Dom Pezzutto
Dom Pezzutto is a proud genderfluid and queer member of the LQBTQ+ community. Dom brings lived experience, qualifications, training, and extensive experience across complex government and not-for-profit roles, with a special interest in the suicide prevention space.
Dom began her career with New South Wales Health, piloting Towards Zero Suicides. The initiative was the first of its kind to integrate formal lived experience roles across multidisciplinary clinical teams. It is here that Dom developed a deep interest for peer support models within organisational development strategies and frameworks. It is this passion that drives Dom’s commitment to finding a better way forward in suicide prevention, intervention and postvention initiatives.
Dom currently works at Roses in The Ocean as the Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Development and Support Coordinator. This unique role allows Dom to connect with others, develop, design, and facilitate training to disseminate to peer workers across Australia as part of Roses in The Ocean’s sought after training suite. Her work is strengthened by her tailored approaches, language, and tools. In addition to her expertise in facilitation and content design, Dom mentors lived experience peers and leads advocacy in peer spaces. She utilises exceptional interpersonal skills, cultural competency, and curiosity to help individuals and organisations reflect on intersectionality and inclusion in the suicide prevention field.
Dom is dedicated to fostering inclusive spaces that validate all experiences, encouraging radical truth-telling to highlight the stories of those facing structural disadvantage and discrimination. Dom believes in community’s resilience, tenacity and the importance of centering lived experience roles in program development. Dom believes that shame is the antithesis of education, and therefore guides individuals to explore their bias through warm and collaborative conversation. Dom’s learnt that it is important to have high expectations of others' expertise, just as they have of us, which underpins her lifelong commitment to self-reflection, betterment, and growth.
Dom supports organisations that incorporate lived experience workers, current research, consistency in messaging and authenticity to mission; which is why she is proud to represent Roses in The Ocean at this year’s Suicide Prevention Australia Conference.
Abstracts this author is presenting: