Writing on lived experience, mental health and practice

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan joins a national panel reflecting on the first year of the Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Today, I had the privilege of standing alongside 30 other people with lived and living experience of suicide to co-sign an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, calling for urgent suicide prevention funding in Australia. This moment was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when those with firsthand experience speak with clarity, courage, and collective intent. This letter is more than a statement - it is a plea. A plea from those who have lost