Mental health advocate, heart of gold, eternal optimist.
Rose Cuff is an eternal optimist. Which is hard to believe when, over the 34 years of her career working in mental health and the last 25 working with children and families where a parent has a mental health challenge, she has been the keeper of a huge number of distressing and heartbreaking stories. But stories too of hope and resilience. Rose has only ever wanted to make a positive difference to this world and has used the diversity of these experiences to grow, to learn, to heal, and to try and support people in whatever way they want.
Bringing her knowledge and enthusiasm to Australia in 1981, Rose has ended up, by fortunate accident, working primarily with families where a parent has a mental illness. In realising there was little to no support for the children, who felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and isolation in their situation, Rose now heads up The Satellite Foundation, a not-for-profit committed to changing outcomes for children and young people where a parent has a mental illness, to futures of hope and possibility.
I spoke to this kind, generous human being about the importance of sharing story to create community and a sense of belonging, changing the dialogue and stigma around mental health, and the power of how just listening can bring about your biggest lessons in life.
Website: www.thesatellitefoundation.org.au