About

Why The Overcomers Place?

A safe place to connect. A place to begin recovery. A place to build a recovery Community.

A place to find courage. A place to find support. A place to find a sense of belonging.

The Overcomers Place is a free of charge trauma informed model for Addiction Recovery, focused on abstinence through relational therapy in a group format, skills building and peer support.

The key to our service is providing effective care. Care that develops a sense of feeling safe. Care that is based on being seen and heard. Care that creates safety, so that the survival wiring can relax literally; Safety or Survival.

Connection enhances the experience of safety. So we skilfully deliver tools to help each person to connect to one another, our leaders, and our safe place. These connection points create secure attachment that build a person’s capacity for further experiences of safety with others. This maybe the first time their Window of Tolerance is built.

The Window of Tolerance is a term used to describe the zone of arousal in which a person is able to function most effectively. When a person is operating within this zone or window, they can effectively manage and cope with their emotions. They are typically able to readily receive, process, and integrate information and otherwise respond to the demands of everyday life without much difficulty. And all without using substances!

However Emotional Dysregulation often perpetuates the Addictive Cycle as individuals without a Window of Tolerance try to manage their emotional state with substances. This optimal window was first named by Dr. Dan Siegel, and is now widely used in understanding normal brain/physiology reaction responses, and applied in trauma treatment terminology.

Without care and connection our window of tolerance is reduced and our capacity for community is limited further isolating us in addiction. Our survival wiring becomes dominant. Safe secure attachment is built with consistent care, that enables the survival wiring to be turned off to create connections. Our safe confidential groups build a safe sober community to expand and grow those connection skills

The Overcomers Place groups emphasise peer support as the therapists help the groups identify the Mutual Aid which is happening organically in the safe groups.

Our Story

Overcoming addiction is a journey of struggle, courage and transformation.

Our Founder and CEO, Penny Wilkinson, realised at age 19 that her drinking habits were different from those around her. Despite building a life filled with academic success, career achievements and a loving family, something always felt missing. When life became overwhelming, she turned to alcohol as she always had. For years, sheer willpower helped her stop when necessary, but as her addiction progressed, she found herself losing the battle.

By 39, Penny appeared to have it all. A beautiful home, a loving family. But behind closed doors, alcohol consumed her nights. No one saw the silent struggle. No one saw the deadly disease. In Australia, someone dies from an alcohol-related illness every 90 minutes. Penny was on that path in 2003.

Seeking help was a minefield of misinformation, judgement and shame. Each setback reinforced her reliance on willpower alone, leading to more failure, more guilt and more isolation.

Not being able to stop and not believing you can is terrifying. Are you in that place now?

Can you stop and stay stopped? Have you taken self-assessments? Are you asking yourself these courageous questions?

Penny asked herself those same questions right up until her last drink on 18 March 2003. That was the day her journey of true recovery began.

At first, the path was painfully lonely. Misinformation, misunderstanding and stigma made the process even harder. Addiction and trauma are deeply intertwined, yet finding compassionate, knowledgeable support was a long and difficult road.

But your journey does not have to be.

Recovery can start here. The Overcomers Place is a safe, supportive community where care, connection and understanding replace shame and isolation. Here, you will find the support you need to break free and build a new life.

You are not alone. Let’s begin.

Our History

The Overcomers Place was born from a passion to break the cycle of addiction and provide a pathway to lasting recovery.

In 2004, our Founder and CEO, Penny Wilkinson, began volunteering at a rehabilitation centre in Western Sydney as a lived experience practitioner. She did this alongside her studies in Psychotherapy and Counselling while cultivating a deep interest in the neurobiology of addiction.

Penny’s journey into addiction recovery work deepened in 2006 when she joined ISAAC, the International Substance Abuse and Alcohol Coalition, and attended their conference in Egypt. There, she met Janis Feely MBE, founder of The Living Room, a pioneering structured day program in the UK. Inspired by its effectiveness and accessibility, Penny envisioned creating something just as impactful and free in Sydney.

In 2010, Penny had the opportunity to work alongside Janis at The Living Room in Hertfordshire, UK. She witnessed firsthand how individuals advanced their recovery in just seven months. Progress that had taken her seven years on her own. The difference was the power of structured group work. This experience became the foundation of the Care, Connection and Community model that underpins The Overcomers Place today.

Building the Vision

Over the next decade, Penny pursued a Master’s in Counselling, specialising in Addiction, Neurobiology and Trauma. Her research on Addiction, Attachment and Affect Regulation revealed a key insight. Many individuals turn to substances in a desperate attempt to regulate an overwhelmed nervous system, believing falsely that relief can be found in addiction. This leads to a devastating cycle of dependence and suffering.

Determined to offer a better solution, Penny partnered with Janis in 2014 to pilot a new model in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The response was overwhelming.

"This is a functioning rehab model."
"This is what we need daily."
"This should have run for longer."
"This has given me hope of overcoming."

Growth and Impact

In 2019, The Overcomers Place was officially recognised as a not-for-profit charity with DGR tax-deductible status. The following year, by what Penny calls "the grace of God," a generous donor provided the perfect property, paving the way for The Overcomers Place to open its doors in Gladesville on 19 March 2020.

Not even a global pandemic could slow our mission. By 2021, we expanded to operate five days a week. In 2022, with the incredible support of Lugar Brae Bronte, we opened a second location in Bronte, covering two-thirds of our salary costs.

A Future of Hope

Today, The Overcomers Place continues to transform lives. One group at a time. One life at a time.

Our mission is simple but powerful. To provide a place where people can find healing, connection and a way forward, free from addiction.