JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa
Monday 31 August – Tuesday 1 September 2026

A new national flagship conference supported by the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association, bringing together the workforce shaping women’s mental health care across Australia and New Zealand.
HER Mind, HER Health is a space for clinicians, researchers, lived experience leaders, service designers and decision makers to explore how women’s mental health is understood, treated and supported across every stage of life.
With a strong focus on perimenopause as a critical and under-recognised mental health transition, the conference centres practical, evidence-informed and gender-responsive approaches that can be translated directly into real-world practice and systems change.
Insightful keynotes from national and international leaders in women’s mental health
Practical sessions grounded in clinical decision-making and service delivery
Lived experience perspectives embedded as essential expertise
A deep dive into perimenopause, trauma, neurodivergence, inequity and systems reform
Space to connect, reflect and collaborate across disciplines and sectors
Keynote Speakers
Jillian Whiting
Conference MC
Conference MC
Jillian is a familiar face on Queensland television – with over 30 years' experience as a journalist, newsreader and TV presenter with the Seven and Nine networks, She’s currently a presenter on Channel Seven’s much-loved lifestyle program, Weekender and owner of communication coaching firm, Media Potential.
A career in the media spotlight has led to a successful communication business, Media Potential, coaching corporate leaders, politicians, athletes and influencers to be engaging and unforgettable communicators... on and off camera.
Jillian is also highly respected as a host and moderator across a broad range of events from economic forums to opening night galas.
And she is proud to serve on the Women in Media Queensland Committee.
Associate Professor Caroline Gurvich
Deputy Director, HER Centre Australia
Deputy Director, HER Centre Australia
Caroline is an Associate Professor and a Clinical Neuropsychologist. She is the Deputy Director of HER Centre Australia, Monash University, Head of the “Cognition and Hormones Group"" and Chair of the Victorian College of Clinical Neuropsychologists.
Caroline’s research interests are related to the neuropsychology of women’s mental health. She is particularly interested in how cognition and mental health can be impacted in some women at times of hormonal change, such as menopause. Caroline has over 100 publications that have contributed to a better understanding of cognition in mental health and mental illness. Caroline also works as a clinical neuropsychologist in private practice.
Rosie Luik
Author, Speaker and Lived-Experience Advocate
Author, Speaker and Lived-Experience Advocate
Rosie Luik is a Brisbane-based author, speaker and lived-experience advocate whose story highlights the mental health impact of being dismissed, misdiagnosed and unheard within the medical system. As Queensland’s first legal altruistic surrogate to twins, Rosie has navigated complex health journeys that required sustained self-advocacy over many years. The psychological toll of fighting to be believed — and to secure appropriate care — has shaped her commitment to women trusting their bodies and intuition. Today, she draws on that hard-earned insight to advocate fiercely for her daughters within the health system, bringing a powerful perspective on how medical dismissal reverberates across families.
Sharon Sherwood
Chief of Mental Health and Cabrini Outreach, Cabrini Health
Chief of Mental Health and Cabrini Outreach, Cabrini Health
I am Chief of Mental Health and Cabrini Outreach at Cabrini Health, with over 30 years’ experience in mental health nursing and leadership. I led the development of Australia’s first private Women’s Mental Health Service, work that reflects my deep commitment to improving access, equity, and outcomes for women. My career spans clinical governance, strategy, and service innovation across complex health systems. I am passionate about building high-performing teams, strengthening quality and safety, and shaping contemporary models of care that enable women, families, and clinicians to thrive.
Dr Hinemoa Elder
FRANZCP, PhD, MNZM. Kaiārahi Oranga Hinengaro. Te Hiku Hauora. Kaitāia.
FRANZCP, PhD, MNZM. Kaiārahi Oranga Hinengaro. Te Hiku Hauora. Kaitāia.
Dr Hinemoa Elder, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto and Ngāpuhi nui tonu, is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist of 20 years and Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Psychiatrists.
Hinemoa was awarded the MNZM, New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Psychiatry and to Māori in 2019, she is a member of the NZ Human Rights Review Tribunal, she is the Kaiārahi Oranga Hinengaro at Te Hiku Hauora and a best selling author.
Hinemoa is a Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Resident Alumni, a member of the Busara Circle, for the Homeward Bound Project, and Patron of Brainwave Trust.
About the Conference
Making the invisible visible in women’s mental health.
HER Mind, HER Health is a national conference dedicated to advancing women’s mental health as a core component of women’s health, not an add-on or afterthought.
Women’s mental health is shaped by a complex interplay of biology, hormones, trauma, social roles, inequity, culture and systems of care. Yet too often these factors are overlooked, fragmented or misinterpreted within existing models of mental health practice.
This conference exists to make those invisible factors visible.
Across two days of learning and connection, HER Mind, HER Health brings together diverse expertise to explore how women present, where they enter the system, what happens next, and how care can be more responsive, integrated and effective across the lifespan.
Content will prioritise application over theory, integration over silos, and outcomes over rhetoric.

