SAM MITCHELL

At RAQ, Sam Mitchell has developed a reputation for her warmth, optimism and sense of humour.

Her desire to improve every day has guided her along her ten-year journey with our organisation, and helped her step into a Team Leader position with multiple venues. Despite this, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from.

“I actually started with RAQ working as an Admin Officer in Cairns about ten years ago. It was just this tiny little building at the time, but the whole team did their best to make it feel welcoming.”

Sam’s central philosophy, that warmth and support are essential to creating a positive working environment, is what drew her to RAQ in the first place. While she was working in her previous role in community development, a chance encounter with a client caught her attention.

“This person I worked with was attending counselling with RAQ and I remember them talking to me about their sessions. They absolutely loved it and said they got so much out of going to counselling.

They were a First Nations Person, but they said coming to that place felt like entering a second home. And hearing that from a person with that perspective meant a lot to me. It intrigued me.“

Sam found her role as an Admin Officer gave her real insight into how the industry worked, and felt it led her to her passion for counselling work in the Domestic & Family Violence space.

“My experience working at RAQ while I was studying was so valuable because it gave me insight into all the different programs we offer, and helped me figure out what I wanted to specialise in.

I found I developed a real passion for empowering people and working to help them reflect on the ways their actions could impact others.”

Sam also feels educating people about healthy, respectful relationships is an essential part of our work at RAQ.

“I think so many people, given their life journey and circumstances, don’t always really understand what a healthy, respectful relationship is. And I don’t think it’s okay for anyone to be living in a space where they aren’t healthy and respected, no matter what the nature of the relationship is.

“Everybody deserves healthy relationships, because not having them is soul-destroying.”

After finishing her degree, Sam initially left RAQ to pursue other roles within the industry, but she returned the instant another position with RAQ became available.

“I worked in other jobs, but I just never found something with that same encouraging culture as RAQ. A lot of people say their workplace feels like a family, but I genuinely felt like I had that kind of bond with my team wherever I worked here.”

Sam thinks that strong connection is essential to work sustainably in the counselling industry. To her, being able to confide in others is a key part of being resilient in the face of complex cases and clients.

“The work we do is quite often difficult. There are times when you walk out of a session feeling heavy – maybe you had really tough time with a client because of their story, or you think you could have done better. It’s weighing heavily on you.

“During those times, it’s so helpful to be able to walk into a common area with all of your colleagues who you feel you have a really good connection with and say ‘wow, that was horrible’.

“Without fail, the team you’re with will just swarm around you and lift you up. You know that you can bank on having a laugh or a talk with them and it’ll make you feel better. And that heaviness you were carrying with you just kind of melts away.”

While the warmth at the heart of RAQ’s culture is essential for keeping our staff supported, Sam also thinks a desire to grow and reflect can guide a person’s passion down the right path.

“For me, a lot of my work is about being reflective. When something goes wrong, my first instinct is to stop and think about my feelings and the impact of my behaviour on others.”

“I want to bring positivity to my interactions with others and always be better than I was yesterday. That involves being honest with myself and demonstrating a willingness to grow and change.”

This attitude is one Sam tries to encourage in both her team and her clients.

“When we work with clients, part of it can be about holding them accountable for negative behaviours. But it’s also about trying to encourage reflection in them and helping them consider the perspectives of others.

“Everyone has a story, and I like walking with people. It’s important for them to be able to unpack their negative feelings so they can begin to heal in a way that helps their family.”

Sam is most passionate about counselling as a form of empowerment, and that’s the gift she strives to give the people she works with.

“What I like about this work is that it’s not pulling or forcing someone along on a journey. It’s about sitting down with people that need help and asking, “What can I do for you?”

It’s about listening to them and looking at ways you can help them feel stronger, so they can take on ownership and run with that and be able to change themselves for the better.”

“If you’ve got a goal or somewhere you want to be, let me be the one to help empower you so that you can get there.”

Empowerment is particularly important in regional and remote spaces, like the Cairns venue, where Sam worked for nine years. As a Team Leader during COVID-19, she has firsthand experience of how important RAQ’s work is in regional areas.

“People out [in Far North Queensland] often have a harder time accessing support. They might not have working internet or be able to drive to the venue because it’s too far away. There’s also often not a lot of quality options to choose from.

“Finding a trustworthy organisation capable of offering the services you need that has your best interests at heart can be very difficult in regional areas. That’s why we work so hard out there to connect people to what they need, to ensure that their families and relationships are working the best that they possibly can.”

Implementing RAQ’s new digital initiatives posed a challenge at first, but Sam felt it was an exciting opportunity for growth.

“Adjusting to COVID restrictions was a whole new space for both us and our clients, but I think it was ultimately a really positive experience. It pushed us outside our comfort zone in a way that was exciting, because suddenly we were thinking about all the opportunities that come with this new way of work.”

“Offering remote appointments was great for reaching some of our clients, and our internal platforms were great for keeping up that team culture even while apart.”

“These new digital platforms are helping us reach out to our clients, and to each other, in ways we just weren’t able to before. We can cover a wider area and reach more people.”

Sam is excited for the upcoming opportunities provided by the Business Transformation journey.

“What I’m looking forward to most is the ability to create more culturally appropriate resources. It means not only are we talking the talk about being culturally fit, we’ll also be walking the walk and able to reach out to people who may need our help on their own terms.”

Sam has had her own personal experience with resilience this year, making the difficult choice to move all the way from Cairns down to Spring Hill in Brisbane. While she’s proud of trying something new, she said her essential role remains the same.

“My job as a Team Leader is always to ensure my team feels supported so they can deliver our programs and services to the best of their abilities. If they feel supported, then the clients that walk through our door are receiving good quality service.

“That’s why all of us working in this counselling profession choose to be here. To help others. It’s as simple as that.”