The latest news from Arafmi
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Irene Clelland
CEO Arafmi
Simon Katterl
CEO Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland
Hello everyone,
I just had a lovely catch up with the new CEO of the peak body for consumers of mental health services, the Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland, Simon Katterl.
I’ve been aware of Simon for a while through his work as a Lived Experience consultant and I'm grateful we had the chance to meet more formally and have a great discussion about working together to advocate for changes to the mental health system.
We both agreed that, whether you’re the person experiencing a mental health challenge or the person caring for someone, we all want the same for each other: a good life. Working together to reform a system to give us all a good life seems like a very worthwhile way indeed to spend our time.
One vital part of the system Arafmi would like to work more with are the doctors, psychiatrists, nurses and all healthcare professionals who are providing clinical care for the people supported by mental health carers.
So I’m happy to share with you a new resource Arafmi has developed, through our membership of the Queensland Carer’s Advisory Council.
This new resource is designed for healthcare professionals, to ensure they are aware of the rights of carers, the challenges they face, and how working with carers can help them deliver the best care possible for their patient.
It’s called Working with Carers, Family and Kin – A Guide for Healthcare Professionals, and can be found here: https://workingwithcarers.com.au/
We’re working hard now to get this in front of decision-makers and clinical staff. I hope you like it, and if you have any feedback or ideas please email me: ireneclelland@arafmi.com.au
Have a great month,
Irene
Regional Queensland Carer Events
Arafmi is celebrating carers this National Carers Week this October with free events across regional Queensland.
For the first time, we’re bringing Carer Forums and Gala Dinners to carers outside of metro Brisbane. These events are all about connection, support and taking time out to relax and enjoy yourself.
✨ Ipswich Carer Gala Dinner – Friday 10 October
Join us at the Ipswich Carer Gala for a two-course dinner, entertainment and a night of dancing and celebration. Expressions of interest close by 8 September.
✨ Cairns Carer Forum – Thursday 16 October
Connect with other carers, share experiences, and hear from sector leaders including Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic. Enjoy a buffet lunch and a 10-minute massage. Register now!
✨ Cairns Carer Gala Dinner – Friday 17 October
Celebrate Carers Week at the Cairns Shangri-La with dining, dancing and community connection. Expressions of interest close by 5 September.
These are special opportunities to come together, celebrate the incredible role carers play, and enjoy a well-deserved break.
What's On
Youth emotional CPR training
Date: Monday 25 & Tuesday 26 September,
10am–4pm
Location: Fortitude Valley
Are you aged 18-25 and supporting friends or family experiencing mental ill-health? Join us for a free 2-day workshop to learn skills to support yourself and others through emotional distress in a safe, inclusive space.
Multicultural community leaders workshop
Date: Tuesday 30 September, 9:30am–12:30am
Location: Zillmere
Are you a leader in your community? Do you support people who care for others? If you answered YES this event is for you. Join us for a free session about 'Understanding Who is a Carer.'
Walk for Awareness with Arafmi
Date: Sunday 12 October, from 7am
Location: Captain Burke Park, Kangaroo Point
We’d love you to join the Arafmi team for this 9km fundraising walk supporting frontline mental health services and suicide prevention.
Join the Arafmi team, your spot is on us! You’ll get a goodies bag and the joy of walking together with fellow carers and our team. It’s a powerful experience — moving your body while joining thousands of others walking in solidarity for mental health. Together, we’re raising awareness, breaking down stigma and showing that no one is alone.
If you’d like a complimentary spot in the Arafmi team, please complete the registration form, we’d love to walk with you!
Equine assisted carer wellbeing workshop
Date: Friday 10 October, 9:30–2pm
Location: Kurwongbah
Step back from caring and focus on your wellbeing. Learn simple body-based practices and discover how working with horses can support calm, resilience and connection. Lunch provided.
Mental Health Carer Forum Brisbane
Date: Thursday 18 September 2025
Location: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Our Brisbane Carer Forum is now at capacity. Thank you to everyone who registered so quickly!
If you missed out, don’t worry, you can still join the waitlist and we’ll be in touch if a spot becomes available.
Arafmi Carer Event Calendar
Want more time to plan ahead?
You can explore upcoming events anytime via Arafmi's Event Calendar.
Our calendar includes tailored support groups, workshops and
events for mental health carers.
Honouring a remarkable journey - 22 years of dedication
22 years of pwoah! We say farewell to Roz, who has been a valued part of the Arafmi family for 22 years. We are deeply grateful for the dedication, compassion and care you have shown to our community over the years. Your contribution has left a lasting impact, and you will always be part of the Arafmi story.
We wish you all the very best in the next chapter.
Carer Support Update
Arafmi Carer Gateway Team
L-R: Helen, Tina, Andrew, Tracy, Carol, Linda, Andrea, Holly, Sarah.
Missing: Marieke, Tracey
New Carer Gateway Team
Our newly expanded Arafmi Carer Gateway Team are excited to meet and support carers across Queensland. Based in Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, the team will also link in with Wellways regional Carer Gateway hubs to provide information, coaching and in person peer support and coordinate respite in Brisbane.
- Cairns - Andrea
- Townsville - Carol
- Rockhampton/ Gladstone - Linda
- Bundaberg - Tracy
- Sunshine Coast (Nambour hub) - Andrew
- Brisbane - Helen, Tracey, Sarah (individual phone supports), Marieke - Brisbane (respite accommodation), Holly (Manager of the Arafmi Carer Gateway Team)
Regional Wellways Carer Gateway hubs - now open
New Wellways Carer Gateway Hubs are opening across Queensland, giving carers a welcoming place to connect, recharge and access free support. Arafmi Carer Gateway staff will be work alongside Wellways Carer Gateway staff at most of the hubs to be on hand for mental health carers to help with coaching and connection.
Each hub is unique — some offering relaxation spaces, computers, printers and chair massage chairs. Drop in to meet other carers and your local Carer Navigator, such as Mel at the Toowoomba hub or Erin at the Nambour hub, and see what’s on offer.
Culture Care Update
August action and awareness in the multicultural communities
August was a vibrant month of cultural connection and community events. Culture Care attended several events, including the Global Fair hosted by the Filipino community, the World of Cultures and Luminous Festival, and a Connect and Collaborate event at Headspace Inala. Each event was a chance to meet carers and health professionals, share resources and strengthen community ties.
Advocacy Team Update
Online Future Planning Slides
This month carers joined Arafmi in-person and online for our Future Planning sessions with Dr Anne-Louise McCawley from the Seniors’ Legal and Support Service.
Dr McCawley covered important topics including wills, enduring powers of attorney, advance health directives and guardianship. Carers also had the chance to learn more about the role of the Public Trustee and what to consider when planning ahead.
Want to know more? Keep an eye out for our next Future Planning session in November.
Engaging with families and carers network
Arafmi is starting a new Community of Practice for mental health professionals to explore effective ways of engaging with mental health carers – benefits, barriers and practical tools. This online network will meet quarterly with guest speakers.
Delivered in partnership with the Mental Health Professionals Network MHPN, we invite you to share this network with colleagues and students across QLD. The first online meeting will be held at 11am on Thursday 13 November.
Spotlight on Self-Care
"When you care for yourself first,
you’re not just filling your own cup.
You’re ensuring it overflows into the lives of those you love."
Jean Hailes Women’s Health Week is Australia’s largest event dedicated to the health and wellbeing of women, girls and gender-diverse people, with this year’s theme ‘Say yes to you’ encouraging us all to prioritise our health and wellbeing through daily focus topics and activities.
We know carers give so much of themselves to others, often without a second thought. Our recent annual survey showed that 88.8% of carers identify as women, and many of them juggle caring alongside work, family and community commitments.
This Women’s Health Week, we invite you to turn that same compassion inward. Because when you say yes to your own health and wellbeing, you’re not taking away from the people you care for. You’re building the strength to keep showing up with love
and energy.
Here are five practical ways to prioritise your health this week:
Every check matters
Whether it’s a GP visit, blood test, or screening, make the appointment you’ve been putting off. Can’t do it? Enlist a friend and encourage them to book their appt they have been avoiding!
