The Voice of an Intern in Harm ReductionThe Voice of an Intern in Harm Reduction
Challenging Pathos
World, meet Nick, our new intern. We thought it would be interesting to learn about harm reduction from an intern's perspective. Nick has previous experience working for an SSP and is skilled at connecting with people who use drugs. We are lucky to...
38:58•12 Oct 2026
The Voice of an Intern: Moose on Harm Reduction, Lived Experience and the Bus
Episode Overview
- Lived experience with drug use and criminal records can block people from internships and licences, even in supposedly inclusive social work settings.
- Harm reduction organisations like Challenges Inc actively choose not to use background checks or drug screens, opening doors for students others reject.
- Intern work in an SSP combines practical tasks like assembling naloxone kits with relationship-based outreach that relies on trust and familiarity.
- Participants often respond better to staff who share similar histories, seeing hope in someone who has “climbed out of that a little bit” and come back to help.
- Stigma, misinformation in pharmacies, and discriminatory policies around syringes and treatment create preventable harms, making education and honest conversation crucial.
“I think they want to interact with somebody who's been through the same stuff that they've been through, and I think that's refreshing for them to see somebody who's kind of climbed out of that a little bit and come and help them out.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation with intern Nicholas “Nick” Handler, better known as Moose, gives a gritty, funny and very real look at harm reduction from the inside of a syringe service programme. Nick shares how a “nasty background” and felony drug charges almost shut him out of his human services education. Traditional placements kept turning him away because of background checks, until Challenges Inc stepped in.
As he puts it, “I thought this was going to be a much more inclusive environment… and then to learn that, no, it’s the same.” That tension between policy and lived experience runs through the whole chat. You’ll hear what it’s actually like to intern on the bus: assembling naloxone kits, handing out supplies, and building relationships with people who use drugs—many of whom Nick literally grew up seeing on the same streets.
His comfort around participants comes from recognition: “These are like my people… it was just like talking to one of my buddies.” The hosts and Nick talk frankly about how people with lived experience are blocked from social work and healthcare roles, despite being “the most powerful thing you can have” in this field.
They call out pharmacies for refusing to sell syringes, myths about who SSPs are for, and the way racist and classist policies keep people sick and excluded. This episode suits anyone interested in harm reduction, alcohol or other drug recovery, or wondering what meaningful, non-judgemental support looks like in practice. It’s part systems critique, part internship diary, and part love letter to the people often written off by society.
It might leave you asking: who gets to be considered ‘fit’ to help, and what happens when those closest to the problem are finally trusted with the solution?
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