Everyone should have opportunities to seek support and there should be no barriers to doing this.
Angela Damianopoulous’ impact goes far beyond her work in the family law space. She is a driver of change, and an example of what it means to provide accessible, holistic care for families and their communities.
As a young adult grasped with a fascination of the intricate details of humanity’s inner and outer selves, she studied a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences (psychology and sociology) at La Trobe University, and then a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Policy at the University of Melbourne. This study helped her to launch a career focused on bettering the systems that provide social services for people at significant family transition points in their life.
For over twenty-nine years, Angela has worked in the areas of government, public policy, organisational governance, service development and future planning, using her strengths in strategic and critical thinking to foster change in building stronger communities for children and families. Currently serving as Executive Director of RelateWell, she is driven by the principle that many of Australia’s health and social problems can be prevented by implementing family-based prevention and early intervention services at significant transition points and with the support of specialist mental health, family counselling and mediation services.
Over Angela’s career, the interconnection between the law, government policy, mental health, and family relationships, was a key factor in Angela’s decision to pursue her Juris Doctor (Deakin University) and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. CFLS Director Susan Hamilton-Green proudly admitted Angela as a lawyer in October 2024, and she formally joined the CFLS team in the role of a family lawyer.
Angela is passionate about complex parenting matters, applying her understanding and expertise in psychological and sociological principles to inform proceedings and outcomes, particularly in cases involving child development, mental illness, family violence, and heightened parental conflict. Her passion of seeing a child as a “real person” rather than the object of parental disputes helps CFLS to cater our services to best address children’s needs. Angela is an asset in assisting her colleagues to broaden their knowledge around the interplay of principles such as attachment theory and trauma informed practice within the complex family legal system.
Angela’s many accolades include seats on the Psychology Courses Advisory Committee for Cairnmillar Institute, the Advisory Committee for the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre (Victoria University) and Benevolence Australia for the development of primary prevention resources for Victoria’s Muslim communities. She was a stakeholder in Moreland’s Early Years and Youth Plan and is regularly called upon to advise stakeholders in the social sciences and mental health space.
When not at work, Angela loves spending quality time with her family, travelling regularly to Europe to reconnect with her heritage. She speaks fluent Italian and is a big personal believer in the joys of retail therapy and the escapism of reality TV. We are grateful for and appreciative of the guidance that Angela provides to our team, clients and wider community.
