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What to Expect at Destiny Haven (Part 2)

The Destiny Haven program is between 12 months or longer, recognising that each woman’s journey in recovery is unique. The program is customised to each woman’s needs as they advance through the program at their own pace.

It is fully immersive, with one-on-one and group components and it teaches women how to really understand the core thinking behind the symptoms leading to unwanted behaviours like addiction.

The caring and experienced volunteer staff members live on-site and are available 24/7 to support clients. Our residents must be involved as much as possible in all decisions about their care, including assessment, developing goals for treatment, individual care planning, evaluating outcomes of care, and decisions made about broader life issues such as accommodation.

There are seven key elements to our residential program that fall underneath two broad desired outcomes for our women: emotional and psychological wellness and practical life skills. The interconnection and flow are summarised in the diagram below.

In this second blog post of a two-part series, we’ll delve into the practical life skills (if you missed it, you can read part one here).

Case management

Through assertive and consistent individual case management, our Diamonds, our staffing team and the Diamonds’ support networks can remain focused on the goals of each woman at Destiny Haven. Client-focused goal setting and planning primarily focuses on themes such as legal matters, education, children, education, finances and budgeting and other individualised support needed.

Life Skills

Our Diamonds are actively engaged, as members of the Destiny family, in running their home. This includes participating in the kitchen with cooking and meal preparation, cleaning their rooms and the facility, coordinating the laundry washing and much more. Women are given a buddy upon arrival at Destiny Haven—someone who has been in the program for a suitable amount of time, made positive progress and earned responsibility.

Depending on her own needs, residents can also participate in health and fitness activities and are also encouraged spiritually to develop a relationship with God. All this aids in facilitating a smooth transition to independent living when the program is completed.

Work Readiness & Employment

Vital to ensuring that our Diamonds are not drawn back into negative cycles is the process of equipping them to return to mainstream society with the confidence, social and employability skills that they need so they are empowered to find work and develop positive social networks. As women progress through the Destiny Haven program, they are encouraged to begin studying or working part-time and are supported in this process.

Our social enterprises provide employability skills training opportunities for our residents. One of the social enterprises, The Diamond Collection, involves the boutique manufacturing of handmade Belgian chocolates, speciality preserves, handmade jewellery and hand-sewn products. The women in the program are given multiple opportunities to be involved in the creation of the products that we sell—including all aspects of creating, packaging and selling the products at special events and markets. The women in the program experience training in hospitality, retail, hostessing and waitressing.

Our second and third social enterprises are tourism accommodation businesses: one is called Valley View Luxury Retreat, and the other is called Carriageway. The women in our program are given the opportunity to be part of the housekeeping team and as they progress through the program, they become leaders of the team. They are provided with a professional reference at the completion of the program for their efforts.

If you would like to support the work of Destiny Haven, please head here where you can make a tax-deductible donation towards our life-changing program.

More Than Survival

Before coming to Destiny Haven, Felicity felt trapped in an endless cycle of misery and despair. On the outside, she had what looked like a stable life—a full-time job and good friends—but underneath, she was struggling with an eating disorder and a self-harm addiction that left her feeling hopeless.

“I would have stable periods, but they were always short-lived. Every time, I’d end up in hospital after attempting to take my life,” Felicity shares. “I tried to maintain a normal life, but between self-harming almost daily and purging up to six times a day, it was impossible. I desperately wanted to be free, but I didn’t see any way out other than death.”

That’s when her sister Amber stepped in.

“My sister searched for places that could help me, and through a church friend, she heard about Destiny Haven,” Felicity explains. “She helped me through the application process and was my biggest encourager to get the help I needed.”

When Felicity arrived at Destiny, she had reached a breaking point. She knew she couldn’t go on the way she had been. But what she found at Destiny Haven wasn’t just help—it was a place where she could finally begin to discover who she really was.

“For so much of my life, I felt like I had to suppress who I was to fit in,” Felicity says. “But at Destiny, I’ve been learning who I really am in Christ and who I want to become. I used to believe I was worthless, but being surrounded by the staff here, who constantly remind me of God’s truth, has transformed my life.”

That staff—all volunteers—have been a significant part of Felicity’s journey.

“They don’t get paid to be here, so I know they genuinely care,” Felicity says. “Even when they correct us or hold us accountable, they do it in a way that builds us up and encourages us. There’s so much grace here. I’ve never felt pressured to have it all together—Destiny acknowledges that we’re all on our own journey, and gives the individual support we need to create a life that is worth living.”

One of the hardest things Felicity faced at Destiny was learning to sit with her feelings and how to process them in a healthy way.

