Sonja Marjanovic

My entire career has been in the exhilarating, frustrating, wonderful world of community services. People are my passion, and supporting and empowering people to reach their goals, keep themselves and each other safe, and overcome significant barriers has been my life’s work.

I have over ten years’ experience in the industry since completing my Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) in 2010 and my Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology in 2011. Predominantly I have worked with children and young people and their parents and carers in the fields of foster care, child protection, and leading the child safeguarding department at a network of alternative, independent schools. Within these roles there has been significant experience of working with people with mental health diagnoses, substance abuse issues, domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, and intergenerational trauma.

I have also worked in crisis counselling and support for members of the Australian Defence Force and their families. This was a significant experience with a different client base, and made it clear that mental illness, domestic violence, substance abuse and trauma does not see age, race, wealth or poverty, career success, or religion – it can affect any and all of us.

My passion for training comes from wanting to support the next generation of community service workers to make a difference and reach their goals. I see strength in each student and feel that the best training environment is one where we can learn from each other. Every individual comes with their own set of life experiences, knowledge and hardships and it is about harnessing those to get the best possible outcome for ourselves and each other.