Brave new word
Aotearoa's first free online treatment courses for substance harm now available
Digital mental health provider Just a Thought, in partnership with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, has launched Aotearoa's first free, fully online treatment courses designed to support New Zealanders experiencing harm from alcohol or drugs.
With increasing wait-times and mounting pressure on specialist services, these innovative courses aim to provide immediate access to support for thousands of New Zealanders who might otherwise face barriers to treatment and support, while helping to reduce strain on services.
"Despite an increasing awareness of substance harm in Aotearoa, stigma remains one of the biggest barriers preventing people from seeking help," Anna continues. "Digital tools like these courses can make a significant difference by providing a confidential, safe space for people to reflect and learn – whatever their level of struggle, type of substance, or stage of the journey they're on."
The three courses support tāngata whai ora at different stages they may be at with substance use – when they're thinking about making changes, ready to take action, or seeking support after a lapse or relapse. Each course offers highly tailored, practical support that's grounded in Lived Experience.
Each course features real stories from real people who've experienced substance harm, change, and recovery.
“In order to build something effective we knew we needed Lived Experience voices,” says Anna. “We soon realised it was the stories from our Lived Experience whānau that held the most therapeutic value and so we decided to build our courses around them.”
Lived experience central to it all
"Representation of Lived Experience stories within addiction tools and resources is important," says Jessica Apanui, Programme Owner of Mana over Meth Kura Kaupapa and one of the Mātau ā-wheako (Lived Experience) experts featured in the courses. "When people see themselves in someone else's journey, they can feel a sense of hope that change is possible.
"The approach Just a Thought have taken to include our stories and expertise ensures people coming to the courses have someone with lived experience to connect to – even if it's only through a digital experience. This might allow people to feel safer and experience less self-stigma, helping them to better engage with the content of the courses and take that next step forward to seek help from other services and people around them," says Jess.
The accessibility of these courses extends beyond individuals experiencing substance harm, Anna explains. "We hope that our health workforce across different services can use the courses to support their work and reach people sooner who may otherwise be waiting or unable to access help.”
"Similarly, we hope that whānau and our communities can use these free courses to gain a better understanding about substance harm to help enhance knowledge and reduce stigma. Digital tools like Just a Thought can make a big difference, but we know it's relationships with people that make the most difference."
Just a Thought offer over 15 digitally delivered, evidence-based, therapy courses and has supported over 75,000 New Zealanders since launching in 2019.
To access the free courses or learn more, visit www.justathought.co.nz/drugandalcohol
References:
Te Hiringa Mahara New Zealand Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. 2024. Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun—Mental health and addiction service monitoring report 2024: Access and options. Wellington: Te Hiringa Mahara
