Angela is a Team Leader and is leading the Tamworth outreach team. she has a passion for mental health work, specialising in a holistic approach, recovery orientated practices and has strong advocacy for person centred care.

Angela's favourite aspect of working with the Holistic Recovery Team is being a part of such an open and supportive team.

Angela has been working in the mental health sector for over 15yrs. She has a wide range of skills and experiences across multiple types of community service programs, here in Australia NSW & QLD, also internationally, UK and Canada. These types of programs have covered areas of homelessness, hoarding, addictive behaviours, emotional regulations, frequent presentations to emergency departments, community living and access to services.

Angela has gained a diploma in Mental Health and many other training and qualified achievements such as SMART training, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills (DBT), Motivational Interviewing and Hoarding and Squalor WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning).

Angela is always looking to expand her knowledge and understanding, building on professional development to better support the people in her community.

Angela has a strong passion for advocacy, wanting to make sure everyone's rights are upheld and respected. She is empathetic to the wide range of factors that can impact people's everyday lives. She is calm, supportive and understanding to situations and this ​is reflected through interactions with her.

Angela is an avid animal lover, secretly a sausage dog whisper, so you are likely to find her talking and interacting with any of the animals that cross her path!

Barry McMahon is a one of the foundational member of Holistic Recovery and he is a Tamworth local born and bred. Barry is a specialist Psychosocial Recovery Coach who works with individuals, family members, and carers to ensure the individual is receiving the required balance of supports and coaching. He does this by working collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team at Holistic Recovery who support individuals with their recovery journey.

Barry started his working life in Tamworth with many short-term jobs until he left to work in Sydney as a Bank Officer. Barry’s desire was to be a police officer and in January 1982 he started his training at the Redfern Academy and became a constable in the NSW Police Force in February 1982. In 1999 Barry was promoted to the role of Sergeant and retired in 2017. Barry was stationed throughout NSW and from 2014 to 2017 he was Station Manager at Tamworth Police Station.

Barry has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England. He has successfully completed an Associate Diploma in Criminal Justice (Police) from Charles Sturt University, a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health (Adult) from The NSW Institute of Psychiatry and Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment.

Barry believes everyone has the ability to achieve their outcomes during their recovery journey. He is a strong advocate for inclusivity and ensuring participants have a voice even when they feel unheard. Barry is passionate about individuals being part of the community and he ensures that each part of the multi-disciplinary team works together to achieve this for all participants.

Barry takes an interest in local, state and federal politics and likes to keep informed of what is happening. He is actively involved in local sporting clubs as these offer the chance to improve skills and socialise. Family gatherings and holidaying with family are important to Barry.

“We are lucky to live in a city and country that offers so much freedom, opportunity, community spirit and natural beauty.”

Tamara Lawrence is the NDIS Support Coordinator and Recovery Coach at Holistic Recovery. Tamara strives to provide high quality and consistent support to the people she provides Support Coordination and Recovery Coaching to.

Tamara has had the privilege of working at Holistic Recovery since the start of 2022. The experienced team at Holistic Recovery has created a fostering work environment where staff can share their experiences and grow as a team.

Tamara enjoys listening to the people she supports and empowers those to achieve and work towards their short and long-term goals. Tamara has extensive experience and has worked in the mental health field for over seven years. Part of this experience being NDIS Team Coordinator.

Tamara stands by her upbringing of ‘treat people how you want to be treated'. Her passion is to listen to people and empower people to have the choice, gain knowledge, experience their interests and work towards their goals.

Tamara has lived in the New England area for all of her nearly half a century of life. Tamara has a strong connection and focus on her family. Tamara enjoys binge-watching Netflix series and always welcomes any recommendations. Her favourite food is Thai, and her favourite colour is purple.

Joanne McIntyre is a Psychosocial Recovery Coach with Holistic Recovery. Joanne specialises in working along side the participants to support them in identifying their individual recovery goals. She works with a multi-disciplinary team that takes a holistic approach in supporting each participant.

Joanne has a background in operational management and team leadership. She joined Holistic Recovery in February 2022. She models the values of respect, integrity, collaboration, innovation and excellence. Through lived experiences Joanne has advocated for family members who have a mental illness. Joanne has been a successful advocate for these family members and they are now able to function effectively in the community while being able to manage their mental illnesses. Joanne has successfully completed her Certificate IV and Diploma in Community Services. Joanne will complete her Diploma in MentalHealth in 2022. Joanne is a life long learner and is always looking to grow her knowledge.

Joanne is a highly driven and dedicated person who is passionate about advocating and supporting individuals in gaining a sense of self empowerment to achieve their goals on their recovery journey. With strong communication skills and a commitment to prioritising positive outcomes for participants, Joanne is effective in supporting her participants through good days but becomes the lighthouse when participants are struggling. Empathy is a strong character that Joanne has and this allows her to be supportive in any situation. Joanne has the ability to remain calm in stressful situations and is empathetic to the needs of others.

Joanne loves her unicorns as she sees each person as a unicorn because they are all unique and come with their own glitter trail.

Joel Dietrich joined Holistic Recovery in July 2022. He is passionate about mental health and provides a person-centered approach to participants of Holistic Recovery and respects the individual needs of those who are on their recovery journey. He is commencing his Certificate IV in Mental Health to develop his skills and knowledge around mental health.

Joel’s eagerness to support participants and enthusiastic approach enhances his understanding that the road to recovery is never linear, it’s a journey. This journey is unique to each individual often with many stakeholders involved in this process.

Joel appreciates self-reflection as a tool which allows him to grow his skills to better support not only himself but participants. A positive mind set is important to Joel as these are key to growth and more importantly help with the bad days that we all inevitably have.

