Our Team
We have all been in your shoes …
Imagine a community where everyone understands your struggle because they’ve lived it too. That’s what you’ll find at The Sydney Retreat. You’ll be surrounded by individuals who’ve walked the difficult path of recovery and emerged triumphant. Every member of our team has maintained their sobriety for a significant length of time, and they’re driven by a deep desire to help others achieve the same milestone.
During your stay at The Sydney Retreat, you won’t just benefit from the experience of those around you. You’ll also receive structured guidance through the tried-and-tested 12-step recovery program. Plus, our community-based approach ensures you’ll have numerous opportunities for one-on-one conversations with people who have successfully navigated their recovery journey.
We’re passionate about supporting our guests on their path to sobriety. Our deepest wish is for you to experience the richness and fulfilment of a sober life – a life full of possibilities, just like the ones we have found. At The Sydney Retreat, we’re not just offering a program, we’re offering a community dedicated to your recovery.
A team that’s deeply committed to addiction recovery
The people that you meet are people who have recovered?
Those with experience best demonstrate sober living. We base our program on one clean & sober person in recovery sharing their experiences and success with another person. Everyone you meet at The Sydney Retreat has first-hand experience with drug and alcohol recovery. We want you or your loved one also to find recovery and be able to live happy and fulfilling lives.
For alcohol and drug addiction treatment, we value outcomes and experience over the clinical intervention model offered by other rehabilitation services or drug and alcohol rehabs. So while we don’t provide assessments or clinical counselling services, The Sydney Retreat has a network of mental health professionals in the community. If you need these services, we can help.
It was led by Dr Stephen Jurd, the specialist addiction psychiatrist.
Dr Stephen Jurd has been instrumental in developing and establishing successful addiction recovery services and 12-step recovery centres in Australia and the US. He created the Royal North Shore Hospital Drug and Alcohol Services from 1984 to 2006 and founded the Phoenix Unit, a prominent Minnesota model rehab that he went on to direct for 14 years. Dr Jurd is currently the founder and Chairman of The Sydney Retreat’s Board.
In addition to founding and establishing rehabilitation centres, Dr Jurd chaired the alcohol and other drugs section for six years and was the inaugural chair of the Subcommittee for Advanced Training in Addiction Psychiatry.
Dr Jurd is also an active trainer and educator in alcohol and drug addiction treatment. Since 2006 he has shared his expertise as Director of Postgraduate Training in Psychiatry in northern Sydney and as chair of the RANZCP Committee for Training from 2008 to 2014. He has been granted the title of Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney.
Dr Jurd advocates strongly for 12-step facilitated recovery for recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. He considers the Sydney Retreat to be one of his most significant achievements.
Listen to Dr Jurd talk about addiction at The Sydney Retreat here