16/06/2026
Angela Boyle’s path to caring for people in our Mental Health Crisis Stabilisation Unit (CSU) may be the most touching tale you read today 💖
“I joined Gold Coast Health as a Payroll Officer in 2016 and struggled with my own mental health during that period,” the Lived Experience (Advanced Peer) Worker recalls.
“I had a team leader who was aware of my struggles and when she saw a job advertised for a Peer Worker, she sent it my way and said, ‘You’d be great at this’. I had no idea what the role was, but the concept resonated with me.
“I fell into this job but I love it.”
That job sees Angela work alongside mental health clinicians and fellow Advanced Peer Workers at the CSU at Robina Hospital, providing people in crisis with support from someone who knows “what it’s like to be on that side of the fence”. 🙏
“To have someone stand in front of them who has experienced their own mental health challenges is massive. They may never have heard of peer workers but when you say ‘I’m here because I’ve been where you are not that long ago’, it helps soften their journey.
“It breaks the stigma that people who present at hospital with mental health issues behave or look a certain way. They also may not initially have a comfort level with a doctor or nurse but we can make the process a little smoother and less daunting.”
Angela sure has come a long way from the payroll office.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for that team leader supporting me,” she beams.
“She told me I could be anything I wanted and she was right.”
