ASPIRE

Lived Experience (Peer) Workers are a rapidly growing part of the mental health and disability workforce. ASPIRE (Advancing Successful Peer Inclusion and Readiness for Employment) is a program for people interested in entering the Lived Experience (Peer) workforce.

As an ASPIRE participant you will:

• Learn about the core principles of peer work, including our values and the history of the peer work movement.
• Explore how emotions affect us in our work, and how to manage stress and maintain self-care while working.
• Develop and practice the interpersonal and professional skills important to the work of a Lived Experience (Peer) worker. These include active listening, sharing your own story safely in a professional environment, and setting and maintaining boundaries at work.
• Gain practical employment skills to help prepare you for your work placement activities and to find and apply for jobs.
• Understand the unique partnership between the Lived Experience (Peer) workforce and employers and the role this inclusive and supportive partnership plays in increasing the number of Lived Experience (Peer) workers in paid employment.

ASPIRE is 6-day course (delivered 2 days a week over 3 weeks) with a work experience option. CoMHWA delivers the course regularly from our premises in Cloverdale.

Eligibility: A requirement of ASPIRE is that you have a lived or living experience of mental health challenges.

Cost: Free

How to apply

1. ASPIRE requires a written application. You will be asked about your interest in the program, your reasons for wanting to join the Lived Experience (Peer) workforce, the type of work you’re interested in and the type of learning environment that best supports your needs.
2. If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to a group interview where we show you a short clip and ask you how you would approach the situation as described. We also consider how you work with other members of the group.
3. If you are successful at the group interview, you are offered a place in the course. Each course has between 6 and 10 participants.

If you are not successful the first time you apply for ASPIRE, we encourage you to attend our free training courses (online and/or in person). The best way to hear about our training opportunities is to follow our Eventbrite here. You are also welcome to apply again for the course at a later date.

Expressions of interest for the first two ASPIRE rounds for 2026 are now open. Please submit your expression of interest as soon as possible as they will be considered on a rolling basis.

To make an expression of interest fill out this form

Please contact education@comhwa.org.au for further information.

ASPIRE received funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

For further information on this project, please contact the education team via education@comhwa.org.au

I was hitting barriers and thought applying for DSP was my only option. Hearing about ASPIRE I was given a pathway to possible employment. The course has given me the confidence to know that I can do this.