“We do a lot of work on recognising our triggers and learning how to process them instead of living from them,” she explains. “It’s hard to acknowledge how you feel while also recognising that feelings aren’t always truth. I may feel worthless, but that doesn’t mean I am. Learning to speak truth, even when I don’t believe it, has been one of the hardest but most rewarding tools I’ve gained here.”

Now, Felicity is stepping into a new season. After graduating in December, she has chosen to stay on for another year as an intern, helping other women find hope and healing just as she did.

“I used to think I was destined to fail, but I’ve learned that I’m more capable than I ever believed,” Felicity says. “I never thought of myself as driven, but now I know I am. And I’ve even discovered a new passion—I love working in the garden and growing things.”

When times get tough, Felicity holds onto the support around her and the promises of God.

“There’s a verse in Galatians 6:9 that I always remind myself of: ‘Let us not grow weary in doing what is good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ The work I put in today will make tomorrow easier. I can’t give up on the future God has for me.”

Please join us in praying for Felicity as she continues this next chapter of her journey, learning, growing, and helping others discover hope in Christ.

A Second Chance at Life

By the time she arrived at Destiny Haven, Annie had been on and off drugs for more than half her life. 

“My life before Destiny was unstable with no security of a future,” Annie explains. “I fell pregnant and had my first (and only) child in 2019. I started many different rehab programs to maintain custody of my child.”

That battle to keep her daughter was pivotal in Annie’s fight to turn her life around. She claimed care of her on her first birthday—but then lost custody again two years later. 

“Due to low self-esteem it was very difficult to care for her from afar, and it felt so helpless and worthless that I didn’t want to live anymore, which became an ongoing battle,” Annie shares.

That’s when Annie found Destiny Haven.

“At first it was my only option if I were to make amendments to my daughter’s care plan and to meet the legal requirements to eventually claim custody of her,” Annie admits. But ultimately, Annie needed to do it for herself. 

It wasn’t easy.

“When I first came to Destiny, I was scared and afraid and left after 10 days,” Annie remembers. “I relapsed and didn’t care about me or anyone anymore, but somehow I knew I needed to go back and give myself a chance at life.”

So Annie returned three months later, and this time she committed to the program—and it’s changed her life.

According to Annie, there is a huge difference between Destiny Haven and the other rehabilitation programs she had tried in the past.

“It dug deep—really deep,” she says. “It’s individualised for each client. It made me see my potential, my vulnerability, and most of all it’s a place where I felt safe to be able to express my true self.”

Annie explains that the daily routine at Destiny took a while for her to get used to, but over time she came to see that every single aspect of their daily rhythm had been intentionally designed.

“At first it’s difficult to understand why we do the things we do, but over time I realised that it’s not a punishment but a learning curve,” Annie says. “I’m not being compared or pitted for competition, but to always be just me and stand and speak truth.”

The other thing that Annie found challenging about Destiny Haven was simply the location. To begin with she found it hard living so far away from everything, but over time it became a genuine safe zone.

Destiny has given Annie the opportunity to see what she is actually capable of. The combination of the carefully curated program, and the genuinely invested volunteers leading the program, has changed the trajectory of Annie’s life—for good.

As she says, “I have been supported and loved and encouraged to be my true self in a safe and loving environment.”

Annie graduated from the program in December, and she’s staying on in 2025 to do an internship. Please join us in praying for Annie as she takes this wonderful step, and as she looks forward to being reunited with her daughter in due course.

What to Expect at Destiny Haven (Part 1)

The Destiny Haven program lasts for 12 months or longer, recognising that each woman’s journey in recovery is unique. The program is customised to each woman’s needs as they advance through the program at their own pace.

It’s fully immersive, with one-on-one and group components and it teaches women how to really understand the core thinking behind the symptoms leading to unwanted behaviours like addiction.

The caring and experienced volunteer staff members live on-site and are available 24/7 to support clients. Our residents must be involved as much as possible in all decisions about their care, including assessment, developing goals for treatment, individual care planning, evaluating outcomes of care, and decisions made about broader life issues such as accommodation.

There are seven key elements to our residential program that fall underneath two broad desired outcomes for our women: emotional and psychological wellness and practical life skills. The interconnection and flow are summarised in the diagram below.

In this first blog post (of a two-part series) we’ll delve into the emotional and psychological side of our program.

One-on-one counselling

Counselling is available to all residents and it is carried out by professional counsellors who must have appropriate experience, be a member of an endorsed counselling association, and undergo the required clinical supervision themselves.

Group therapy

Group therapy sessions are held weekly by highly trained clinical services staff. Topics explored include understanding boundaries, codependency, understanding anger, psycho-educational topics, understanding addiction and the addiction cycle, understanding complex trauma and its effects on the adult person and many more.

Individual learning modules

Twice a week residents work through modules at their own pace assigned by the Clinical Services Manager, depending on their own unique backgrounds and circumstances. The learning modules are based on a similar approach to the group sessions in that an individual’s underlying issues need to be addressed for long-term recovery to take place.

Art therapy

Many women who have participated in our program will tell us that much of their healing was achieved through the weekly art therapy classes. This process is designed to help women heal from many issues in their past that they may initially struggle to articulate in traditional talking therapy. We believe the art therapy sessions to be one of the most beneficial components of our program.

Next month, we’ll cover the second part of our program: practical life skills.

At Destiny Haven, every handmade chocolate, jar of jam, and unique piece of jewellery has a purpose that goes way beyond just being something to enjoy or give someone as a present. Through our social enterprises, we are not only raising funds to keep our programs running—we’re giving women a chance to learn valuable skills and gain real work experience. From creating gourmet treats to cleaning accommodation, the work involved in maintaining our three social enterprises is all about helping women build confidence, find purpose, and take solid steps toward a fresh start.

The Diamond Collection

Our first social enterprise is a boutique range of quality products handmade onsite in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. The range is made with love and care by the Diamonds during their time as residents at Destiny Haven.

The Diamond Collection boasts a couverture chocolate range handcrafted with the finest Belgian Callebaut chocolate, jams and relishes made predominantly with fruit and vegetables grown on our property, unique jewellery pieces made using dichroic glass and semi-precious stones and handmade bags available in a unique variety of patterns—among many other things!

The Diamond Collection had humble beginnings in the early days of Destiny Haven, initially operating as a small cottage industry. The then-called ‘Destiny Delights’ range was birthed from the mix of generous and skilled volunteers, numerous supporters and of course the innovation and inspiration of the Diamonds. Some may even say it was… wait for it… destiny!

Today the range has grown to become a fully thriving and steadily growing social enterprise. You can shop in-person at Brookfield, or head here to the website.

Valley View Luxury Accommodation

Experience the ultimate rejuvenation at our premium getaway: Valley View, residing in the Eaglereach Wilderness Resort complex. Explore 640 acres of pristine bushland by foot, bike or four-wheel drive, then return to a magnificently-appointed lodge and enjoy breathtaking views of the New South Wales Hunter Valley, Barrington Tops, and even the Pacific Ocean.

Just over an hour’s drive from Newcastle, Valley View Luxury Retreat is a stunning country haven in an expanse of beautiful pristine bushland, populated by Australian flora and fauna—including kangaroos, wallaroos, echidnas, crimson rosellas and other bird species including wedge-tailed eagles. Set your own pace: enjoy a bushwalk or a ride along one of the local four wheel drive tracks; drink in the views from a six person outdoor spa on your own private deck, or sink down into the leather recliners in the living room and choose a movie from the wide selection to watch on the flat-screen TV. Valley View is also centrally air conditioned throughout and boasts a slow combustion wood heater for the cooler months.

Our Diamonds are responsible for cleaning Valley View and getting the accommodation ready before guests arrive, which is a key aspect of their employability skills training. You can book a stay at Valley View via the website.

Carriageway 

Anyone who travelled on the New South Wales rail network prior to 1989 would remember with some fondness the old ‘Red Rattlers’. Carriageway has five of the original carriages, four that have been lovingly converted to fully self-contained accommodation, plus the amazing dining room for the aptly named ‘Rattlers’ restaurant. 

Only four kilometres up the road from us at Destiny Haven, Carriageway is another integral part of the Diamonds’ employability skills training. They are responsible for cleaning the accommodation at Carriageway and getting it ready for guests, and they are also responsible for catering group events in the dining room, particularly during the festive season, but also for wedding receptions.

Book a unique getaway at Carriageway here, or book in for a memorable group lunch or dinner in the Carriageway dining room.

Life Transformation

Every item for sale and every experience offered through our social enterprises serves a higher purpose: transforming lives. Whether it’s creating something beautiful, welcoming guests, or preparing spaces with care, each task empowers our Diamonds with confidence, skills, and hope for a brighter future. When you support The Diamond Collection, Valley View, or Carriageway, you’re part of something deeply personal—helping women rebuild their lives and rediscover their potential. (Or perhaps realise it for the very first time. Many of the women who come to Destiny had never believed they could be anything.) Thank you for joining us on this journey of healing and renewal, where every product and every visit is a step toward lasting change.