Joining Notre Dame is something of a homecoming for alumna Charlotte Armstrong, who graduated from studying Counselling and Applied Psychology in early 2017, and worked on the Sydney Campus as a Prospective Student Advisor following her graduation. 

While working in Notre Dame’s Prospective Students Office, Charlotte also began spending time volunteering as a Crisis Support Worker for Lifeline to build her experience in the mental health space, before jetting off to the UK to take up roles at Kingston University and the University of West London as a Mental Health Advisor. “My work involved supporting students with mental health concerns, acting as a ‘bridge’ by referring them for long term support both on and off campus, as well maintaining a supportive presence as a point of contact during stressful situations. Sometimes all a student needs is for someone to check in and see how they are going, those moments can be pivotal and encouraging towards other avenues of support,” explains Charlotte.

Two and a half years later, Charlotte has returned to Australia and accepted the role of Respect Officer at Notre Dame.“I was always really interested in this area,” Charlotte says, “I think that University can be both a flourishing and difficult environment for a lot of people. Towards the end of my own schooling I became very interested in mental health and wellbeing and wished to explore support in both a practical and emotional sense.”