Justine Brogna has been a registered social worker since 2002 and an accredited mental health social worker since 2006. Her passion for social justice and personal experiences caring for her mother, who lived with a serious mental illness, shaped her commitment to mental health and helping others find the support they need.

In 2014, she founded the TreeHaus clinics to address the gap between public and private mental health services. Since then, the clinics have expanded from one to four locations, with more on the horizon. Today, TreeHaus supports around 1,500 clients each week with a team of over 40 multidisciplinary practitioners. The service has been recognised for its community impact, winning the 2024 Victorian Telstra Business Award.

Justine also leads the charity Walk A Mile In My Shoes, which she founded in 2018. Through public walk events and community fundraising, the charity has raised over $40,000 and supported wellbeing initiatives in 15 Victorian schools. One participant, who attended a walk during Mental Health Month in 2022, described it as life-changing, sharing that he’s walked every day since.

With over two decades of experience, Justine’s roles have spanned clinical work, leadership, activism, and education. She credits regular supervision and reflective practice as vital to her development and resilience, helping her manage the emotional demands of her work and continually improve her practice.

She wants people to understand that social workers do far more than paperwork and case management. “Social work is profoundly skilled and in-depth,” she says. “It’s about understanding human suffering, family systems and trauma, and working toward healing and empowerment.”

Outside of work, Justine brings the same energy to her passions. She’s a lifelong dancer and runner, having even started a business as a teen backup dancer and has used her love of fitness to raise awareness for mental health, including a half-marathon and acting as a community ambassador for Run the Tan in Melbourne. Her multicultural background (Italian, Polish and Ukrainian) shines through in her love of homegrown food and cooking traditional recipes with her family.

Looking ahead, Justine plans to grow TreeHaus interstate and expand online services, as well as write her autobiography about her journey as a carer and social worker. Her goal is to see more social workers empowered to enter private practice and help change the perception of the profession.

“The work we do is an honour,” she says. “I’m here to make a difference—one person, one family, one community at a time.”