The Masks We Wear

Nadia O'Toole

Karralika Programs Inc
Karralika Programs Justice Services Manager


Starting her career in teaching, Nadia shifted her attention to disability services in the mid 90’s. Nadia has worked extensively with people with a disability and their carers, with a focus on enabling independence through person centred planning. Over the past 10 years, Nadia has turned her concentration to the complex criminal justice system and, prior to commencing at Karralika Programs, was instrumental in the development of a number of strong partnerships with complimentary organisations to assist people with disabilities who were affected by addiction and at risk of a custodial sentence.

Braithe Thomson

Karralika Programs Inc
Karralika Programs Solaris & Transition Case Manager

Braithe has worked in the drug and alcohol treatment field for the past 19 years within Australia and the US. Braithe was the recipient of the coveted ACT Youth Worker of the Year award for his work setting up an aftercare program with a youth service in Canberra. Over the past 4 years, Braithe has brought his expertise to Karralika Programs, predominantly working with adult males who are re-entering the community from a custodial setting. Braithe is passionate about men’s mental health and encouraging all men to talk about their mental health and physical health issues.

The Solaris Therapeutic Community operates in a partnership between NFP Karralika Programs Inc and ACT Corrective Services and provides live-in drug and alcohol treatment for sentenced male detainees.
One of the sessions offered in the program centres around exploring the different 'masks' we wear to suit different environments and audiences. The participants of the session reflect on how they act in front of others and the emotions that acceptable to display. The session highlights how this may be different within the therapeutic community and why de-masking is necessary in order to facilitate the change process.
This presentation, facilitated by two of our skilled AOD case managers, will include a brief overview of the program, an introduction to the Mask Session and the hands-on experience of creating a mask.