Nea Barclay is seated on the wooden seat in memory of her husband at the Heywood Golf Club in Victoria. Nea wears a lilac jumper, dark pants and tan boots. A garden bed and golf green with a yellow flag are behind her.

When Nea Barclay started a Certificate IV in Mental Health with genU Training last year, the Child Protection Practitioner knew the course would be beneficial for her career progression. Then her husband took his life and her world changed in an instant.

“Initially, I felt I needed to withdraw from the course, but told myself to try and keep going,” Nea said.

“I knew my current after-hours position was something I could no longer manage, so continuing my study would help lead to other roles in the future and better accommodate my girls.”

With support from trainer, Sabine Palmer, the brave mother of two continued to attend classes in silence with her camera off. According to Nea, the course was a much-needed distraction from her new reality.

“The course has given me so much knowledge and understanding to be able to work with people experiencing mental health challenges. It has taught me that I can make a difference and am passionate about trying to prevent other families going through the same heartache.”

The experience has also given Nea the confidence to organise men’s mental health awareness days in the Warrnambool and Glenelg regions, and become an ambassador with The Shaka Project.

“I’m able to speak to the audience about the impact my girls and I have experienced since losing my husband and their father,” Nea said. “I don’t think I would have been able to do this without the additional knowledge learnt through my study. Continuing on despite going through the hardest thing I can imagine I will ever go through, has given me the strength, confidence and belief that I can achieve what I put my mind to.”

Learn more about Mental Health courses