Aziz Bhatti

For Associate Director of the Lived and Living Experience Workforce, Aziz Bhatti, mental health work is deeply personal. His own experiences as a mental health consumer shaped a deep conviction that people seeking support must feel heard, respected and safe, especially at their most vulnerable.

Aziz first joined GV Health in 2022 as a Senior Consumer Consultant before stepping into his current leadership role, where he works across inpatient units, community teams and specialty programs. His focus is strengthening lived experience practice and ensuring GV Health’s work aligns with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 and statewide reform.

“My role is to help consumers and carers feel confident to share their stories, and to work with clinicians so that dignity, autonomy and cultural safety remain at the centre of care,” Aziz said.

Aziz has also worked with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, travelling across Victoria and gaining a statewide perspective on how reform is experienced on the ground. This work reinforced his belief that change is most powerful when it is shaped by those who use services, not just those who design them.

Originally from Pakistan, Aziz holds a Master of Mental Health Counselling and has worked extensively with migrant and culturally diverse communities. He understands how fear, stigma and lack of information can prevent people from seeking help, and how peer support can be a turning point in someone’s recovery.

“I come to work with intention, and I go home with a sense of satisfaction that’s hard to describe,” he said.

 “If our consumers and their carers leave our service feeling respected, supported and listened to, that’s what makes me proud”