Mental Health Commission
The Mental Health Commission (Commission) is committed to embedding Lived Experience perspectives throughout its work and acknowledges and promotes Lived Experience (Peer) Work as a discipline in its own right. Lived Experience voices from across the community are essential in guiding improvements in mental health, suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug outcomes for all Western Australians.
What is Lived Experience (Peer) Work?
Lived Experience (Peer) Work is a professional discipline that involves people using their experience of mental health distress and/or alcohol and other drug challenges to contribute to the health sector in a meaningful and transformative way. There are three distinct Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces recognised in Western Australia – Aboriginal, Consumer and Family/Significant Other – and they are all grounded in the global human rights movement.
Lived Experience (Peer) work is primarily associated with frontline peer support, however the growing diversity of designated Lived Experience roles and specialisations is providing Lived Experience experts with opportunities in other settings such as senior management, research, academia, advocacy, and consulting. Designated roles require people to have transformational lived experience in addition to the relevant discipline and role-specific skills, training and knowledge.
WA Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework
The Western Australian Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework provides a contemporary approach to developing the Lived Experience (Peer) workforces in Western Australia.
Lived Experience Governance at the Commission
Alongside designated Lived Experience (Peer) roles at the Commission, Lived Experience expertise have been enabled through four key mechanisms within the new governance arrangements for the mental health and alcohol and other drug systems.
Current Initiatives
The Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Development Steering Committee, co-chaired by the Commission, has supported the sector to develop guidance on Lived Experience (Peer) Supervision Frameworks. This work began with the publication of Lived Experience (Peer) Supervision: An Overview for All Stakeholders, providing foundational information for employers, supervisors, and workers.
Building on this work, the Commission is partnering with Lived Experience leaders to expand these resources. New materials are currently in development to strengthen understanding and implementation of high-quality supervision practices across the sector.
New resources will include:
- Lived Experience (Peer) Supervision – Domains of Practice
This resource will outline the domains, elements and criteria for effective supervision, along with organisational considerations. It is designed for all stakeholders involved in Lived Experience (Peer) supervision, including Lived Experience (Peer) workers, discipline supervisors and employing organisations. The aim is to support informed decisions when seeking, funding, or applying supervision to ensure quality practice.
- Lived Experience (Peer) Supervision – Implementation Checklists
This practical tool will provide information and checklists to guide organisations and supervisors in implementing Lived Experience (Peer) Supervision and measuring its effectiveness.
Together, these resources will offer comprehensive guidance to support the integrity and sustainability of Lived Experience (Peer) workforces.
A Lived Experience (Peer) Worker Handbook (Handbook) is being developed to increase understanding of what to expect and what is required in Lived Experience (Peer) roles within the expanding Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce(s).
Its content will be informed by the personal work experiences and perspectives of consumer and family/significant other Lived Experience (Peer) workers, as well as input from organisations across a range of settings.
While the Handbook is primarily designed for people currently in a Lived Experience (Peer) role or considering joining the workforce, it will also be a valuable resource for:
- employers with an existing Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce
- organisations planning to implement or expand Lived Experience (Peer) roles
- colleagues working alongside Lived Experience (Peer) workers.
Page last updated15 December 2025
