Kerrie Banks

‘Square Peg’ Professional Supervision, trading as Kerrie Banks

Mutually connecting through lived expertise.

Supporting lived experience workers to thrive without sanding off their edges.

Because lived experience was never meant to fit inside someone else's box.

Hello, I'm Kerrie.

I identify as a lived-living experience workforce leader, peer/carer peer practitioner, mentor and reflective supervisor with more than 25 years of experience supporting peers, colleagues, consumers of services, families, carers, kin and natural supports, communities and workforces across mental health and community services. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of supervising, mentoring and walking alongside people as they navigate personal and professional growth, challenge, leadership and peer practice expertise.

Not by fitting into someone else's box, but by embracing the unique value that only you can bring.

My Experience

2023-Present | Team Leader & Professional Lead, Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce

Leadership, mentoring, professional supervision and workforce development for consumer and carer peer workers within a public mental health service.

2019-2023 | Carer Peer Worker

Providing family and carer peer support, advocacy, systems navigation, and lived experience-informed practice within a clinical mental health setting.

2015-2019 | Program Manager

Leading mental health family and carer programs, workforce supervision, mentoring, service development and community partnerships.

2012-2014 | Coordinator, Partners in Recovery

Supporting people experiencing complex mental health challenges through recovery-oriented, collaborative and community-based approaches.

2004-2012 | Area Manager, Service Manager & Senior Coordinator

Leadership, supervision and development of peer and non-peer workforces across community mental health and psychosocial support services.

Areas of Interest

Supporting lived experience workers to thrive, lead and grow authentically without sanding off their edges.

Peer practice reflective supervision, lived-living experience and expertise in leadership, dual identified peer and family-carer peer perspectives, trauma-informed practice, recovery-oriented principles, psychological safety, workforce wellbeing, mentoring, group supervision, and strengthening professional identity through lived expertise.

2023-Present | Team Leader & Professional Lead, Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce

Leadership, mentoring, professional supervision and workforce development for consumer and carer peer workers within a public mental health service.

Qualifications & Professional Development Highlights

• Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work (Carer Peer Work)
• Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice
• Diploma of Community Services Coordination
• Diploma of Community Services (Mental Health & Alcohol and Other Drugs)
• Intentional Peer Support (IPS)
• IPS Leadership & Management of Lived Experience Workforces
• QLD Mental Health Centre for Learning, QC60 Orientation to Supervision, QC8 Supervisee, QC4 Supervisor
• The Power of Supervision, NZ Coaching & Mentoring Centre
• Mentoring Peer Workers & Lived Experience Practice Expertise
• Trauma Informed Care & Vicarious Trauma (Blue Knot)
• Certificate in Public Participation & Group Facilitation (IAP2)
• Emotional Intelligence & Developing High-Performance Teams

Square Peg Professional Supervision, trading as Kerrie Banks, exists to create reflective, relational and restorative spaces where lived experience workers can thrive, grow and lead authentically, without sanding off the very edges that make their lived expertise valuable.

The idea grew from a belief that many lived experience workers spend their careers feeling like a square peg in a round hole. Bringing unique perspectives, insights and wisdom gained through lived experience, they can sometimes feel pressure to adapt themselves to fit systems that were not originally designed with lived experience at their centre.

I believe those differences are not something to minimise. They are often the source of our greatest strengths.

My approach to supervision is warm, authentic and grounded in mutuality. I offer a reflective space where people can reconnect with their values, strengthen their professional identity, explore challenges, celebrate successes and continue growing in ways that feel meaningful and sustainable.

My work is informed by extensive experience in lived experience leadership, workforce development, Recovery Oriented Principles (ROMP) unpacking recovery-oriented principles project, Intentional Peer Support (IPS), trauma-informed practice, mentoring, reflective practice and group supervision.

Whether you are new to the workforce, an experienced peer worker, a family or carer lived experience professional, or a lived experience leader seeking a trusted reflective space, my hope is that our work together helps you remain connected to your purpose, your strengths and your lived expertise.

Areas of Interest and Expertise

• Peer practice supervision and reflective practice
• Lived experience workforce leadership and development
• Carer and family lived experience perspectives
• Trauma-informed and recovery-oriented practice
• Psychological safety and workforce wellbeing
• Intentional Peer Support (IPS)
• Professional identity and role clarity
• Leadership coaching and mentoring
• Group supervision and facilitation
• Service improvement, co-design and systems change
• Navigating peer roles within clinical environments
• Supporting emerging and established peer leaders