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National Family Reference Group
The headspace National Family Reference Group advocate for the role, contribution and needs of families and friends across all headspace programs and services.
| Ann Gallagher | Dave Finlay | Sharene Dearlove |
| Kim Edgar | Michael Powell | Sarah Hermann |
| Georgia Byles | Lane Swales | Michelle Jane |
| Candice Huynh |
Ann’s son and daughter both accessed headspace for mental health support, and she says it is comforting to see family being embraced as those who play an increasingly central role in their young person’s mental health journey at headspace.
Ann enjoys working alongside her fellow members of the reference group, among whom she says there is a very strong bond, borne of the fact they have all supported young people experiencing mental ill-health.
She wants to use her platform to break down the stigma that young people and their families sometimes feel when experiencing mental ill-health and to show how important it is to recognise family as a pivotal part of a young persons mental health journey. ‘We are their support between appointments, so we need to be able to find that information too,’ she says.
Ann advocates passionately for family to have a dedicated space inside headspace centres where they can find information about how to best support their young person, as well as a family peer worker to be able to walk alongside families as they access support for their young person at a centre.
In her life away from headspace, Ann runs an alternative therapies business and works as a Community family/carer peer work supervisor in a major health organisation.
Sharene’s contact with headspace began when her youngest daughter accessed headspace services for anxiety.
Later, when her eldest teenage daughter returned home from university experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, the family again sought assistance from their local headspace centre.
The family accessed regular support from headspace for the next three years, which Sharene says was ‘an absolute lifesaver’ for her daughter.
‘The centre was very family inclusive, offering support and guidance to not only my daughter, but those of us supporting her,’ she remembers.
As a member of the National Family Reference Group, Sharene is determined that all family and friends know what to do when a young person is experiencing mental ill-health, including who they can contact for support.
She also draws on her family’s experience in her contributions to her local headspace consortia.
Sharene is a mortgage broker with 25 years’ experience, and also runs her own small business.
Kim is a powerful advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
Kim’s son, Daniel, died by suicide in 2018. Kim tells her family’s story to help others learn the signs of mental ill-health and to promote ways that families can support their young person.
Kim uses her position on the headspace National Family Reference Group to advocate for holistic and family-inclusive approaches to mental health. She says it is important for practitioners to acknowledge young people are parts of a family unit that also requires knowledge and support to navigate the mental health system.
‘Suicide prevention is everyone's business,’ Kim says.
Since Kim joined the reference group, she reports that headspace is listening to and acting on the advice of members.
‘The breadth of opportunities for family participation show that we’re really valued – and that’s amazing,’ she says.
By becoming a member of the National Family Reference Group, Michael carries on the legacy of his late daughter, Emma, a mental health advocate who died by suicide five years ago.
In the time since her passing, Michael has become a trusted voice on mental health and suicide prevention in his local community where he lives with his wife and youngest daughter.
Michael remembers feeling disconnected from Emma’s mental health journey as a parent and says it’s an experience he shares in the hope it drives more family-inclusive practices across the mental health sector.
His objective is to ensure family and friends have somewhere to go for information and advice, or for support with their own mental health.
When he’s not working to improve access to family-inclusive mental health care, Michael is hard at work renovating his family home.
Sarah is passionate about building the capacity of young people and those who support them to create and drive positive changes in their lives.
Sarah has supported her sibling and her partner who have both experienced mental ill-health and also has a lived experience of her own.
In her role in the National Family Reference Group, Sarah hopes to champion greater awareness, support and recognition for the vital role that families and friends play in supporting young people having a tough time.
Also a provisional psychologist, Sarah is a voice and advocate for children and young people experiencing complex mental health challenges.
When she’s not hard at work in the mental health system, Sarah loves pottery, going to music gigs, killing houseplants and trying to be cooler than the young people she works with.
Georgia is passionate about supporting young people as they transition into adulthood.
When it came to understanding and making decisions in relation to her son’s mental health, Georgia found herself feeling alone and unsure of how to best help him. She understands that for both young people and their families, this can be a particularly difficult time.
“As parents, we know that finding our child support when needed is part of our responsibility - like a dentist checkup or swimming lessons. But it’s hard to know where to turn and who to talk to,” Georgia says.
Her message to both young people and their families is that it is okay to make mistakes and to not have all the answers. She hopes that in being part of the National Family Reference Group at headspace, she can contribute to helping families better understand where they can turn to for support and resources to help them best support their young person.
Georgia has recently made a career change into the mental health field. She also enjoys volunteering, where she works with people experiencing homelessness or who are socially isolated.
As a young person, Lane has used their lived experience of mental health challenges to advocate through their local Youth Reference Group. Part of Lane’s lived experience also includes supporting friends, family members and their partner to navigate their mental health journeys.
Lane has gained an insight into what it is like to navigate the mental health system, as well as how to best help those who are experiencing similar situations. They want to use this knowledge to help young people have better experiences when seeking help, and to make sure services like headspace also understand and assist the ‘support people’ around them.
Over the past few years, Lane has seen a lot of positive changes in the mental health system and feels excited to see what the future involves. “It feels that lived experience is a lot more valued now, and I think that makes a significant improvement, for both young people, and the people around them,” Lane says.
Lane spends their time working at a thrift store, playing trivia, spoiling their pets, and listening to audio-dramas.
Michelle hopes her involvement with the National Family Reference Group will create meaning out of her journey supporting two children with their mental health.
Michelle has developed a passion for advocating for gender diverse young people through her experience supporting her non-binary teenager. She wants to help other parents and families to feel supported, acknowledged and heard in their own journey.
“You are enough to support your young person, and with additional support and resources, you can be even more… Always remember to look after yourself and help others to understand your needs too.,” Michelle says.
Away from headspace, Michelle’s professional work spans finance, administration and wellbeing. In an effort to better prioritise her own wellbeing, Michelle is a self-confessed ‘Clubbercise’ groupie… she loves that these classes allow her to dance like no one is watching!
Being a young person herself, Candice was inspired to join the National Family Reference Group to help provide a voice for young people with lived experience of mental-ill health who also are supporting family.
Having supported close friends and family through their mental health journey, Candice is hoping to shape improvements in access to mental health services. She noticed that many of her family and friends would go without professional support due to difficulties in navigating the system. She says that increasing the ease of access to services for both young people and family can help achieve the best outcomes for young people.
Her message to other family members is to not forget to look after their own mental health, and to reach out when they need support.
Candice also studies psychology and cognitive neuroscience. In her free time, she loves to cook and bake, especially for other people – she loves to see others enjoy her food!
Dave’s family has a history of mental health issues and he has supported many family members through their mental health journeys. He volunteered with his local headspace centre as a youth advocate between 2021 and 2023 and now helps headspace National with his lived experience as a family member.
Dave understands the way family is often removed from the therapeutic space and the confusion, worry, and misunderstanding that can come from that. He has felt that firsthand and hopes to make a difference in the way mental health professionals at headspace engage with family and carers to make sure they can best support the people they love.
Dave currently works in government and is finishing his psychology studies at university, aiming to one day be a mental health professional himself.