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

I think in family carer lived experience work, many of us find ourselves accidentally in the workforce after an experience of caring that fundamentally changed who we are and our place in the world. My lived experience expertise has been honed (and often hard won) over many years and continues as I learn and grow as a family carer and also in each work role I’ve had. A while back now, I decided that I was going for “post traumatic growth’ as a way to make sense of my experiences as a carer and so this is the mindset I try to take with me as I continue to navigate an active caring role and as solo parent to 4 amazing young people. I believe all recovery is relational and what motivates me in my work is radical acceptance – I want to change the systems we live in so that all forms of diversity are supported, accepted, and honoured. Before moving into this field, I freelanced as a business writer, doing marketing and desk top publishing in a variety of industries including, financial services, telecommunications, and the building industry. Outside of work, I love spending time with my family and friends, going to see live music, musical theatre, and anything to do with design and architecture.

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.

I have over 10 years work experience in family carer lived experience roles in regional Victoria and also Melbourne. My area of speciality is Child and Youth Mental Health and I have worked primarily in clinical services as a Carer Consultant and Carer Educator along with Headspace National in a peer role, before moving into a workforce development role with CMHL and The Collective.

My caring role has encompassed public, private and inpatient services in the city and country as well as managing two NDIS plans for those who I have an active caring role for.

I have contributed my lived expertise, through working groups and committees at the Royal Children's Hospital including program improvement and publications such as clinical practice guidelines.

I actively approach my work in allyship with disability and neurodivergence pride as well as in allyship with my Consumer colleagues.

I have provided reflective practice, mentorship and leadership in the family carer space in all the roles I’ve held.

Prior to moving into the Family Carer LEW workforce, I ran my own business doing marketing, comms and desktop publishing.

My current role is Family Carer Workforce Development Coordinator, at The Collective and previously I held the same role at CMHL. This statewide, role is broad and varied with a highlight for me being getting out to services and meeting family carer LEWs in their workplaces and sharing knowledge. I love a good resource so enjoy creating information and resources for people to support their work and the family carers that we are here for. The aim is always to improve services for families, carers and consumers. The Collective's scope, work and vision is developing but it has been an exciting time and wonderful to work for a lived and living experience organisation under the auspice of Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC). Building relationships and connections with the Family AOD, Consumer AOD and the Harm Reduction peer workforce is one of the best things about moving to The Collective. A large part of the Workforce Development Coordinator role at CMHL was developing introductory training for the family carer workforce. These trainings have been delivered since 2024, and this work will continue at The Collective.

Other highlights of my role would be organising and facilitating the 2024 Family Carer Lived Experience online conference link here and having a Poster at the 2024 TheMHS Conference “The Eton Mess of Relational Recovery: Families, Carers and Supporters.

2025 - Compassion training for health carer workers – Monash Uni – 2025

2024 – Facilitating Groups training, CMHL

2024 - Single Session Peer Work: A framework for carer peer support, Bouverie Centre

2019 - Single session family consultation, Bouverie Centre.

2019 - Safetalk - Ballarat and District Suicide Prevention Network and Lifeline Ballarat

2018 - Graduate Certificate in Consumer and Community Engagement, Heath Issues Centre – (partial completion)

2018- Recognise and Respond to family and domestic violence, Ballarat Heath Services and Lifeline

2017 - IPS – intentional Peer Support, Intentional Peer Support (IPS) International

2017 - Mental Health First Aid (Youth)

2017 - Working with Families and Carers - Western Cluster

2014 - Peer Group Facilitators Training, Carers Victoria

1997 -Certificate in Marketing Practice- RMIT

1996 - Copywriting, editing and proofreading - RMIT

1995 -Graduate Diploma in Media Studies, Deakin University, Rusden campus

1990-93 Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Deakin University, Geelong

“Connection before correction” is a saying a recently heard and this really resonated with me.

My approach to supervision is to build a shared, safe and supportive space where we can both bring out authentic selves including all the other parts of our lives (not just work). I'm happy to be as structured or unstructured as the Supervisee prefers but there is always a theme or thread that pulls everything together during a session or over various sessions, I call this the gold and love to explore this with the supervisee. I enjoy having light moments as well as serious discussions and I do think that we all need to let off steam in this wild ride of family carer lived experience work can be, especially in clinical services!

I think the most rewarding work is when we work authentically within our values and the values of our discipline.

I am particularly aware and mindful of the additional challenges working in a family carer LE role in regional or rural areas and it unique and additional pressures on people due to isolation and lack of supports. I would like to be able to offer rural, regional and remote family Carer Lived experience workforce, supervision that meets you where you are from a place of commonality and shared experience.