Addiction & Mental Health Support
Specialist addiction and mental health support resources workers, with rapid admission and confidential referral pathways nationally.
Supporting the mental health of Australia’s resources sector workforces
Aurora Healthcare provides national addiction, dual diagnosis and mental health support for resources sector workforces — accessible from site, camp, or home, wherever the roster or shift pattern takes them. Our network combines rapid inpatient admission, virtual treatment options, and confidential referral pathways, so workers can get support they need.
The mental health challenge in mining and resources work
Remote work, extended rosters, isolation and time away from family and support networks put resources sector workers at higher risk of substance use and psychological distress than the broader workforce. Much of the published research focuses on FIFO workers specifically — but the same pressures affect resource workers across the sector, and site drug & alcohol policies increasingly require a fast, credible referral pathway before return to work.
The impact can be serious:
- 33% of FIFO workers report high or very high psychological distress.
- More than 1 in 3 meet clinical thresholds for depression, anxiety or stress.
- Up to 3 times higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviours have been reported among FIFO/DIDO resource and construction workers compared with the broader Australian population.
- 2.4% of FIFO construction workers reported a suicide attempt within the previous 12 months in one study.
For employers, health and safety teams and occupational health providers, having a fast, clinically credible pathway to specialist mental health and addiction support is an important part of supporting workers — from early intervention through to treatment and return to work.
Source: Research into Australian FIFO workers, cited on aurorahealth.com.au/resources-sector-support/. Figures relate specifically to FIFO/DIDO cohorts studied; Aurora's services are open to all resources sector workers.
Addiction and mental health rarely exist in isolation
FIFO and resources-sector workers can also experience increased risks associated with alcohol and other substance use, alongside psychological distress.
For employers, health and safety teams and occupational health providers, having a fast, clinically credible pathway to specialist mental health and addiction support is an important part of supporting workers — from early intervention through to treatment and return to work.
Aurora Healthcare
Aurora Healthcare isn't one clinic — it's a national network of hospitals and more than 1,000 licensed mental health beds, including four dedicated addiction and dual diagnosis hospitals. Workers can access specialist care close to site, close to home, or wherever they are based across Australia.
Care that's accessible
With support available through private health insurance, DVA and WorkCover, Aurora provides specialist mental health and addiction care through a range of pathways — helping our patients access the care they need, when they need it. Our hospitals have agreements with all private health funds.
Our approach is people first — with specialist care designed around the individual, their circumstances and their recovery.
Care close to home
Aurora Cloud Clinic
Virtual programs available Australia-wide, incl. Addictions First Steps,
Phone: 1800 955 665, Email: practicemanager@auroracloudclinic.com.au
Currumbin Clinic (Gold Coast, South East Queensland)
37 Bilinga Street, Currumbin QLD 4223
A dedicated addiction and dual diagnosis hospital 10 minutes from Gold Coast Airport, with a dual internal medicine and addiction medicine specialist and a virtual First Steps day program.
- Alcohol & drug dependence
- Behavioural addictions
- Medically supported detoxification
- Inpatient, day & outpatient care
- Dual-diagnosis treatment
- Virtual Addictions & Pain Management programs available
Phone: 1800 119 118, Fax: 07 5534 7752, Email: currumbin.admissions@aurorahealth.com.au
Townsville Private Clinic (Townsville, North Queensland)
136 Wills Street, Townsville QLD 4810
Providing specialist inpatient and day therapy programs for alcohol and substance use disorders, withdrawal management, addiction recovery, and co-occurring mental health conditions in a supportive therapeutic environment.
- Alcohol & substance use disorders
- Substance withdrawal
- Addiction recovery programs
- Day therapy & inpatient care
- Support for co-occurring mental health concerns
Admissions and Assessment Phone: 1800 884 767. Email: townsville@aurorahealth.com.au
Belmont Private Hospital (Brisbane, South East Queensland
1220 Creek Road Carina QLD 4152
A dedicated mental health hospital in Brisbane, for resource workers and their families needing support with a range mental health.
- Mood disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma
- Perinatal mental health
Phone: 1800 700 274, Email: belmont.admissions@aurorahealth.com.au
Robina Private Hospital (Gold Coast, South East Queensland)
A dedicated mental health hospital on the Gold Coast, for resource workers and their families needing support with a range of mental health concerns.
- Mood disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma
- Eating Disorders
Care across Australia
Aurora's footprint spans across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
Kellyville Private Hospital (Sydney, NSW)
3 McCausland Place, Kellyville NSW 2155,
Person-centred addiction and mental health care, with a dedicated ward for occupational trauma.
