I am an experienced professional mental health professional (registered psychologist) and educator (from primary to postgraduate higher education). I have my own journey of mental health challenges and am also involved in the care of family with mental health challenges and I come from a refugee background with multigenerational trauma. I have been part of lived experience groups for several years, coming mainly from the carer perspective, working on an advisory committee to a major public mental health service, and more recently as an employee as a lived experience educator (carer perspective). I have educated nurses and teachers and psychologists while working as a university lecturer in psychology, always emphasising the humanist tradition in my work. I have also worked for many years as an Employee Assistance Provider helping individuals and work groups with crises, ongoing trauma and organisational and management problems. I have also worked at Board level on several organisations and have been directly involved in developing policies and procedures within regulatory environments. I have also served in the military (army and navy) in education, recruiting and trauma response. This work has also been useful in my role as a long-term volunteer firefighter, where I have also helped with trauma responses.

After many years educating nurses, teachers and psychologists as an academic, I have had the privilege to also work at Board level developing policies and procedures and strategy for a major emergency services organisation having previously served on the Board for registering psychologists. I have also served on the Board of a regional Art Gallery. Board roles have provided me with insight regulatory environments and the way decisions are made in large organisations. I also have extensive work in employee assistance program (EAP) roles supporting people struggling with organisational changes, tragedies, traumas and conflicts and their personal journeys of mental health challenges and the difficulties of caring roles. The role extended to support for line managers and professionals at all levels of organisations. To share my insights and improve the service provision in mental health I became a member of an advisory panel to a major public mental health service for several years as a lived and living experience carer and then became employed by that service in mid 2023 as a lived and living experience educator from the carer perspective. I have also been involved with the ALIVE network as a co-lead for Lived Experience Carer research. This complements my work over many years as a member of Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC).

After leaving my LE educator role I have continued to do casual sessional work in counselling and professional performance coaching. I have also been adding to my skill portfolio acquiring EMDR level 1, ADHD assessment and intervention knowledge and Design Psychology perspectives. I am also building my creative arts and horticultural wellbeing practice.

I have a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Arts, a Graduate Diploma in Education (secondary), Master of Business Administration, My complementary interests in wider models of care are expressed in my completing a Cert III in Horticulture, and a Cert III in Conservation and Land Management. I also hold a Cert IV Training and Assessment and have completed countless regular professional development courses related to mental health, service improvement, co-design and coaching. I have also completed Basic and Advanced Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training.

My basic approach to working with people derives from the Humanist tradition and is strongly informed by the anti-psychiatry movement which means I emphasise respect for the individual in their infinite variety as an expert in their own life. As a divergent thinker (and also AuDHD), I always remain receptive and open to both learning from the person I am working with and I seek ways to offer what I can to enrich their experience and broaden their choices in their personal and professional lives. I strive to create a safe space for vulnerability to allow sensitive disclosures, alongside opportunities to identify strengths and resilience building. From my wide experience working over a full spectrum of employment roles, I have insights into the reality of working life in many role types, and being a mental health practitioner I can provide support for the impact of the tensions and challenges inherent in a lived experience role and am able to sensitively recommend additional supports for clients where needed. I aim for us to work together to solve problems and identify opportunities for growth, confidence and competence, and to help you build your toolbox of skills, knowledge and wisdom for the whole of life. Please email me to chat about your needs and to see how I may meet them, tzt56@yahoo.com.au