George Patriki: Providing a Comprehensive Pathway to Recovery

When you thought you could control your addiction, substance use, gambling, or any other behavior, but instead you realize that your behavior is causing you harm—is when you know that it’s time for seeking help.

George Patriki, the Director and Dual Diagnosis Consultant, is committed to reaching out to people struggling with addictive behaviors, particularly those with severe life-controlling problems. Having 29 years of clinical experience as a counselor, educator and clinical supervisor, he understands that recovery is not possible alone. One must have support to align steps toward recovery.

Thus, at Gold Coast Addiction and Treatment Rehab, he aims to create a healthy, comfortable and safe environment for your smooth recovery experience. Unlike the hospital facility, here you will find a group of experts with 28 years of experience in substance abuse & mental health issues and a healthy environment that is uniquely suited to support your growth and healing.

In an interview with Insights Care, George shares his journey from being an ex-addict himself, to supporting thousands of others in attaining recovery.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

Kindly brief us about yourself and shed some light on your journey at Gold Coast Addiction and Treatment Rehab.

I have around seven years of lived experience as an ex-addict myself and soon after exiting the drug culture in 1983, I began reaching out to people with substance abuse issues.

I spent over 10 years accessing various treatment and recovery programs to work through the underlying issues and became a professional therapist and have 29 years of clinical experience as a counselor, educator and clinical supervisor.

Since 1992, I have developed this commitment into a full-time vocation and career as a Dual Diagnosis Consultant on the Gold Coast and throughout Australia. I’ve spent countless hours helping thousands of people affected by drug & alcohol issues as well as concurrent mental health concerns.

I’m committed to reaching out to people struggling with addictive behaviors, particularly those with severe life-controlling problems due to significant trauma. I work in areas of court advocacy, counseling, outreach, and running community forums, seminars, and recovery groups for drug users (including dual & multiple diagnoses) and their loved ones.

I’ve been delivering training in Dual Diagnosis since 2000. Since then, I have had 22 years of experience as an educator to Government and Non-Government organizations in Australia and in 116 countries worldwide through my online Dual Diagnosis Training (www.dualdiagnosistraining.com.au).

Please brief our audience about Gold Coast Addiction and Treatment Rehab. Kindly tell us your source of inspiration for venturing into the Rehabilitation niche.

Over the last 29 years working in Substance Abuse, Addictions and Mental Health, I began to observe issues that were not being addressed in patients’ treatment strategy that was causing relapses in their recovery.

Thus, I evolved my clinical practice into the Integrative Holistic Framework that brings together the biological, psychological, spiritual and social dynamics in a person’s life to maximize the treatment outcomes.

Kindly elaborate upon the services that you deliver at the organization. And do they provide complete continuum rehabilitation solutions to the patients in need?

We take a similar approach to treating addictions and mental health that Dr. Daniel Amen uses, ie; bio-psycho-spiritual-social. Psychotherapy is complimented by allied health such as massage and acupuncture to help calm the limbic system, particularly for people who have significant anxiety and PTSD. We also use many modalities according to people’s individualized needs, such as; EMDR, psycho-education, narrative therapy, solution-focused, and more. In other words, we offer a smorgasbord of modalities and approaches that are tailored to a person’s individual needs.

We also encourage people to look at their biochemistry with integrative doctors that can address various epigenetic abnormalities that impact their mental health. Common culprits include zinc deficiencies, Omega 3 deficiencies, anti-oxidant deficiencies (that cause oxidative stress to both the body and the brain), as well as other key nutrients such as B Vitamins, Vitamin C and D, Probiotics, and related.

Brief us about your USPs at Gold Coast Addiction and Treatment Rehab. How do you make it stand out in the rehabilitation industry?

All accredited treatment services in Australia comply with the National Framework that was mandated in November 2022, and we ensure that our treatment interventions offer evidence-based best practices.

As a Dual Diagnosis Consultant, I deliver evidence-based, best-practice interventions and training in Substance Abuse, Addictions, and Mental Health. This is outlined here; (https://www.dualdiagnosistraining.com.au/dual-diagnosis-training-for-professional-development/)

What, in your opinion, are some of the psychological tools and tactics implied to best treat and support people experiencing emotional and behavioral symptoms? Why is support essential for complete recovery from these symptoms?

As outlined earlier, the integrated holistic framework uses a bio-psycho-spiritual-social strategy that provides a smorgasbord of interventions and strategies that is individualized to a person’s needs.

Support is an essential aspect of recovery; before, during, and after treatment. Aftercare is vital to sustainable recovery and on a family support page (https://goldcoastaddictionandtreatmentrehab.com/family-support/), we detail the Tripod of Support. This includes weekly counseling, weekly support groups (such as AA, NA and GA), and weekly catch up with a sponsor.

What is your opinion on aligning patient rehabilitation support with newer technological developments, especially when it comes to catering to the dynamic needs of the healthcare space?

There are many interventions that can help people suffering from either physiological health problems (eg low-density laser, Hyperbaric Oxygen, etc) or mental health issues (eg Neurofeedback & Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, etc). Accessing these options can help people resolve treatment-resistant issues and this research has been outlined by Dr. Norman Doidge, as well as Bessel Van der Kolk.

What R&D operations are you conducting at present and why?

We try to include as many innovative and helpful interventions as possible, including EMDR and other treatment approaches. We also support the introduction of NeuroElectric Therapy in Australia, (for non-pharmacological options to detox), as developed by Dr. Patterson.

What are some of the challenges you face when conducting operations and how do you turn them into opportunities for growth?

Helping people access affordable treatment has always been a challenge for healthcare providers and we try to help people access avenues to fund their treatment, such as ‘Release My Super’ (https://www.releasemysuper.com.au/).

Being an industry expert, would you like to advise the budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts aspiring to venture into the rehabilitation space that you are catering to?

I encourage practitioners to develop and expand their integrated approach to treatment to offer people more options to improve treatment outcomes.

How do you envision scaling your services and operations in 2023 and beyond?

We are currently expanding our Intensive Day Treatment. This treatment is ideal for people who live on the Gold Coast or can stay on the Gold Coast with supervised support. We offer a beachfront Intensive Day Treatment Program that is specially designed for people who need to be home for children or are unable to stay at the short-stay rehab overnight, due to work or family commitments.

The Intensive Day Treatment is delivered in a beachfront office as an individual one-on-one program with an ocean view as a backdrop, and offered Tuesdays to Fridays, from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm, for 4 weeks that provides 16 full days of Day Treatment.

Please share a few testimonials that depict your position in the market.

“I have worked with George Patriki for quite some time now and have found him to be very professional. He is extremely knowledgeable in his field and has been a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend George for the services that he provides.”

– Ross Gardner

“Great service for all and DVA clients for a holistic approach to wellbeing and a psycho-educational approach to understanding the body and mind.”

– Charles