Phone: 1800 965 095, Fax: 02 8883 1834
South Coast Private Hospital (Wollongong, NSW)
112 Burelli Street, Wollongong NSW 2500
Inpatient, day patient and outpatient addiction programs, alongside trauma and PTSD-informed care.
Phone: 1800 250 000, Fax: 02 4210 7353, Email: sco.intake@aurorahealth.com.au
Abbotsford Private Hospital (Perth, WA)
61–69 Cambridge Street, West Leederville WA 6007
Western Australia's only dedicated private inpatient addiction hospital, with linked day therapy programs — close to home for WA-based resources workers.
Phone: 0430 709 459, Fax: 08 9381 7681
For a full list of our hospitals across Australia, click on our link below.
What we offer resource workers
Addiction rarely shows up on its own. Our multidisciplinary teams treat substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions together, with a structured pathway matched to how serious things are.
Addictions First Steps — Virtual Program (most accessible option for FIFO rosters)
A 10-week virtual group therapy program for people navigating substance use alongside depression, anxiety or PTSD — whatever stage of change they're at, including after a recent lapse. Delivered in real time via secure video conferencing, so treatment travels with the roster instead of competing with it.
Facilitated by Currumbin Clinic, delivered through Aurora Cloud Clinic.
- No inpatient admission required
- No travel or accommodation costs — join from site, camp or home
- Delivered Australia-wide
- Uses CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing and trauma-informed principles
- Accessible via most major private health funds (hospital or day program benefits)
- Referral from an Aurora-credentialed psychiatrist, obtainable via telehealth
Rapid inpatient admission
Medically supervised withdrawal management and an addiction program that treats substance use and mental health together.
Dual-qualified specialist care
A dual internal medicine and addiction medicine specialist — one of only a couple in Australia — means complex withdrawal and the physical health conditions common in resources workforces are managed by the same physician as the addiction itself.
Outpatient Allied Health Clinics
Coordinated outpatient and allied health support — psychiatry, internal medicine, addictions specialist care, dietetics and psychology — delivered via telehealth or in person.
New & Emerging Therapies (NET) Clinic
For people who haven't found relief through standard treatment, our New & Emerging Therapies (NET) Clinic offers access to advanced, emerging treatment options — available at hospitals across our network nationally, delivered under specialist supervision in a safe, hospital-based setting.
Return-to-work support
With the worker's consent, we provide progress and fitness-for-work reporting back to employers, EAPs and occupational physicians.
Evidence-based therapies
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), motivational enhancement and relapse-prevention approaches, with peer-support or 12-step-informed options where appropriate.
Our treatment pathway
- Medically supervised withdrawal
- Inpatient hospital program
- Structured day program
- Step-down and ongoing support
Why it works for resource workers
Minimal time away from family
Our hospitals are minutes from local airports — for resource workers and those flying in from other states alike, care doesn't have to eat into R&R.
Recovery that doesn't stop at the gate
Virtual First Steps keeps treatment going through the swing — the gap where relapse risk is highest.
Confidential and independent of the employer
Confidential, employer-independent care supports early self-referral, before a workplace incident forces the issue.
Beyond addiction: mental health and trauma support
Remote, high-risk and safety-critical work brings its own psychological load — and many resources sector workers also carry service or first-responder backgrounds. Aurora's mental health network sits alongside our addiction services, so complexity doesn't mean starting again somewhere else.
- Psychiatry-led, trauma-informed care for PTSD, psychological injury, and mood and anxiety disorders, alongside addiction treatment.
- Dedicated trauma and PTSD-informed programs at several hospitals in the network, including Currumbin Clinic and South Coast Private.
- DVA-approved day therapy programs for workers with a service or ADF background, and partnerships with veteran support organisations.
- Advanced treatment options through our New and Emerging Therapies (NET) Clinics, offering specialised programs for individuals experiencing Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD), where symptoms persist despite trials of standard antidepressant therapies.
- Coordinated care beyond the hospital, helping workers transition safely between levels of care and maintain progress after discharge.
How to refer a worker
We welcome enquiries from EAP providers, occupational physicians and fitness-for-work assessors, employers, unions and peer supporters — and from workers and families directly.
- GP referral for admission: admission requires a GP referral addressed to the relevant hospital. We'll allocate the next available specialist, or you can nominate one.
- Enquiry from any pathway: EAPs, occupational physicians, employers, unions and peer supporters can all start an enquiry — our assessments team will guide the worker through the GP referral step.
- Prompt specialist assessment: once referred, our team arranges specialist assessment promptly and confirms the right level of care — inpatient, day program, or outpatient.
- Consent-based reporting: with the worker's consent, we provide progress and fitness-for-work reporting back to employers, EAPs and occupational physicians.