Move your body with kindness
A gentle walk, stretch or dance to your favourite song counts. *cues You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Leo Sayer*
Rest without guilt
Give yourself permission to pause, nap, or go to bed early. No seriously... stop scrolling and go to sleep!
Nourish yourself
Plan one meal this week that’s just for you, filled with foods that make you feel good. There is no rule that breakfast food is only for the AM, make those scrambled eggs!
Reach out
Connect with a friend, a support group or the Carer Support team if you need a listening ear. Even a two-minute “hey, thinking of you” can work wonders. Memes count as connection too.
Caring takes strength and love but your own mind deserves care too. When you pause, reset and show yourself kindness, you think more clearly, endure more gently and create a calmer space for the person you support. One way to do this is by taking time out to listen to your feelings without judgment and name what you’re experiencing.
At the recent International Mental Health Conference, Dr Marc Brackett spoke about the power of emotional intelligence and the importance of staying in touch with how we feel each day. He recommends the How We Feel app, a free
emotional journal that lets you track moods, name activities, and notice when your energy dips or peaks.
If you'd like another tool to check in with yourself, the Smiling Mind app is also free and offers simple guided practices to support everyday wellbeing. You can also hear more from Dr Brackett in his Huberman Lab podcast episode on emotional intelligence, regulation tools and how our personalities shape the way we feel and communicate.
Carer Opportunities and Resources
Free disability parking permits
From 1 September, the Queensland Government is making Disability Parking Permits free for eligible people, families and carers. The new system offers up to three free permits with a simpler application process, easing financial pressure and improving access to community spaces.
Psychosocial supports outside the NDIS – webinar
Date: Wednesday 24 September, 11am–12pm
Location: Online
Caring for someone with a psychosocial disability?
Join this session to share experiences, hear from others and discuss what good support should look like.
Hosted by Mental Health Carers Australia, the webinar will discuss what’s working, what’s missing and what needs to change.
QLD Mental Health and National Carers Weeks
Celebrating Mental Health Carers
Queensland Mental Health Week (4–12 October) and National Carers Week (12–18 October) are just around the corner – a time to connect for mental wellbeing and celebrate carers. Arafmi staff will be at events across Queensland–come along, say hi and join the fun.
Events for carers include:
- Rockhampton Family Fun Day – 2 October, Rockhampton Showgrounds. Book your free ticket
- Brisbane Family Fun Day – 11 October, Pine Rivers Showgrounds. Book your free ticket
- Cairns Self Compassion for Carers workshop –
15 October, Bolands Centre. - Toowoomba Family Fun Day – 18 October,
The Goods Shed. Book your free ticket
For Mental Health Week events near you, search:
QLD Mental Health Week Events. These include:
- Toowoomba Connect for Mental Wellbeing Expo– 7 October, Civic Square Village Green. More info.
- Gladstone Mindcare Community Connect –
9 October, Gladstone Mindcare Hub. More info. - Ipswich Mental Health Expo – 9 October, Riverlink Shopping Centre.
- Cairns Mental Health Week Celebrations –
10 October, Healing Gardens, Cairns Esplanade. More info. - Gympie Mental Health Community Event,
10 October, Nelson Reserve. More info. - Logan Loud n Proud: LGBTQIA+ pride festival –
11 October, Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct. More info. - Kilcoy Multicultural Festival – 24 October,
Yowie Park.
Each month explore a selection of articles we've curated especially for you.
What's in the News
Always here for you
You can call Arafmi’s 24-hour Carer Support Line to share your feelings, receive support, find new resources and learn helpful coping skills to help you in your caring role. It’s comforting to know that when you need to talk— someone who understands will be there— at any hour.
Call us on 1300 554 660 (Brisbane) or 1800 351 881 ( Regional QLD)
Arafmi acknowledges Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Nations peoples of Australia and recognises their continuing connection to country, waters, kin, and communities. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future and are committed to ensuring that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples voices are heard and respected across Queensland.
