Katherine Barling has been an active Carer Consultant for nearly 5 years, and is currently the Carer Project Worker in the Mental Health & Wellbeing Transformation Team at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. She is a champion at systemic advocacy and relational (family inclusive) practice so that the carer & supporter perspective is being included in all aspects of service governance, design and delivery. Katherine is passionate about recognising a broader range of lived experience, including experience of neurodiversity, advocating for trauma informed, person centred care and supported decision making, and the intersections of mental health and other life challenges.

Erin Barry is the Director of Policy and Evaluation at the Youth Coalition of the ACT, the peak body for young people and youth affairs in the ACT. As part of this role, she provides support to coordinate the ACT Child and Youth Mental Health Sector Alliance. Erin has qualifications in community development, public health and evaluation, and seeks to work collaboratively with others to improve system outcomes for children and young people.

Melinda has worked in the AOD field for two decades across research, teaching, clinical and consulting roles. She is currently the study coordinator for the NADA-funded Mental Health Capacity Building project at the Matilda Centre, University of Sydney. A registered psychologist, her expertise is in co-occurring conditions and sustained recovery.

Courtney Bellemore is a Senior Advocate in the ACT Public Advocate, working within the ACT Human Rights Commission. In the Public Advocate, Courtney provides oversight and systemic advocacy of government systems that impact on or limit the human rights of those that reside in the ACT, including the mental health system.

Dorothy is the Founder and Managing Director of two South Australian businesses, Health Connexion and Connexion One, and the President of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Australian Branch). Dorothy's focus is on leadership in delivering effective evidence based mental health, psychosocial and disability services, through consultancy, peer support, coordination and coaching. With over 30 years' experience as an Executive in the community mental health, disability and homelessness sectors, she has developed innovative service models, and led organisational transformation in a range of roles, including as CEO and Director. As the parent of a young person who is a NDIS participant, she is passionate about the impact of lived experience on achieving individual and system outcomes.

Amelia is the Senior Project Lead for Fuse Initiatives at Harm Reduction Victoria. She is developing best practice frameworks, guidelines and training for employing Harm Reduction Peer Workers who have living experience of drug use and risk of overdose, as well as providing them with support and supervision. She has worked in Harm Reduction for over 10 years and is committed to ensuring her peer worker community is well supported within the workplace.

I’m Chlo! I’m a dedicated lived experience leader with dual carer and consumer lived experience. I enjoy working as program coordinator for the Peer Cadet Program at Wellways alongside a multidisciplinary team of Peer Trainees, Peer Workers and Program Managers. I am a critical thinker and deeply believe in creating systems that ensure peer workers can deliver high quality peer support within an equitable work environment. I value collaborative and kind working relationships, where everyone has the chance to use their unique skills, knowledge and strengths to participate. Away from my desk, you’ll find me trying to keep my plants alive, unashamedly watching reality TV, and patting every dog that comes my way.

Bridget Berry is a mental health lived experience researcher and educator. Bridget’s expertise is in qualitative social research. Her most recent research projects have been in the evaluation of mental health services. Bridget sits on the Project Reference Group for the Community Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Research Network (CMHDARN), South East Sydney SafeHaven Advisory Committee, South East Sydney Recovery and Wellbeing College Advisory Group and is the deputy chair of the Consumer Led Research Network. Bridget also works as a lived experience educator with South East Sydney Recovery and Wellbeing College.

Jen holds a designated family/carer role leading the Connect Coordination Victoria (CCV) and Workforce Support team at Tandem. CCV provides the Statewide Coordination function for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect centres. The team also develops and delivers training and education and facilitates Communities of Practice.

BB’s focus is on implementing new mental health services together with service providers and people with lived and living experience, as a part of Victorian Mental Health Reform. He is the Implementation Lead - Mental Health Reform at Wellways and is informed by his lived experience. BB is experienced in managing operations and projects in human centric services with a design thinking approach. He is excited to execute projects that enhances user experience and has lived experience at its core while mitigating challenges around that. He believes in continuous contribution of people with lived and living experience towards system transformation, not only at task level but also at decision making and governance level of service implementation.

