Love the work, I love what LCM do overall. Grateful to have a job where I can make positive change.The good thingsMeaningful work with a dedicated and supportive team on site.
- Pay is OK-ish after salary packaging
- Rewarding to see health improvement and positive impacts on clients
- Opportunities to have fun
- Developed skills and knowledge in mental health support, motivational interviewing, maintaining professional relationships, communication and conflict resolution, and AOD sector knowledge.
- Kind, considerate and forgiving leadership
I wouldn’t recommend this role to everyone, but if you’re passionate about recovery, empathetic, reliable, persistent and hardworking; and genuinely up for a challenge it might be the right fit.
The work can be challenging, exhausting; at times heartbreaking and baffling. You’ll see gaps in the broader system, and how comorbid health and social issues can compound and keep people stuck. BUT: If you can maintain healthy boundaries, accept that you can only do your best within the scope of role and limited resources, then it could be worth applying here.
The challengesIt’s highly stressful work at times, and systems and processes can feel inconsistent. I stay because I care about the service and the people it supports. Staffing levels and funding pressures contribute to high workload, staff turnover and burnout.
Service planning can feel disconnected from realities on the floor. More consistent supervision, training and on site leadership support would help. Policies and procedures could be updated, and administration systems streamlined. Clearer communication around operational changes and constraints would improve staff confidence and sustainability.
Increased on site leadership presence would also support local networking and community outreach, strengthen operational oversight with best practice auditing, improve feedback loops with clients and staff, and reduce reliance on a small number of senior staff who are often relied on for guidance without being in formal leadership roles.