Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan is named the 2025 AASW Social Worker of the Year, recognising national leadership.

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

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.

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;

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 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

Today, I stand humbled and honoured to share a moment that marks both a personal and professional milestone. My abstract, "Building Bridges: Fostering Intergenerational Dialogue on Mental Health and Suicide in CaLD Families" , has been accepted for presentation at the 2025 National Suicide Prevention Conference (NSPC) , right here in my beloved home city of Perth . This is more than an acceptance - it’s the culmination of a deeply personal journey. Mental health was rarely sp

I’m humbled and honoured to share that I’ve been appointed as an inaugural member of the Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) , established by the Mental Health Commission of Western Australia . This appointment brings a unique opportunity to represent multicultural perspectives and advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities within Western Australia’s mental health, alcohol and other drug (AOD), and suicide prevention systems. As someone from an..

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 reflects on his appointment to the ASeTTS Board and his commitment to supporting trauma survivors.