Students and Educators

“Compelling, engaging and moving reading. A testament to the power of forgiveness to overcome trauma. 

This book is a must-read for people who survive hardship, and essential reading for everyone working in social and community services, especially those working with children and families.”

-Andrew T (Review of Echidna in a Suitcase)

When writing my memoir, I was mostly hoping to reach Community Services and Social Science students. As the facilitators of change, you are in a unique position to impact the future positively.

You will read that as a girl; I struggled with learning and engaging. Now I have written a book about an array of things. I put this down to being able to build resilience and being proud of my career in Community Services. I knew if there were a problem, I would find a solution, and I never stopped learning. I started in Community Services in my mid-30's and have learned much from my humble beginnings in the disability field. Over close to three decades, I have worked in crisis support, homelessness, mental health, health, aged care, and with other Forgotten Australians. Working with the most challenging clients to the most vulnerable has taught me more than theory ever could. Lessons that I was able to apply not just to my professional life but also my personal life. I found that emotional intelligence is built by the ongoing development of skills needed when undertaking outreach or other social and public relations tasks in the Community Services field. As an aside and piece of little trivia, it has also been shown that students who are motivated civically are proven to develop interest and achieve in other relevant subjects such as reading, history, science, and mathematics.

Just as I have, students of today coming into the Community Services sector will benefit, both in your individual life and in your professional lives, from the work you will undertake. The things you will witness will allow you to look at things from different perspectives and develop new lenses.

By reading this book, I hope you can better connect with your future clients' experiences. Most importantly, I hope you can see that the past does not always determine someone's future. With support, some can have the resilience to persevere against all odds. I would ask you to see how the Community Services field changed and enriched my life, how I learned to network with various professionals from all backgrounds to optimise better outcomes for the most vulnerable within our community. Trust in yourself that no problem is too big for your problem-solving skills.

I am available for speaking engagements about my story, the impact of trauma, and the Community Services field. Please reach out to me in my contact section on this website if you would like to get in touch.