Hearts of Gold Difference

Genuine Peer Support from Genuine People

Down-to-earth, friendly support from a lived experience mental health support worker who offers a truly personalised experience, with the reassurance that they are receiving 1-on-1 training and clinical oversight.

Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"A friend is somebody who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

Taking Support Worker Training Seriously

Professional meets lived experience. Professional mentoring from psychologists and social workers married with peer support.

The purpose of this is to add another layer of training and support for our support workers to become better - Not the general information dumps you learn during a diploma. We offer 1-on-1 support and training from registered psychologists, equipping support workers with the information, skills and techniques necessary to help you and only you!

Creating Genuine Connection

We're interested in who you are, and in matching the perfect support for you.
Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"[they] found a peer support worker just for me"

Taking the time to really get to understand what you need

We sit down with you in a free meet-and-greet, getting to know you and your needs. It’s about you, things you like and things that you don’t like, things that you grew up with, the small things that you value.

A personalised lived experience worker for your nature (not your diagnosis)

We personalise our hiring process to find a mental health support worker based on you, matching your interests and nature with a person with lived experience hired just for you.

Lived experience support achieves better outcomes

Support workers with lived experience (peer workers) achieve health and recovery outcomes equivalent to or better than standard supports.
Tailored NDIS Support

Our Difference

We have seen the best in industry, and seen the worst.
We are hoping to champion the best, and work with those who care.

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Let'S chat now
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We do the little things

The little things are the big things!

Lived experience mental health support workers at Hearts of Gold go above and beyond your expectations. We will communicate well with you, turn up, turn up on time consistently, and show unconditional support.

We also do the big things

We work towards getting real outcomes for participants.
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Lived experience mental health support workers at Hearts of Gold go above and beyond the level of support you may had from other agencies

We meet you where you are at, every time

We’re not here to judge your progress. We understand life has ups and downs!
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We’re happy to kick back with you as well and do what you want to do during the day. Not every day has to break records in the gym, or work towards your goals. Helping you chill and enjoy your time is just as important as anything else, and we’re happy to help you do that.  

We’re committed to getting better every day.

We will be the first to tell you that we’re not perfect.

We're the first to apologise for our mistakes. We are committed to learning and have experts and guests come in to talk to staff about their lived experience, along with meet ups and study sessions between peer support workers to share knowledge, experience and wisdom. 
Hero Image
Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society. Just be you instead."

We make the effort outside of set hours

A text of reassurance, or a call here and there outside scheduled shifts when you're down, just to chat if we can.

Matching that actually fits

We make a serious effort to find the best support worker for you. We match your interests and lived experience, along with a long-term commitment from a support worker. You will not get a revolving door of support workers.

A flexible team that steps up fast

Our small but flexible team allows us to fill in emergency shifts when they arise.

Authentic connection & clear boundaries

A genuine, friendly, authentically warm human approach, coupled with firm boundaries. You won't get a distant lukewarm approach with a clinical plan in the background.

Non-rigid cancellations

48-hour shift cancellations, not 7 days.

Flexibility

You don't have to fix all your days in advance.
Hearts of Gold Traits

Our Lived Experience Workers

Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"A friend is somebody who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

Human

In an increasingly technological world, our support workers provide a down-to-earth human experience. A full human experience, in all its imperfections, vulnerability, joy and depth.

We meet you where you are at

Somebody that can meet you where you are at on any given day. It doesn't matter if it's a good day, or a bad day. We will be there regardless.

Champions agency

Somebody who can encourage your choice and control, despite what a support worker may think.

Authentic

Somebody who says what they mean, and means what they say. Somebody that is comfortable in their nature, and encourages you to be yourself.

Empathetic

Somebody who can relate to and understand what you might be feeling, but not assume they know exactly what you are going through.

Lived experience

Somebody who has had a profound lived experience in their own darkness and their own journey with mental illness.

No judgement

Somebody who radically accepts others, and does not make any judgements about people, their decisions, or information shared in confidence.

Respectful

Somebody who is respectful towards others, and does not step on other people’s toes. Somebody who respects your confidentiality and privacy.

Reliability

Somebody who can be depended on to be consistent, and on time, all the time.

Active listening

Somebody who can create space, and attentively listen, without being distracted.

Training

Builds upon their experience with training. They are also curious about new approaches and research into new areas when needed.

Patience

Somebody who can take their time and can calmly accept delays, problems and difficulties.
Trust grows one step at a time

What Happens Next?

Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"Real support starts with someone who can actively listen to your journey"
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1

A call on the phone

Have a chat, see what you need.
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2

Meet the director

Learn about you: what you like, don't like, what's working and what's not.
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3

Find your support worker

We recommend a peer support worker, or go and recruit somebody who matches what you need.
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4

Meet and greet

Meet the support worker, with the director present.
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5

Agree on shifts

If you like the support worker, we agree on an ongoing shift and/or flexible hours.
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6

Sign the service agreement

Once everyone is happy, we put the agreement in place.
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7

Build your team

Continue to build a team around the things you like, need, want and don't like.
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8

Keep everyone in the loop

Touch base with support coordinators and other stakeholders about progress and recommendations where necessary.
Green heart shape formed by two hands shaking, symbolizing partnership or agreement.
We can't wait to hear from you

Ready to Experience the Hearts of Gold Difference?

contact us
Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"Real support starts with someone who truly understands your journey."
Multiple hands of different people placed on a tree trunk in a forest, symbolizing unity and connection with nature.Empty two-lane road with yellow dashed centerline running through a forested mountain area with tall pine trees on both sides.
Meet our

Lived Experience Peer Support Workers

We believe lived experience provides the best foundation for being a brilliant support worker. Complemented with a heart-of-gold nature and guided by tailored professional training, our support workers provide high quality, long term support for you.

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Andrea

Andrea is a Christian Lived Experience Support Worker, who has over ten years experience caring for a loved one in personal care and mental health support. She is an accomplished Philosopher and Theologian. This combination gives her a unique, sophisticated and grounded approach to support work.

Andrea

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Michael

"Hi i'm Michael. I'm a registered psychologist with approximately 8 years working within the mental health sector. I encourage authenticity, to enable people to feel comfortable enough to cut straight through the issue at hand."

Michael

Psychologist & Mentor
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Daniel

Daniel is a down to earth, peaceful, attentive and natural active listener with extensive experience in being a support worker. He believes firmly in letting you drive your own experience and is a constant learner. He has experience with a range of presentations including major depression, schizophrenia, social anxiety, intellectual disabilities, autism, ASD and PTSD. Like all our workers, Daniel has a deep rich lived experience with people close to him, that has given him a caring natural personality.

Daniel

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Maria

Supporting people isn't just a job to me it's something I genuinely care about. My goal is to make a positive impact by building meaningful relationships, encouraging independence, and creating a safe, supportive environment where people feel respected, understood, and empowered.

Maria

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Tia

Tia's caring nature is the cornerstone to her support. Her positivity infects those around her distracting people from the worse things in life. Her constant learning approach means that she gets more informed every week that passes by.

Tia

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Joshua

Joshua's support style is grounded, relaxed and patient. Having been in professional mixed material art fights, he has the mindset to handle stressful situations, and ground those experiencing distress. He enjoys a good chat, along with taking his time and allowing for space for conversation and doesn't take himself too seriously despite his depth of experiences.

Joshua

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Harry

Harry believes in evidence based therapies and is an exceptionally hard worker, often going above and beyond to ensure that the participants he works with are safe.

Harry

Lived Experience Social Worker
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Michael

Michael specialities is in AOD, Skitzoeffective, cPTSD, Major Depression, Autism diagnosed participants. However, he has experience working with ABI's, Intellectual Disabilities, Mobility, BPD, and ADHD, and happy to connect if you resonanate.

Michael

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Stephen

Stephen is an older support worker with a deep life experience who motivates and relates to those around him.

Stephen

Lived Experience Mental Health Support Worker
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Allison

Allison is a qualified registered psychologist with over 10 years experience and 15 years experience in therapy. She provides strategic mentoring for each of our lived experience peer support workers to help them better understand and develop outcomes with each of their participants.

Allison

Psychologist & Mentor
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Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
"[they] found a peer support worker just for me"
Clear Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Daniel
Michael
Andrea
Joshua
No corporate speak or clinical jargo, .just real answers from people who care.

How can I trust you?

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We have supported people quadruple the average support worker tenure length. Quality over quantity, and we hope in time we can build trust, and look forward to the first step.

What if I cancel a lot?

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That is expected and it is not held against you. Consistency from us matters more than consistency from you, particularly early on.

What areas do you cover?

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The north eastern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne. If you are near the edge of that, call and ask rather than assuming.

Do I need a referral?

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No. You can contact us directly. Many participants come to us through a support coordinator, but you do not need one to get in touch.

How do I get started with Hearts of Gold Mental Health Support?

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You can book a consultation through our website, email, or call us directly! We can't wait for the opportunity to speak with you.

Does the NDIS cover mental health support workers?

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Yes, where psychosocial disability is recognised in your plan. Funding usually sits under Core Supports or Capacity Building depending on how your plan is written. Our page on how NDIS funding works explains the difference.

Are your services available online?

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Yes, though we prefer to work in person. However, if you need access to somebody to talk to and it's part of your plan, we can work with you.