Who Should Attend
HER Mind, HER Health is designed for anyone involved in supporting, delivering, designing or influencing women’s mental health care.
You will be in good company if you are a:
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Psychologist, psychiatrist, GP or mental health clinician
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Allied health professional or primary care provider
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Social worker, counsellor or AOD practitioner
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Women’s health clinician or nurse
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Lived experience leader or peer worker
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Researcher, academic or PhD candidate
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Service manager, commissioner or policy professional
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Community, cultural or advocacy organisation leader
Whether you work in clinical practice, community services, research, education or policy, this conference is for those committed to improving mental health outcomes for women.
Conference Themes
Women’s mental health across the lifespan
The HER Mind, HER Health program will be shaped around eight core themes, including:
- Perimenopause, hormones and the female brain
- When Distress Is Context, Not Pathology
- Invisible Differences, Visible Consequences
- Identity, culture and inequity
- Lived experience as authority and leadership
- Where Women Enter the System — and What Happens Next
- The mental load, burnout and invisible labour
- Rebuilding systems for women’s mental health
Together, these themes reflect the biological, psychological, social and systemic realities that shape women’s mental health, and the changes required to respond more effectively.


Why This Conference Matters
HER Mind, HER Health responds to a clear gap in the mental health landscape.
Women’s mental health is frequently siloed from women’s physical health, leading to fragmented care and missed opportunities for early intervention and effective treatment. Emerging and under-served areas such as perimenopause, midlife mental health and neurodivergence in women remain poorly understood and inconsistently addressed.
This conference creates a shared national platform to build capability, challenge assumptions, elevate lived experience, and drive coordinated change across practice, policy and systems.
Register
Location
JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa
158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
A 6-minute walk from the beach, this contemporary high-rise resort is also 1.8 km from the SkyPoint Observation Deck.
Refined rooms feature flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi, plus desks, coffeemakers, and balconies with sea or mountain views. Studios and 1-bedroom suites add living areas. Room service is available.
Amenities include a cafe, a seafood restaurant, and a trendy Japanese steakhouse with a whisky bar. There's also a lagoon-style pool with cabanas and a waterfall, plus a day spa, a gym and a tennis court. Parking is available.
JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa
158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Accommodation is optional and can be booked during registration.
Room Only - $332 per night
Room + Breakfast for One - $367 per night
Room + Breakfast for Two - $402 per night
*All prices are AUD and include GST.

Travel Information
From Brisbane Airport (BNE), the resort is about 80–85 km away, typically around 1 hour by car via the M1 in normal traffic. Travellers can choose between self-drive, pre-booked chauffeured transfers, taxis or rideshare, or public transport using Brisbane’s Airtrain to the Gold Coast with a connection to the G:link tram, which altogether takes around 2 hours including transfers. There is also a once-daily coach service linking Brisbane Airport and Surfers Paradise for those preferring a direct bus option.
From Gold Coast Airport (OOL/Coolangatta), the resort is approximately 23–25 km and around 25 minutes by car or taxi in usual conditions. The most common public transport option is the 777 airport bus to Broadbeach South, then the G:link tram to Surfers Paradise North, which takes just under an hour including the transfer. Multiple shuttle operators also offer door-to-door services from both Brisbane and Gold Coast airports directly to the hotel, which can be convenient for delegates travelling in small groups.


