This supervisor has been approved to provide supervision under the ACCESS TO SUPERVISION PROJECT.

My name is Christian and I have a lived and living experience of mental ill health and associated challenges. I am interested in humans, the journey that is life, personal development and stepping outside my comfort zone. . I am currently a community member of the Victorian mental health tribunal. This role sees me balance my deeply embedded consumer values and conduct hearings on compulsory mental health treatment. Additionally, I am the convenor of the tribunals lived experience practice reflection group. As the convenor, I facilitate and hold space for tribunal members who identify with having a lived/living experience from any member category (Legal, Psychiatry/Medical, Community) to come together and share about their experience of having a lived/living experience and working at the Tribunal.

Complimenting my work at the Tribunal, I also own and operate my own small business ‘Genuine Connections’ providing external consumer perspective supervision to consumer lived experience workers and mental health peer support to NDIS participants.

Prior to commencing at the Tribunal, I was the consumer peer practice lead at Alfred Health, a clinical area mental health service in Melbourne. That leadership role saw me focus on embedding and promoting consumer peer work, recruiting, orientating, training and developing their consumer peer workforce. I also provided individual consumer perspective supervision, group consumer perspective supervision, as well as work on a number of projects using my consumer perspective. Notably, I was the lived experience co-lead for the Alfred’s project team on the reducing compulsory treatment project with Safer Care Victoria. . My personal mission as a lived experience specialist is to empower and support people in their own journeys of recovery and growth from mental ill health. The starting point for this peer relationship is a “genuine connection”. . Prior to finding myself working in mental health I completed an Advanced Diploma of International Business, Bachelor of Business and a Masters of Project Management. I have worked in construction, retail, hospitality, international trade and a number of other fields. It took me many years to find my true calling!

Finally, I am proudly approaching my ten-year anniversary in the mental health space.

This supervisor has been approved to provide supervision under the ACCESS TO SUPERVISION PROJECT. If you are a supervisee who has received an approval email/letter from the CMHL you may contact this supervisor for supervision for this project, then follow the stated processes for supervision payment.

2025 – Current: One of a small number of part time Community Members of the Victorian Mental Health Tribunal. Conducting hearings on compulsory mental health treatment in accordance with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act.

2023 – 2025: Consumer Peer Practice Lead at Alfred Health (clinical service). First peer practice lead in the service, focusing on embedding and promoting peer work, recruiting, orientating, training and developing their consumer peer workforce.

2023 – 2025: Sessional Community Member of the Victorian Mental Health Tribunal.

2020 – 2023: Senior Consumer Peer Worker at Alfred Health (clinical service). First senior peer worker at this service, actively supporting the rapid growth of the lived experience workforce.

2019 - Current: Owner/operator of my own small business, Genuine Connections. Services include consumer perspective supervision and peer support to NDIS participants.

2016 - 2020: Consumer Peer Worker at Alfred Health’s St Kilda Rd Clinic (clinical service). First peer worker at this clinic, establishing the role from scratch and raising the profile of peer support.

2016: Mind Australia PALS program volunteer. Program focused on reconnecting individuals to the local community and supporting them to engage in social and recreational activities.

Consumer Perspective Supervision (CPS) Training

Intentional Peer Support (IPS)

Mind Australia’s Peer Support Training

Mental Health First Aid

Emotional eCPR

The Hearing Voices Approach by Voices Vic

Motivational Interviewing

Psychodrama

And many other modalities

The role of Consumer Perspective Supervision is to develop best practice and the lived experience skill set and perspective. My approach to consumer perspective supervision is to promote self-reflection, open discussion, curiosity, self-development, confidence and the development of one’s own ‘peer compass’ in relation to consumer peer values and principles. I endeavour to put the supervisee at the steering wheel of all conversation, establish a warm, genuine, trusting and open relationship, focus on strengths and one’s unique talents that they bring to the role, recognise that learning is mutual and reciprocal, and respect the lived experience of both people in the relationship in a harmonious way. My practice is informed by consumer perspective supervision training, IPS values and principles and a humanistic approach. I am motivated by a desire to see people grow, and the success and expansion of lived experience workers across the mental health space