Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan presents on lived experience leadership in academia at the Service Users in Academia Symposium (SUAS) 2025.

Supervision is never neutral; it either sees us or silences us. For social workers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD)  backgrounds, supervision can be a place of validation - or invisibility. That’s why I’m inviting social work supervisors, managers, and allied professionals across Australia to join Supervision That Sees Me: Culturally Responsive Supervision for CaLD Social Workers , a national live online workshop presented by the Australian Association of Soc

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.

Award-winning social worker and national advisor Michael Elwan reflects on receiving the WA Mental Health Award 2025 for Lived Experience Impact & Inspiration, supported by the WA Mental Health Commission.

I recently received news that I’ve been named a Finalist  in the AASW National Excellence Awards   2025 for Social Worker of the Year , a recognition that honours lived-experience leadership and social work excellence across Australia. It took a while for the news to sink in. These things never start with applause - they start with small steps, hard days, and moments where you’re just trying to keep someone safe, including yourself. My path into social work wasn’t a straight

I am delighted to announce a new course I have co-created with my colleague Almudena for the WA Recovery College Alliance (WARCA) . This free, community-based program invites people from every walk of life to explore recovery as a journey of learning, connection, and hope. WA Recovery College courses are co-designed by people with lived and professional experience, offering a unique space where knowledge is shared rather than prescribed, and where participants are partners in

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

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan is appointed to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist WA, advancing multicultural mental health leadership.

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;

Award-winning social worker and national advisor Michael Elwan is a finalist in the R U OK? Barbara Hocking Memorial Award 2025 for his leadership in lived-experience conversations.

I’m honoured to share that I’ve recently been appointed as a Digital Health Adviser - Consumer and Carer  with the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) , a role that brings lived experience to the forefront of digital transformation in Australia’s health system. So, what does this role involve? Over the next 12 months, I’ll be participating in a wide range of activities - reviewing communications materials, co-designing digital tools, contributing to strategic conversatio

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

There are moments in our professional journey that feel deeply personal - where lived experience, cultural identity, and social work practice meet at the heart of transformation. Delivering a national webinar through the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)  is one such moment; an opportunity to explore CALD men’s mental health in Australia  and strengthen how social workers engage with culture, masculinity, and wellbeing. From Silence to Strength: Supporting Menta

This week, something happened that still feels surreal to write. I have been appointed to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) Board’s Accreditation Committee ; a role that brings lived experience leadership and cultural safety into the heart of national health governance. Even as I type these words, I pause. Because this isn’t just a professional milestone - it’s a deeply personal one. It’s a reflection of a journey that began not in boardrooms or le

I was recently invited to participate in an on-camera SafeSide interview  with the team at SafeSide Prevention Australia , as part of their commitment to strengthening culturally responsive suicide prevention approaches across Western Australia. This opportunity was more than just an interview; it was a meaningful dialogue about what safety, support, and connection truly mean for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD)  backgrounds who may be experiencing sui

I’m honoured to share that I’ve been appointed as the Western Australian representative of the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Panel , a national initiative co-led by the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NMHCA)   and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) . This group brings together people with lived experience from across Australia to offer strategic advice on national multicultural mental health policy . The intention is clear: to

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

Yesterday was a great day. On Tuesday, I stood beside Poster #159 at the National Suicide Prevention Conference 2025 and presented a program I’ve carried in my heart for decades: “Building Bridges: Fostering Intergenerational Dialogue on Mental Health and Suicide in CaLD Families.” I had many conversations, but one stood out. A woman approached me slowly. She didn’t say much at first - just stood with the poster. After a pause, she whispered: “That was my story too. We never