Frontline Make Change provides addiction support services from three locations in Dublin – Inchicore, Bluebell, and the North Inner City of Dublin (an alcohol specific service).
Jason Gallagher has been working at Frontline as an addiction practitioner since 2020 and is based in our Bluebell, Dublin 12 location. As well as providing one-to-one keyworking sessions with clients, Jay also facilitates weekly SMART recovery meetings and the Thursday drop-in service.
What does an average working day look like for an addiction practitioner?
No one day is the same in Jay’s role as an addiction practitioner, as one day he might be focused on individual client work and the next could be a more group work focused day.
Frontline runs a Stabilisation Group twice yearly and this, along with other groups such as the Addiction Support Group, are held in Bluebell.
“My day as an addiction practitioner can vary depending on my own personal work and that of my role within the team. On arrival I check my diary, so I know all of my appointments and duties for the day.”
When a client first gets in touch with Frontline – either directly, via a family member or through a referral from another service – they will have an initial assessment to determine their needs and what they are looking for. They may be seeking a detox programme or a stabilisation programme and the addiction practitioner will work with them on a one-to-one basis to put a care plan in place for them.
“The bulk of my individual client work is focused on working with clients on an agreed care plan. Most of my clients present looking for support around addiction issues. This usually results in referrals made to an external service that provides a detox. I will remain in contact with clients who go into detox to ensure any support that they may need when they finish their detox is in place.
“Developing and maintaining relationships with other services plays a big part in my role. It’s important to know what supports are available elsewhere that we may not be able to provide, but that a client needs.
“The support of a good team makes my role much easier and I am in daily communication with members off my team.”
