Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan reflects on migration, masculinity and mental health in a new ALIVE Network essay.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan receives WA Mental Health Award congratulations in WA Parliament.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan reflects on multicultural mental health storytelling and the lessons held in silence.

Our new peer-reviewed paper, co-authored by Michael Elwan , has been published in the Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health . The study explores how Australia measures recovery in its public mental health system - and what might be missing when we rely solely on symptom-based tools. Australia’s public mental health services collect vast amounts of data each year. Every hospital, community team, and inpatient unit routinely records a bundle of measures known

Award-winning social worker and national advisor Michael Elwan shares his ALIVE National Centre story on young carer mental health in Australia and the lessons of early caregiving.

As R U OK? Day draws near on 11 September, I've been quietly reflecting on the quiet power of these check-ins, especially out here in our regional and rural spots where support can sometimes feel a bit distant. In the fresh edition of Trunk Line from the Manna Institute, I share reflections for R U OK? Day 2025 - part of Manna Institute’s ongoing commitment to community connection and mental health research. Dr Tara Lal AFSM reminds us that "Are you okay?" can feel a tad clos

I recently had the chance to sit down for a chat on the Equi Voices multicultural mental health interview, and I have to say, it was a wonderful experience. Being interviewed by Estela Fuentes was an absolute pleasure; her passion for multicultural mental health and cross-cultural wellbeing is infectious, and it made the whole conversation flow like a natural catch-up over a cuppa. She's got this genuine fire for amplifying diverse voices in the mental health space, and it r

I'm feeling a deep sense of humility and gratitude today. I've been selected as one of the two stories of hope featured by Suicide Prevention Australia for World Suicide Prevention Day 2025; it's a real privilege to stand alongside such powerful voices in this space. As someone who's walked the path of being a carer and a survivor of loss, especially within culturally and linguistically diverse communities, this recognition hits close to home. It's not just about my journey;

Before a migrant man from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) background walks through the door of a mental health service in Australia, he has already carried more than many of us realise. When I was first invited to contribute to Roses in the Ocean's PEERnet’s Community Contributor series , I saw an opportunity - not just to share a story, but to illuminate a reality that too often goes unspoken. The result was my piece, Layer Upon Layer: Understanding the Invis

I’m deeply humbled to share that I’ve been featured in the WA Mental Health Commission’s Understanding Lived Experience  series, where I speak about organisational readiness and lived experience leadership  - and what it truly means to commit to the WA lived experience peer workforce . As an Egyptian-Australian mental health professional and someone whose life has been profoundly shaped by trauma, caregiving, loss and cultural dislocation , I’ve come to understand that chang

This week, I had the honour of being featured by Suicide Prevention Australia in a national video spotlighting members of the National Lived and Living Experience Panel. It’s a short but powerful reflection piece, asking each of us: What are your hopes for the upcoming National Suicide Prevention Conference? It’s more than just a video. It’s a reminder that voices like ours - those who carry the pain, the memory, and the insight of lived experience - are not just being heard.

You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to trust that your story is powerful enough to build something real from. It was a true honour to join Natasha Siryj and Janine Defontaine on this Finding North panel, facilitated with heart (and some epic tech resilience!) by Hayley Harris. Together, we unpacked what it means to bring our whole selves into self-employment - the grief, the fire, the faith, and the freedom. In this session, I shared how my journey into lived experien

What does it mean to start your own lived experience business ? For many of us, this decision is more than a professional shift - it’s a personal revolution. It's about reclaiming our stories, challenging systems that excluded us, and transforming pain into purpose. I’m proud to be joining Janine Defontaine and Natasha Siryj for an upcoming panel discussion titled "Starting Your Own Lived Experience Business" , part of the Rights in Action Webinar Series , hosted by Finding N

I’m honoured to share that I’ve been featured in UNE News  in an article titled Inspiring Change from the Ground Up , highlighting my journey from lived experience to leadership in mental health and suicide prevention. The story traces my early life in Alexandria, Egypt , where I became a caregiver at 14 after my father - a former Air Force General - was left blind by a stroke. Following his death, I cared for my mother, who lived with severe mental health challenges, until h

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan reflects on leadership, purpose, and belonging in the Emerging Leaders in Governance Program Report.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan discusses lived experience leadership on 2MCE Radio, sharing insights from his PhD journey.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan shares insights on strengthening Australia’s lived experience workforce from a national webinar on connection.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan reflects on how micro-credentials shaped his journey into mental health leadership and lived experience advocacy.