Social Impact
Charles Sturt University Distinguished Alumnus of the Year – Social Impact
This award recognises leaders/individuals whose professional or voluntary work has generated significant social impact to a group or wider community(ies).
Winner
Winner: Anita Geary
Career: Director at Insight Therapies Counselling and Consulting, Wodonga
Course: Bachelor of Social Work, 2020
Anita Geary is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and the Director of Insight Therapies Counselling and Consultancy in Wodonga. Since graduating from Charles Sturt in 2020 with a Bachelor of Social Work (Distinction), she has built a regionally based, nationally recognised practice delivering over 5,800 trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming therapy annually across northeast Victoria and southern NSW.
Anita’s work centres those often excluded from traditional support systems, such as children, carers, neurodivergent individuals and people affected by trauma, ensuring access to safe, inclusive and life-changing care. In 2025, she launched an internal client support fund to provide subsidised therapy for clients experiencing financial hardship, enabling many to engage with mental healthcare for the first time.
A national leader in ethical Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), Anita co-authored Australia’s AAT competency standards and delivers training to professionals across the health and community sectors.
She is a sought-after trainer, supervisor and speaker, and partners with health and community organisations to strengthen trauma-informed practice through supervision, consultancy and workforce development. She also donates her time to co-design community programs, including a leadership initiative for women with disabilities affected by family violence through the SPARK Innovation Project.
