Designing Integrated, Trauma-Informed Care Pathways for Co-occurring Addiction and Trauma: Insights from Two Interrelated Co-design Workshops

Authors

• Troy McGee, Monash University, AustraliaFollow
• India Read, Monash University, AustraliaFollow
• Leah Heiss, Monash University, AustraliaFollow
• Sara Daly, Monash University, AustraliaFollow
• Katrin Oliver, Hamilton Centre, Australia.Follow
• Ali Cheetham, Hamilton Centre, Australia.Follow
• Irina Hart, Hamilton Centre, Australia.Follow
• Cathryn Pilcher, Spectrum, Australia.Follow
• Anne-Laure Couineau, Phoenix Australia, Australia.Follow
• Shalini Arunogiri, Hamilton Centre, Australia.Follow

Abstract

Co-occurring trauma and substance use disorder (SUD) are common and clinically consequential. Evidence supports concurrent, integrated responses within trauma-informed systems, yet implementation remains uneven. This study aims to identify design principles for integrated, trauma-informed care pathways by examining current service pathways and workforce capabilities across mental health (MH), alcohol and other drugs (AOD), and community health. We report insights from two interrelated co-design workshops (n>40) that included AOD/MH clinicians, hospital staff, peer and lived-experience practitioners, and community partners. Workshops used personas to surface barriers, enablers, and attributes of an enabling environment. Thematic analysis yielded five themes: Consumer experience; Workforce culture; Service environment; Service model & pathways; and Governance & leadership. We translate these into seven pathway principles — No-Wrong-Door & Single-Story Choice; Care in Parallel; Right-Time Navigation; Trusted Transitions; Role Clarity & Shared Accountability; Cultural Safety by Design; and Supported Workforce — framed as levers to operationalise integrated care.

Keywords

Health service co-design, Trauma-Informed care, Integrated care pathways

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1692

Citation

McGee, T., Read, I., Heiss, L., Daly, S., Oliver, K., Cheetham, A., Hart, I., Pilcher, C., Couineau, A., and Arunogiri, S. (2026) Designing Integrated, Trauma-Informed Care Pathways for Co-occurring Addiction and Trauma: Insights from Two Interrelated Co-design Workshops, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1692

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License