Rafi’s own experience of depression and social anxiety has led him into a career supporting young people with their mental health journeys.
He was in his final years of high school when he sought professional help for his mental ill-health and says that at the time he wished he had done it sooner.
The pressures of leaving high school and what to do next led to his mental ill-health.
By signing up to therapy sessions he was able to make changes to ensure he was living a fulfilling and mentally healthy life.
With the experience of his own mental health journey, Rafi wanted to give back and began volunteering at his local headspace centre.
He was recommended for a paid role at Orygen to work with other young people needing guidance and support with their mental health.
Rafi jumped at the opportunity to help other young people and to be the person he wished he had access to when he was experiencing mental ill-health.
He started at Orygen as an Online Peer Worker on MOST and is now leading his own team. Peer workers are people with lived experience of mental health or lived experience of supporting someone going through a mental health journey.
He said: “If you’re having a difficult time, you’re feeling lonely, you just want to chat, you can just go to and access the resources or people that you need.
“You can get help from clinicians when you need it. You can get help from vocational workers. If you’re struggling writing a resume, writing a cover letter or something like that, it’s just so much support in one place.
“You can really get the help or the support that you need when you need it.”
Rafi believes MOST is a wholesome and great community of peer workers, vocational workers and clinicians.
Want to know more about Rafi’s work? Watch the Introducing MOST video [Youtube link to come]