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Hamilton Centre

Hamilton Centre
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From the Clinical Director – June 2026

Insights from Hamilton Centre Clinical Director A/Prof Shalini Arunogiri.

30 June 2026
Driving ChangeIntegrated CareMental HealthAlcohol and Other DrugsAddressing StigmaHelp and Support

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As we move into the second half of 2026, June has been a month of continued engagement and collaboration across the mental health and AOD sectors.

  • Our Education and Training team recently attended the Victorian Collaborative Centre’s Workforce Development Forum. It was a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues, share information about our work and hear discussions about strengthening learning and development to support meaningful practice change.
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  • The VAADA Service Providers’ Conference brought together AOD services to explore themes of culture, connection and innovation. It was a pleasure to be part of this year’s event and to see the Hamilton Centre’s progress recognised by the Chief Psychiatrist of Victoria, Associate Professor Sophie Adams. Among a range of initiatives, she highlighted the Centre’s work in improving access to integrated mental health and addiction care through capacity-building activities and our clinical network services in Victoria.

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  • We were also proud to see the Hamilton Centre research and co-design methods showcased internationally at the Design Research Society Conference (DRS2026) in Edinburgh by Dr Troy McGee and colleagues from the Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA) team.
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    Designed in collaboration with MADA, Phoenix Australia and Spectrum, this project focused on developing trauma-informed care pathways for people experiencing co-occurring trauma and substance use disorders. We look forward to sharing more as this work progresses. If you are a Victorian mental health or AOD clinician interested in trauma-informed care, keep an eye on our channels for updates on this. You can read the paper here.

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  • I recently contributed an invited commentary in the journal Addiction on methamphetamine psychosis. This is a major issue for Victorian mental health services, with a recognised impact on acute health workers in emergency departments and inpatient units. Despite the growing impact on individuals, families and health workers, there are still significant gaps in care pathways and evidence-informed approaches to treatment.

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    International colleagues are increasingly drawing attention to this problem and how it often falls between diagnostic and service siloes. My commentary explores the need for greater workforce investment and recognition of impact on occupational violence, targeted models of care and stronger integration with mainstream mental health services to support better outcomes. Read the commentary and international discussion here.

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    Our team at Hamilton Centre looks forward to doing more research in Victoria to support better pathways for methamphetamine psychosis.

If you would like to learn more about any of these initiatives or discuss how we can support your team, we’d be happy to hear from you.