About us
Athena Consumer Workforce Consulting is a consumer/survivor partnership committed to supporting the growth of consumer perspective leadership across the Victorian mental health sector and community.
Our team has extensive experience and expertise across all aspects of consumer work in the mental health system, including peer support, policy advice, research, education, consumer consultancy, leadership and governance.
We provide specialist training and consultancy services. We work with the consumer workforce, organisations and government to explore the needs of the consumer workforce and develop customised responses.
Athena is a partnership of consumer/survivor leaders
Cath Roper
Cath was one of the first four consumer consultants in Victoria before pioneering Australia’s first consumer academic role at the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing.
She now leads the Consumer Academic Program, awarded the 2019 TheMHS excellence, innovation and best practice in mental health services Award.
Cath is a consumer perspective educational specialist, also highly regarded locally, nationally and internationally for her research scholarship. She was consumer advisor to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System’s CEO.
Vrinda Edan
Vrinda is an experienced consumer leader with 20 years’ work in the consumer field.
She has a background as a health professional, and her work is shaped by expertise arising from her work in strategic leadership positions in health services, on ministerial committees, as Chair of VMIAC and in large research projects bringing consumer perspective into practice.
Vrinda is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne and holds consumer academic roles at several universities researching consumer workforce roles, practice and issues.
Indigo Daya
Indigo has worked in consumer leadership roles across the mental health sector for more than 15 years in policy, service delivery, education and academia.
She was a co-founder and manager of the Voices Vic peer support program, a senior advisor to Victoria’s Chief Psychiatrist, Human Rights Advisor and Systemic Advocacy Manager at VMIAC, and she holds academic roles at several universities.
Indigo has developed and delivered education and training to consumers, clinicians, and community workers for more than a decade.
Athena Consumer Workforce Consulting is proud to deliver training and support to our growing workforce.
With over 60 years’ combined experience in the consumer workforce, our team has expertise in all aspects of consumer work, as well as expertise in education, supervision and leadership development.
We also have deep connections with the sector, workforce and wider consumer/survivor movement that enables us to source additional expertise when required.
“Education is freedom.”
— Paulo Friere
Our values and philosophy
Accessibility We are committed to accessibility for all, regardless of disability, culture, gender, sexual orientation or financial disadvantage.
Athena is committed to supporting consumers and survivors who want to get into the workforce as well as those already there. From time to time we will hold free sessions so that cost is no barrier. Click here if you’d like to register interest in a free session.
Human rights We acknowledge that human rights in our field are in jeopardy. Our work with the lived experience consumer/survivor workforce is about furthering human rights.
Friends & colleagues We will invite expert consumer/survivor friends to join us from time to time in our courses.
Why Athena?
Once we had the idea to form this partnership, we wanted a name that reflected our mission.
Athena was an ancient Greek goddess, commonly associated with wisdom, arts, crafts and war.
Wisdom, invention & learning Symbolised by the owl, Athena was said to invent numbers and maths, gave farmers tools and taught them to cultivate fields, and invented spinning and weaving. She created the flute. For us at Athena CWC, this is a symbol of the creativity and wisdom we hope to bring to all of our work, and which is inherent in lived experience.
Patron of heroes Athena was a goddess of war, but she preferred peace and in myths she is merciful. Athena was a patron of many heroes in Greek myths. At Athena CWC, we hope to be a patron of all the lived experience heroes who face up to huge odds to make a difference, in big ways and small ways, every day.
Our logo combines two symbols associated with Athena: the owl for wisdom, and the shield for protection and strength.
