Lauren Eastaughffe

Lauren is the National Community and Peer Advisor with Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling.

She served for 14 years as a Commissioned Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force and has since worked in a range of management and consulting roles in private industry and government.

Lauren joined Open Arms as a member of a pilot project which trialled the employment of veteran Community and Peer Advisors as Mental Health Peer Workers within multi-disciplinary Community Engagement Teams. In this role she provided direct mental health peer support and recovery focussed role-modelling for veterans and their families, case management assistance, lived experience advisory within Open Arms and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and worked with a range of Defence and ex-service organisations to promote Open Arms service options and access.

In her current role as the Open Arms National Community and Peer Advisor, Lauren is responsible for managing the national implementation of the Open Arms Community and Peer program. This program will see the recruitment, employment, training and mentoring of 42 veteran and carer Community and Peer Advisors at 13 Open Arms sites across Australia by the end of 2019. Lauren’s team within Open Arms National Operations will also be responsible for the national management and coordination of specific portfolio project areas affecting veterans and their families.

Lauren is passionate about the utilisation of her lived experience of Defence service and mental illness and recovery to inspire and support positive, holistic physical and mental health outcomes for veterans and their family members.