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Clinical support

Your role as a mental health lived experience peer worker

As a peer worker, you’ll use your own lived experience of mental health and accessing services. This may be your personal experience or your experience as a family member or carer. You’ll use this to support others and help them get the right care.

These roles are growing in demand as more services see how lived experience insights help in mental health care.

You’ll help people feel heard and understood. You’ll support them to get the care they need. This work also supports families and carers.

We have full time, part time and casual roles and some include shift work.

What your day might look like

You’ll start your day by checking your schedule and touching base with your team. This helps plan who you’ll support and how.

Your day might include:

  • listening to people’s experiences and building trust
  • using your own lived experience
  • helping people find the right services and support in the community
  • supporting people to prepare for or talk with their care team.

You’ll work in mental health services, such as hospitals or community settings with nurses and other health professionals.

Duration: 1:26

Transcript for Lived Experience Craig Worland

[Music plays]

Craig Worland >> I'm working for the Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drug Strategy and planning branch in Queensland Health. My role is Manager of Lived Experience for the Peer Workforce.

A lived experience peer worker, they bring their personal identity to work in order to, share their experiences, with others, to help them, when accessing services. Is essentially like a scout that maybe went ahead and can tell you about what to expect, what's coming up. And they can explain to you what a clinician will do with you, when you're doing that clinical work.

So, as a lived experience worker, whether you be consumer facing or in a systemic role like mine, I think a willingness to make a difference and provide support to people, at a time when it might be a bit of a crisis, and being able to just share some of your experiences that you may have found have worked, and share that with others at a time when they could really use that help.

A person who has experienced something similar can normalise that. Has had a mutual experience that they can share, and help that person to access services safely and understand as they go through that process. So, working in that space is important for me because I think that it really will help us to get better outcomes for people in the population.

[Music ends]

End of transcript.

Qualifications

You'll need lived experience of mental health challenges and using support services. This may be your personal experience or your experience as a carer or family member.

Some roles may require or support you to do a Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work or similar.

Experience in a public mental health service or non-government organisation can also be helpful.

Pay and benefits

Your pay rate and benefits will depend on your role, experience and where you work.

We also offer:

  • regular wage increases
  • a superannuation rate of 12.75%
  • a supportive workplace with flexible working arrangements
  • several types of leave
  • salary packaging
  • help with ongoing professional development costs.

If you're moving to start a new job with us, you may be able to get help with moving and travel costs.

Learn more about working for us

Professional growth

You’ll have access to learning and development throughout your career.

This may include:

  • learning on the job
  • training in mental health care
  • talking with experienced staff to build skills
  • opportunities to study while you work.

With experience and further training, you may move into more senior roles.

Career paths

Getting experience as a mental health lived experience peer worker can lead to other roles, such as:

  • senior peer worker
  • peer team leader.

With further study it may help you specialise in areas such as:

  • youth and older persons
  • alcohol and other drugs
  • policy
  • service design.

If you plan to study, ask your training provider if your past learning can count towards a higher qualification.

Last updated: May 2026

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