I am a freelance mental health peer support worker. At Excelsio-Rose, I utilise:

• My training in mental health peer support work e.g. Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and Intentional Peer Support (Core Training)

• My professional experience: as a part-time mental health advocate and previous consumer advisory work for a number of mental health reference/advisory committees for major Victorian organisations

• My own lived experience of complex mental health difficulties

• As well as three years of medical school education and training.

Drawing upon these experiences,  I provide compassionate one-on-one peer support.

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me, just be my friend." - Albert Camus

My work is a way of giving back -- offering others the kind of support that has helped me along my own journey. My hope is to pay forward the support that has helped me, creating a ripple effect of compassion, healing, connection, hope and possibility. I aim to help people navigate recovery, build meaningful connections, rediscover hope and create a life that feels worth living.  Specifically, my service consists of:

• Peer support based on lived experience

• Recovery-oriented support

• Mentoring and practical support

• Helping someone navigate services

• Community participation and connection

• Emotional support and companionship

• Advocacy/support to express someone's own views

'Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognise our shared humanity.' - Ani Pema Chodron

• Bachelor of Medical Science (Monash University)

• Certificate IV in Mental Health (Swinburne University)

• Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work (Swinburne University)

• Intentional Peer Support (Core Training) via SHARC

• Introduction to NDIS course (Swinburne University)

Recovery has not been about simply becoming “symptom-free”. It has been about becoming more emotionally stable, resilient and grounded while developing a stronger sense of who I am beyond my mental illnesses and their associated diagnostic labels.

Today, I work part-time as a mental health advocate and am able to openly and authentically draw on my experiences of mental health challenges in my peer support work.

Excelsio-Rose combines Excelsio, from the Latin excelsior meaning "ever upward" or "striving higher," with Rose, inspired by Semonti's Bangla name meaning "white rose." Together, the name represents hope, resilience, compassion, and personal growth, reflecting a commitment to walking alongside people as they build meaningful, connected, and fulfilling lives.