Clinical psychologist with over 20 years experienced of working in public mental health and private practice

Natalia is a qualified and dynamic educator with academic background and proven track record of delivering employment support trainings, workshops and mentoring sessions. Natalia's background includes 17 years of teaching experience of both graduate and undergraduate university students. Currently is working as a Ukrainian Project Officer / Groupworker at STARTTS, NSW. Natalia facilitates trainings and workshops on mental health for the Ukrainian community peers and leaders in Sydney.

Dr Edith Botchway is a Neuropsychology researcher whose research focuses on understanding mental health, sleep, and quality of life outcomes in individuals with neurological conditions and in people experiencing mental health concerns. She is a Research Analyst on this team, where she contributes towards data analysis, service evaluation activities, and the development and delivery of evidence-based care for people living with mental health concerns.

Catherine’s focus is on supporting better connections between people with Lived Experience, research and service delivery/development. She is the National Manager of Evaluation and Research (Lived Experience) at Wellways. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow in Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University where she did her Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship as a Consumer Academic. She draws on her experience of mental distress and personal recovery, plus her experience as a mental health worker (2007-2014). She specializes in technical work and uses a post-structuralist framework.

Priscilla Brice is the CEO of BEING – Mental Health Consumers, the peak body advocating on behalf of consumers for mental health systemic advocacy in NSW. Priscilla identifies as neurodivergent and has lived experience of mental health challenges throughout her life. Prior to leading BEING, Priscilla founded and was Managing Director of All Together Now, a racial equity organisation based in Sydney. Prior to this, Priscilla held roles at Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) and Oxfam Australia. Priscilla is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), has an MBA in Social Impact from the University of NSW (MBAx), and a Churchill Fellowship.

Tom is a Kamilaroi/Gomeroi man born in Gunnedah, NSW. For over 30 years Tom has been active in Aboriginal mental health workforce, health policy, social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB), clinical mental health care, suicide prevention, education, standards and leadership. Tom was a Deputy Commissioner of the Mental Health Commission of NSW part-time, between 2018 – 2024. For the first 2.6 years Tom was the inaugural CEO for Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia from 2020, after being involved in its establishment whilst Chairperson of NATSILMH, which developed and launched the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration in 2015. Also, between 2020 – 2022 Tom was a Co-Chair of the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy Taskforce which took care to align with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategy and was also a member. Tom has a sound peer reviewed publication record and has been awarded multiple peer nominated awards throughout his career. More recently Tom has refocussed his career and currently works part-time at Lifeline Central West NSW. Tom has provided targeted consultancy services as a partner across a range of services some include SANE Australia, ALIVE, ARTD and Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation. Tom is the Deputy Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia and an associate member of The Mental Health Services (TheMHS) Learning Network.

Josephine (Joey) Brogden is a Lived Experience Youth Advocate, with a strong focus on Youth Mental Health and Neurodivergence. She is passionate about co-design and co-development, believing that Lived Experience voices are a necessary for meaningful change. Whilst engaging in a variety of independent advocacy projects, Joey also works Part-Time at the ACT Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing - Co-ordinating the ACT CYMHSA Youth Reference Group. As well as supporting a Peer Workforce Mapping Process. She is also currently working Part-Time as a Lived Experience Researcher with the University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre - Focusing on the importance of personalized care, and creating and implementing digital resources to empower young people to advocate for their needs, and find the best mental health treatment/ supports for them.

Emma works for The Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network as the Suicide Prevention Lead. Emma's previous professional experience includes working on the frontlines in suicide prevention as a Way Back support coordinator. Emma has experience working in the domestic and family violence sector where she was WDVCAS service manager. Emma is passionate about people being able to access high quality, person centered, trauma informed care within their communities.

Lisa Brophy is Professor and Discipline Lead in Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University. She is also an honorary principal research fellow in the Centre for Mental Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne. Lisa has developed experience in mental health practice, research and knowledge of this complex sector. Lisa’s work has focused on human rights and reducing restrictive practice and compulsory treatment, evaluations of recovery oriented practice and innovations in service delivery and supporting consumer participation and codesign in mental health research.