Harm Reduction - Good Practice in Asia, the Integration of Harm Reduction into Abstinence-Based Therapeutic Communities : A Case Study of "We Help Ourselves", Australia

The therapeutic community treatment approach involves small structured environments based on peer support and individual participation where clients are considered members of a treatment community, rather than patients.

Established in 1972, We Help Ourselves (WHOS) is a drug treatment service operating in several therapeutic communities in Australia which uses harm reduction strategies to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Initially, WHOS focused on abstinence for its community members, but the emergence of HIV infections in intravenous drug users led to a shift in focus that included harm reduction strategies.

This case study examines how harm reduction strategies (including HIV education programmes and provision of condoms, needles and syringe services) were incorporated into the abstinence based approach operated by WHOS.