Annette Mercuri

About me

This supervisor has been approved to provide supervision under the ACCESS TO SUPERVISION PROJECT.

My family/carer Lived Experience of supporting several family members with mental distress over many years left me wanting to better understand mental distress and has led me in my earlier years, to train as a professional counsellor to better understand how to support people’s recovery from mental distress.

I worked in various fields of the counselling industry including child and adolescent counselling in schools, diversion programs as well a crisis counsellor advocate among others.

Improving mental health outcomes for both the consumer and family/carer is my passion and throughout my 14+ years working in the Victorian acute adult mental health system I have advocated for a partnership in care between consumers, family/carers and clinicians that supports both personal and relational recovery.

This supervisor has been approved to provide supervision under the ACCESS TO SUPERVISION PROJECT. If you are a supervisee who has received an approval email/letter from the CMHL you may contact this supervisor for supervision for this project, then follow the stated processes for supervision payment.

Publications:
TheMHS 2019 conference publication and presentation:
Mercuri, A & Epifanio,A. (2019)
Carer Lived Experience development and implementation of carer peer support model into an adult clinical mental health service: The model, challenges, benefits and learnings.

Mercuri,A., Burton, J., Epifanio,A. & McKenzie, P (2022): Understanding carer experiences in public adult mental health services using Carer Peer Support data, Advances in Mental Health, DOI: 10.1080/18387357.2021.2020142

My experience

2002 - Commenced as one of the first 2 Carer peer support workers for the NWMH Aged Persons' Mental Health Program and worked for 2 years in this program.
2008 - Carer Peer Support worker Northern Area Mental Health Service (individual and group peer support)
2008 - Carer Consultant Northern Area Mental Health Service
2014 - Carer Consultant Inner West Area Mental Health Service
2021 – Project Officer Carer Supervision Training Development NWMH
Areas of Carer LE Experience include but are not limited to:
• Development and provision of professional development sessions for clinicians on working in partnership and supporting carers and families
• Systemic advocacy of the family/carer perspective
• Carer-led development and implementation of a carer peer support model within and impatient unit and within community mental health services.
• Supervision/co-reflection with carer peer support workers/consultants
• Experience-based co-design
• Carer Advisory Group Development/support
• Journal publications on carer peer support model and carer/family experiences in mental health using carer peer support data

I also engage in broader carer LE advocacy throughout the sector

My current role/work

Carer LE Project Officer on the Carer Perspective Supervision training project and on secondment from my role as Carer Consultant at Inner West Mental Health Service

My training

I have participated in significant professional development over the years but my core relevant training is:
Carer Consultant training- Carer Consultant Network Victoria
International Peer Support- Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Centre
Single Session Peer Work -Bouverie Centre
Single Session Family Consultation-Bouverie Centre
Group Supervision Training- Bouverie Centre
Diploma in Professional Counselling
Graduate Diploma in Counselling- Victoria University

My approach to supervision

My approach to supervision uses a combination of reflective practice, Intentional Peer Support and Carer Lived Experience Workforce principles and is informed by the Victorian Carer Perspective Supervision Framework. I work collaboratively with the supervisee and engage with them through co reflection to provide mentoring/wellbeing support/information, and to enable them to feel more confident, empowered and informed about key components and challenges of working from a variety of Carer Lived Experience perspective roles. Specialising in carer peer support and carer consultancy, I am keen to support carer lived experience workers in their important and often challenging roles through and exciting cultural paradigm shift in mental health.