Our stories

Chris Blums is a Mind peer practitioner who walks to the beat of his own drum. “I want to be the guy that provides surprises and new experiences,” he says of his work at the Mind centre in Williamstown. “I want people to leave our group and say ‘you won’t believe what we did today’.”

A group of Mind residents have created their own small business to help develop work-related and social skills. The program is made up of residents and support staff from Mind services in Melbourne’s inner-north. Together they make body scrubs and room sprays, which they sell at local markets in the hope of raising money to fund a camping trip.

Talking about mental ill-health can be difficult, particularly for young people also navigating the challenges that come with being a teenager. To help young people at one of our residential services to address what can be a confronting subject, a Mind peer practitioner has made a life-sized board game. 

At Mind Williamstown, clients are engaging with their mental demons by battling dragons and other mythical creatures. This support group plays Dungeons & Dragons – a fantasy role-playing board game that originated in the ‘70s. In this game, players create their own characters and together they embark on imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. 

The cooking group at our Armadale supported independent living residence is not only learning great cooking skills, they’re helping to save the planet!

It’s hard not to put things into perspective after talking with Derek Wilson. As a Mind Community Mental Health Practitioner, Derek travels across Victoria’s western suburbs supporting people on their mental health and wellness journey to find help, hope and purpose. He achieves this by being relatable and sharing his own personal experiences.