Klare Braye

My primary focus to date has been on research and evaluation, allowing me to follow a passion that I can complement with my clinical grounding. I work (often in collaboration with training institutes and research/practitioners) to foster and develop the addiction research field, who can in turn inform (and critique) best practice initiatives. The evaluation side of my role has placed me in the wonderful position of being involved in a range of Matua Raki workforce development initiatives. I coordinate, collate and report back on the feedback that we are provided with, so as best to inform the direction of our work. This includes (not only what you think about lunch! But also) what you, as a sector, want more of, less of, different, the same. I am also involved in the roll out and implementation of the ADOM-the Alcohol and Drug Outcome Measure in collaboration with Te Pou.

My role also allows me to support the advanced practice addiction nurses as a specific workforce group with projects such as the nurses symposium series; the specialty nursing competency framework and implementation document; dissemination of resources and the sharing of ideas around skills and knowledge development. More recently I have also been able to contribute to the support of professional development through the coordination of training events, working to put these in the context of regional workforce development plans that are both robust and supportive of effective practice. 

After intermittent years of travel, study, travel, work, more travel and study, New Zealand became my home. My early interest in addiction and mental health was fostered as my experiences and strong clinical grounding expanded from working with tangata whaiora in wet/dry houses, supported accommodation, residential treatment and DHB addiction services. The merging of thinking and practice between mental health and addiction is well overdue and is something I was then able to encourage in particular during my years lecturing at WelTec. I continue with some clinical practice in both counselling and supervision, not only because I enjoy it but also because it complements my current role. My interest in research and evaluation has been long standing, not least recognising the benefits to inform practice, but also to constructively critique findings and work towards effective outcomes-for our tangata whaiora, our key stakeholders and our workforce development partners.