Changing lives, one kilometre at a time

From student to counsellor

Mysti started with Lives Lived Well as a Human Services Counselling student. She then became an Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Counsellor for three years, until the opportunity came up to become a Group Facilitator for the Residential Aged Care Home (RACH) Group Program.

She enjoyed the challenge to have a hand in the development and delivery of this program, saying, “I always wanted to become an AOD counsellor, but I also welcomed the option to change it up”.

Come along for the ride

Mysti starts most days by getting into a work car and travelling to whatever aged care home she’s delivering a group program at that day. She sometimes goes to multiple regional towns in a day. “The furthest I travel in a day is a six hour round trip out to Wondai – past Kingaroy,” she said.

Through the group program she delivers, she aims to increase mental health literacy, mental health awareness, create connections, develop skills that enhance wellbeing and support the emotional needs of clients.

“Recently I travelled three hours to run a session on emotions with a group of five men.  Collectively between them there was roughly 400 years of life experience seated before myself,” she said.

“I feel privileged and so grateful to spend time with these people who have so much knowledge, wisdom and kindness to share. To sit with men of a very tough generation and help them to understand and talk about their emotions was a very moving and humbling experience.”

Happy outcomes

Mysti enjoys the flexibility of working at Lives Lived Well. She currently works a nine-day fortnight, with Tuesday mornings spent at university as she is undertaking a Bachelor of Film and Screen Production.

Mysti encourages anyone thinking about working for Lives Lived Well to go for it.

“The LLW team has been a huge support for me whilst starting out my career. They are supremely focused on employee wellbeing and this then gets translated into client work.  LLW cares about people,” she said.

“If you are thinking about applying and want to work for an organisation that really cares, go for it!”