires that the referral and assessment process identifies significant change status in a person’s drug/alcohol use. This normally means abstinence, but for some individuals it can mean a very significant reduction of substances used, frequency/amount of use, or cessation of specific elements of use.
Aftercare/ Continuing Care has an explicit focus on: Maintaining Change; Relapse Prevention; Relapse Management; Achieving and Maintaining Psychological and Emotional Wellness; Development of Pro-Social networks; Building Recovery Capital; Complimentary Therapy; and advocacy/referral to appropriate other services.
Work on these goals is done through individual work (informed by Care Plan); Group Work (Aftercare Group – Rolling 9 month model; Recovery Support Group – Open Group); Programmes; Adjunct Complimentary Therapies; Prosocial and Social re-integration oriented activities; and referral to other appropriate supports within the community to address specific aftercare challenges (Housing, employment, legal, social welfare, etc.)
Support for Recovery, and the building of recovery capital, is a key part of Aftercare/Continuing Care, supported through engagement with Ballymun Recovery, supporting Recovery Champions, and the recruitment of Mentors on the Boxing Clever programme.
The Infant Parent Support Project
The Infant Parent Support Project works with parents, pre-birth – 2-year-olds, who experience issues with problem drug or alcohol use, to improve antenatal/post-natal health and care for mother and baby. The Project works from an infant mental health perspective and assists parents to increase their contact with and use of the services available in Ballymun for new parents/children. This role works in partnership with youngballymun.
Brace Training
BRACE Training provides training, education and research directed toward facilitating more effective responses to the challenges of drug and alcohol use as they impact on individuals, families, and communities.
Boxing Clever
Boxing Clever is a twenty-week integrated educational, substance use recovery and fitness
programme that aims to support participants to develop more resilient identities. While encouraging educational achievement and physical wellness.
Links to research.
Recovery Road
Through cycling we build connections, supportive networks and bridges to other people and communities in recovery, with a focus on reintegration.
Links to events.