24 September | When Life Gets Complex: Mental Health, Psychosocial Disability, Wellbeing and Building Better Support

Building Bridges Network Monthly Events

24 September 2026

Join us at our next Building Bridges Network event, as we bring together voices from across the disability and community services sector for a practical and honest conversation about the future direction of the NDIS.

24 September 2026 - Thursday Afternoon

Venue: Strathfield Golf Club, 52 Weeroona Rd, Strathfield NSW

When Life Gets Complex: Mental Health, Psychosocial Disability, Wellbeing and Building Better Support

Join providers, professionals, participants, people with lived experience and community voices for an important conversation about mental health, psychosocial disability, wellbeing and building better, more connected support.

Register and join us this month for another afternoon of learning, connection and meaningful conversation, followed by networking and refreshments proudly sponsored by our Networking Partner, Support Network.

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Looking at the Bigger Picture

Support rarely comes from one place.

It can involve clinical mental health and other health services, community and mainstream supports, specialist organisations, families and informal networks.

For some people, the NDIS can be a life-changing part of that wider support picture. Others may not qualify for the Scheme, may experience changes to their funding or may need additional support beyond what the NDIS provides.

What to Expect:

Panel discussion
Sector conversation
Networking opportunities
Complimentary undercover parking
Fully accessible venue

This event will explore:

How different services and support systems fit together
Where the NDIS sits within the broader support landscape
What happens when a person’s needs, circumstances or funding change
How stronger connections can help people access the right support
How we can build better support within and beyond the NDIS

More About The Event

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics*, more than two in five Australians aged 16 to 85 (42.9%) have experienced a mental health condition at some point in their lives, while more than one in five (21.5%) experienced a mental health condition in the previous 12 months. Mental health, wellbeing and the need for support can touch almost any of us or someone we care about at different stages of life.

Support rarely comes from one place. It can involve clinical mental health and other health services, community and mainstream supports, specialist organisations, families and informal networks. For some people, the NDIS can be a life-changing part of that wider support picture alongside other services. Others may not qualify for the Scheme at all, may experience changes to their funding or may need additional support beyond what the NDIS provides.

This conversation looks at the bigger picture: how these different supports fit together, where the NDIS sits within that landscape, what happens when needs, circumstances or funding change, and how we build stronger connections so people can find the right support at the right time, whether within or beyond the NDIS.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020–2022

Our Panelists

Liz Mullinar AM

Heal For Life Foundation – Founder

Liz Mullinar AM is the visionary founder of the Heal For Life Foundation, dedicated to and having empowered over 12,000 survivors of childhood trauma and abuse.

As a survivor herself, Liz brings a personal understanding to her work, inspiring hope and healing in countless individuals. Before establishing Heal For Life, Liz founded Advocates for Survivors of Child Abuse (now the Blue Knot Foundation), where she championed advocacy and support for survivors. This experience fueled her passion to create a safe environment through the Heal For Life Foundation, enabling individuals to confront and heal from the lasting impacts of childhood trauma.

Keith Donnelly

Keith’s Closet – CEO & Founder

Keith is the founder and director of Keith’s Closet, a not-for-profit charity providing free clothing, toiletries, footwear, accessories, haircuts and other essentials to people accessing mental health services – on admission, during their stay, or on discharge from a mental health facility.

Keith is an experienced Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nursing Manager, focused in Mental Health Nursing. He is winner of multiple awards, including the Australian Mental Health prize in recognition of his efforts associated with Keith’s Closet, which fosters connection, raises mental health awareness and allows consumers to be able to embrace their reintegration into society.

Natalie MacKenzie

KidsXpress – Head of Clinical Services

Natalie MacKenzie is the Head of Clinical Services at KidsXpress and a qualified Dramatherapist with more than 15 years’ experience supporting children, young people and families.

Beginning her career at KidsXpress, Natalie has since worked across trauma, early intervention psychosis, addiction, and child and adolescent mental health. Her experience has shaped a strong commitment to early intervention, creative and relational approaches, and building connected systems of support around children and families.

Natalie is passionate about elevating the voices and lived experiences of children to ensure services are responsive to what they need to thrive. In her leadership at KidsXpress, she works to ensure these voices inform clinical practice, program development and strategic direction, strengthening support not only for children, but for their families and communities.

Networking Partner

Support Network is a national disability and aged care platform connecting participants, families, providers and community organisations with trusted, screened, independent support workers across Australia. The platform helps address workforce gaps, maintain continuity of care and provide greater choice and flexibility across ongoing and urgent shifts, community access, SIL, respite, aged care and other support needs.

More than staffing, Support Network is focused on building strong partnerships across the sector. By connecting people, providers and opportunities, it helps strengthen communities, support better outcomes and create more sustainable support solutions.

Who Should Attend

This event is for anyone interested in mental health, psychosocial disability and wellbeing, as well as how people can access better, more connected support within, alongside or beyond the NDIS.

It is particularly relevant for:

Support coordinators, recovery coaches and disability providers
Mental health professionals, psychologists, counsellors and allied health practitioners
Community, mainstream and specialist service organisations
Health, hospital and social care professionals
Advocates, peer workers and lived-experience organisations
Government representatives, sector leaders and anyone interested in improving how people find and connect with support
People with lived experience, families, carers and supporters

You do not need to work in the sector or have an NDIS connection to be part of the conversation.

Why Join Us?

Building Bridges Network Australia is a professional community for Sydney’s NDIS sector, founded and run by active sector professionals. We run monthly events that combine genuine topical content with real peer connection – because better informed providers deliver better outcomes for the participants they support.

Free to attend – places are strictly limited to 150. Register now to secure your place.

Approximately one week before the event we will contact all registrants to confirm attendance – unconfirmed places may be released.

Our Annual Sponsors

Thank you to all our Annual Sponsors
and Event Vendors!

A sincere thank you to our Annual Premium Sponsors. Building Bridges simply wouldn’t exist without the organisations which choose to invest in knowledge-sharing, connection, and stronger outcomes across our community. Your ongoing support is what makes these events possible and we’re genuinely grateful