The Richmond Fellowship Queensland is a mental health organisation committed to the recovery of people facing mental health challenges and social disadvantage.
They recognised that their biggest asset was the people in the organisation with lived experience of mental health, suicide and addiction. But this was a very vulnerable and fragile cohort, and lived experience workers were often undervalued in the industry, and their roles have become tokenistic. They wanted to train and support lived experience workers to have more say in the decision-making process and take charge of their own change initiatives.
We delivered a 12-month program, utilising the full range of our product suite, to empower and support staff with lived experience in developing the relevant skills and designing their own change projects to increase wellbeing and advocacy, and to improve mental health service delivery.
We collected data from the program to contribute to research that was genuinely informed by their lived experience. We supported them in engaging in an asset-based empowerment model of collaborative and inclusive co-design to establish RFQ as a centre of excellence for well-being in the industry.
The lived experience workers underwent a complete transformation, from timid and anxious to confident, self-assured and empowered. They started their own Lived Experience Advisory Group and have changed the culture of the organisation from within.
The program was so successful that Habitus has been brought on board to work with the RFQ for the next 3 years to build the internal capability of RFQ to run this program for themselves. We are supporting the first cohort to be mentors and facilitators of the next cohort of participants. We are working on a roadmap to scale the project to benefit the industry as a whole
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we could achieve what we did through the Lived Experience Program with Habitus!
We were worried that the program would be too much for the cohort, but the way Monty and his team created a safe space to share stories and collectively make sense of this together, was nothing short of magical.
The program was grounded in academic research and was so professionally run. But the thing that really stood out was the care and the compassion, mixed with the energy and the fun.
I also had the executive coaching, and it actually changed my life and the way that I lead!
At the end of the program, the participants were completely different people, and they are now central in our strategic direction as a company.
We are now being approached by other organisations to learn about what we did and I can honestly say that we are doing great things for the industry and the people who really need it. ”
— Alex Couley
CEO, The Richmond Fellowship Queensland
“RFQ embarked on a bespoke and, we believe, groundbreaking training initiative in collaboration with Monty and the team at Habitus. Spanning 12 months, the program seamlessly integrated anthropology and psychology in a way that was both engaging and deeply practical. Delivered with a unique combination of fun and pragmatism, the training provided our staff with a powerful learning experience that extended far beyond conventional professional development.
A key strength of this program was the embedded coaching element, which played a crucial role in bridging the gap between theory and practice. This support ensured that the insights and skills acquired during training translated effectively into our day-to-day operations, reinforcing lasting behavioural change.
To say that we have been delighted with the results would be an understatement. The impact of this initiative has exceeded our expectations. In recognition of its success, we are thrilled to share that RFQ has committed to a further 12-month engagement with Habitus. ”
— Alex Couley
CEO, The Richmond Fellowship Queensland
“I have been fortunate to receive individual coaching from Dr. Monty Badami of Habitus.
As an expert in anthropology and a dedicated student of the human experience, Monty brings a truly unique perspective to the coaching process.
His approach blends deep reflection with a strong action orientation, setting it apart from other coaching experiences I have encountered.
As both a coaching practitioner and an author on the subject, I highly recommend Monty's coaching to anyone seeking a skilled, insightful, and transformative coach.”
— Alex Couley
CEO, The Richmond Fellowship Queensland
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