Rowena Jonas

About me

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

I love a good laugh and although I sometimes have a grey day, I know from experience it will always pass with the right support. For the past 15 years I have worked with the community in a range of peer and non-peer roles the mental health not for profit, education and emergency services sectors. I have worked very closely with government health agencies, clinical services and the private sector.
A few years ago, I left paid work to follow my life long dream of becoming a published author. In a six-week period I wrote a book about the experience and recovery of my family through mental illness and distress including my own personal recovery from addiction. During this time, I was offered my first writing gig, developing self-guided coaching modules for the Carer Gateway. I then returned to Wellways in a peer leadership role to expand lived experience practice through the organisation and to contribute to the literature on Relational Recovery.
I believe in the power of actions to bring about change. Across the many programs I have worked, I’ve seen so many people discover how awesome they are and take the courage to lean into their strength to create their future. It takes a clear intention and time to invest in relationships. Relationships business, ie doing right by myself and others is usually my goal for the day. I don’t always do this well but I try and fail and learn and try again!
I am driven to force legislative and social change towards a more inclusive community for oppressed people. Injustice really gets me going and has been a huge part of my story. Strengthening the peer workforce through quality peer supervision is one way to achieve this and address the crisis that is mental health in this country at the moment. I offer a respectfully curious ear to listen and feedback in a private space to share our experiences and hopefully have a bit of fun doing it.
On a personal note, I’m a bit of a nature geek. I love to garden, weave with natural fibres, keep chickens and bees.

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.

My experience

Practice Advisor – Families and carers, Wellways Australia
Carer Star Licenced Trainer, Wellways Australia
Peer Consultant - Country Fire Authority, Allies for Inclusion Network
Peer Supervisor – Department of Veteran Affairs
Project Lead - Grassroots Advocacy, Wellways Australia
Program Coordinator – Family Services, Wellways Australia

My current role/work

I am currently working for Wellways Australia as a Family/Carer Practice Advisor. In this role I develop lived experience practice and programs, supervise peer practitioners, host peer worker communities of practice and conduct and publish research.

My training

Diploma of Health Science (Remedial Massage)
Bach of Creative Arts (Writing and Communications)
Intentional Peer Support
Motivational Interviewing
Single Session Family Consultation
E-CPR

My approach to supervision

It’s very much up to you and how you would like the session to be. I am flexible and can meet in-person (pending covid-19 restrictions), via phone or online. I use the Gibbs Reflection Cycle to try to make sense of issues. Relationship building is an important element, but this can’t be forced. I tend to approach most things organically and for me relationships develop over time. The beauty of ‘peerness’ is the relationship building process is fast-tracked in most cases but if you feel it’s not working for you then this is absolutely the space to talk about it. If that happens there is probably a learning in it for both of us!