This session will showcase the Salvation Army Foster House’s collaboration with StrongMind on their partnership program The Healing Pathways.

Australia – Surry Hills NSW
Casey Barker is a lived experience peer support worker foster house. He grew up around violence and trauma and developed addiction at a young age. Casey made poor choices and spent large amounts of time in institutions, becoming homeless, isolated and in very poor emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental health.
Four years and 8 months ago Casey made the best choice he’s ever made and went to rehab. Once he finished rehab he continued to do fortnightly therapy, N.A meetings, and found employment. He changed every part of himself that no longer served him, his children and society. Casey found parts of himself that he liked, and nurtured these qualities and began practicing his principles. He learnt to love himself and took responsibility for his life. Today Casey is a present father who shows up and continues to make daily amends to past behaviours.
Case’s past experiences have taken him to very dark places and unfortunately he has lost his entire family tree to addiction and suicide (both parents, two brothers and a sister). Since being in recovery he has healed this pain and learned to grieve in a healthy way. He now feels that he can truly relate to the men he helps, as he’s walked in their shoes, and his main focus is to help them find direction, peace and love.

Australia
Natham’s story began with growing up under the care of a single mother and a violent stepfather. With little supervision, he found drugs and alcohol at a young age, and addiction soon took him away from everything that mattered — friends, family, football, and joy for life. Natham experienced homelessness, struggled to maintain work, faced legal issues, and lost access to his children.
Recovery came through intervention with the justice system and the support of services and people with lived experience who helped him rebuild. Through hard work and commitment, he regained stability, reconnected with family, and found purpose in helping others.
Today, Natham works as a Peer Support Worker with The Salvation Army, where he feels he has found his calling — supporting men through some of the most difficult times in their lives and showing that recovery and change are always possible.

Australia
Steve Morris is the Co-Founder of StrongMind Rehabilitation, a lived-experience-led recovery and Mens behavioural change service supporting men to heal from addiction, anger, trauma and destructive cycles. StrongMind delivers in-community rehabilitation, online recovery coaching and men’s healing camps throughout Australia. With more than a decade working across the alcohol and other drugs and mental health sectors, Steve has delivered programs within psychiatric treatment centres and residential rehabilitation services across New South Wales.
The StrongMind Model of Care focuses on therapeutic group work, one-to-one mentoring, workforce development, community healing and structured aftercare. Each part of the model helps men unpack the causes of addiction, rebuild relationships, and create lasting change within themselves, their families and their communities.
Before launching StrongMind, Steve served as Operations Manager at The Glen and Co-Founded Brothers 4 Recovery, a nationally recognised peer-led movement that empowers men through the power of storytelling and connection. These experiences shaped his belief that real change happens through compassion, accountability and honest discussions met with love.
As a proud husband and father of three daughters, Steve brings authenticity, empathy and courage to every space he works in. His unique blend of lived experience and professional expertise allows him to connect deeply with men, helping them feel seen, heard and supported as they begin their journey toward healing.
Steve’s mission is simple: to help men heal where they belong, at home.

Australia
Azza’s style is real, grounded, and built on lived experience. He’s led residential AOD programs, run community day services, and facilitated powerful group sessions that help men connect, reflect, and grow. Known for creating safe spaces, Azza brings honesty, clarity, and zero fluff to conversations about addiction, recovery, and life’s everyday struggles.
Alongside his group work, Azza offers 1:1 support that’s calm, confidential, and tailored to each man’s journey. Whether someone’s navigating early recovery, facing family pressures, or just needs a solid sounding board, Azza meets them where they’re at—with care and practical insight.
He also leads StrongMind’s immersive companion work—walking alongside men through key moments of healing. From first detox to tough family visits, Azza shows up with emotional safety, steady presence, and shoulder-to-shoulder support. It’s not therapy, and it’s not babysitting—it’s real-time care that helps men stay regulated and connected when it matters most.
His workshops, 1:1s, and companion work blend emotional regulation, mindfulness, addiction education, and open discussion—giving men the tools to reset and reconnect with themselves.
Azza brings calm, care, and solid leadership to every space he steps into, helping support men in our rural and remote programs as they step into healing, strength, and community.