Video games are a passion of Joel’s and he will often spend his spare time playing something on his computer. When Joel is feeling more adventurous, he will find a hiking trail to explore the natural beauty of Tamworth. After some resistance Joel has recently started improving his physical health with the support of a personal trainer. Though Joel was reluctant at first to begin his fitness journey, his commitment to embrace the gym has had a positive impact on his physical and mental health that he has come to appreciate.

Bella joined the Holistic Recovery team in July 2022. The administrative knowledge that Bella provides will allow the Holistic Recovery Team to focus on the participants and their needs while she works in the background creating magic.

Bella’s bubbly personality will greet you on the phone when you contact Holistic Recovery and she will support you with your enquiry.

Bella is looking forward to commencing her studies in Mental Health to become a Recovery Support Worker.

Holistic Recovery looks forward to supporting Bella on this journey and introducing her to our existing and new participants. She has a strong passion for mental health work and is excited to work alongside an experienced team while continuing to grow her passion for mental health support work.

In her spare time, Bella enjoys spending time with her young family and 2 dogs. You will find her out walking in the sun or enjoying a picnic in the park with her baby girl.

Alisa joined the Holistic Recovery Team in August 2022 and brings with her numerous years of experience working in the Mental Health Industry.

Alisa collaborates with her participants and their stakeholders to ensure each participants needs, and requirements are advocated for during their recovery journey. Alisa’s empathy allows her to connect with her participants and adapt their supports for the day. Her positive, empathetic, and compassionate approach to life is a quality that Alisa shares with her participants.

Alisa lives a healthy and active lifestyle and knows the importance that exercise plays in aperson’s mental health wellbeing. She has a passion for running, swimming, and bike riding. Her newest love is her dog who she enjoys walking and spending time with when she takes time away for herself. Alisa enjoys what life has to offer along with quality coffee and food. Combine these with the ocean and Alisa is at one with nature

Alisa is always ready to learn new skills and improve her knowledge by reading and engaging in community activities and will be starting a Diploma in Mental Health.

Maree is part of the Holistic Recovery Team as a Recovery Support Worker. Maree brings with her a wide range of skills.

During her career in education, Maree worked as a Student Learning Support Officer (SLSO) for more than 20 years. She is a people person, and her empathy allows her to connect easily with participants. In addition to being patient, Maree is capable of actively listening to the participants, she supports. Maree also has the unique ability of being able to make people feel at ease.

Maree has worked in travel, banking, and massage therapy and as an events coordinator. Mental health is now an area that Maree is looking to grow her knowledge by undertaking studies to best support participants in their recovery journey.

Maree loves her two rescued dogs (her boys) Buddy and Ollie. They go out for regular walks with Maree. They both like to help Maree in the garden, perhaps not in the way Maree likes but they are having fun.

Each year you will find Maree involved in Clean up Australia Day and Black Dog Institute ‘One Foot Forward’ challenge. In 2021 Maree took part in Stars of Tamworth – Dance for Cancer and raised a significant amount for the Cancer Council NSW. If Maree is not busy in the community she spends her time with Buddy and Ollie in the garden enjoying the smell of cut grass and rain went it hits the scorched ground. You may even find Maree dancing in the rain.

"Great opportunities come disguised as unsolvable problems"

"Belonging is the perception of being accepted, valued and included"

"Faith before Fear"

Mirra is a proud Aboriginal woman living on country. She joined Holistic Recovery in October 2022 as a Psychosocial Recovery Coach based in Armidale, having lived in the area for most of her life.

Mirra has a background in mental health support work, successfully completing her Cert IV in Mental Health in January 2022. During Mirra’s previous work she completed a useful range of training related to mental health oriented work and trauma informed care. She continues to learn from training and experience gained in her current work role.

Mirra is passionate about providing positive support to individuals during their recovery journey. She loves to help people create a happy and meaningful life. Mirra has a kind and compassionate nature towards others and enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Mirra is a proud mum of two gorgeous dogs and spends most of her spare time with her pups, exploring the wonderful National Park lands around Armidale and catching up with her nearest and dearest.

Mirra hopes to visit Mexico one day for all the chihuahuas and delicious food.

As a Recovery Support Worker with Holistic Recovery, Vanessa supports participants in their recovery journey. Vanessa allows each participant to work on their wellbeing through her constant presence during their journey.

Vanessa holds a Certificate IV in Community Services and a Diploma in Counselling. The knowledge Vanessa has gained from her studies allows her to support the participants in improving their life skills and achieving their goals. Continuing her education in the mental health field will allow Vanessa to expand her knowledge.

Having seen people struggle with mental health in her life, Vanessa knows that the recovery journey is not a straight line. The strength and empathy that Vanessa shows to each participant allows them to feel no judgement and safe.

Vanessa values self-care and enjoys going for walks, getting massages and watching movies with her family. Vanessa’s strength comes from spending time with her family, friends, and pets.

Shawn joined the Holistic Recovery Team in September 2022. He is new to the industry, and currently studying his Certificate IV in Mental Health.

Recognising that each persons recovery is different, he is able to assist with individual needs, understanding that success is not always obtained quickly, or as easily as initially expected.

Shawns friendly and relaxed personality allows him to connect with his participants and adapt the days support to suit their needs. He is passionate about providing a safe and welcoming environment, to assist in creating a positive outlook, and building self-confidence.

Shawns eagerness to assist in mental health has come from his past experiences, with both friends and family struggling with mental health. Understanding how much of an impact it can have on a person's daily life has created a desire to be that helping hand to others.

Shawn has a vast array of interests, from travel, ancient history, playing video games to going to the gym and the occasional sports outing. He loves going on short motorcycle trips, and going for walks while listening to music.