Keynote Speaking

Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, and Lived/Living Experience

Michael Elwan delivers keynotes and conference presentations across Australia on lived/living experience leadership, multicultural mental health, suicide prevention and carer experience. An award-winning Accredited Social Worker and national advisor based in Perth, he has presented at national conferences including the National Suicide Prevention Conference, bringing personal story and systems insight together.

​

I deliver keynotes that explore mental health, suicide prevention, multicultural communities, and lived/living experience leadership. My work draws on over 15 years of professional experience across mental health, social care, and systems transformation, alongside lived/living experience of caregiving, migration, and suicide bereavement.

 

I speak at national conferences, government forums, peak body events, workplace gatherings, community forums, and academic settings across Australia. Each keynote is shaped to your audience, your context, and the conversation you are trying to open.

 

What I offer as a keynote speaker

• Keynote addresses to open, close, or anchor your event

• Panel contributions and chaired conversations

• Workplace and community talks

• Media and advocacy appearances

• Custom presentations developed in partnership with your team

 

Keynote speaking topics

Topics I speak on regularly include:

• CaLD men's mental health and suicide prevention

• Lived/living experience leadership in mental health transformation

• Caregiving, grief, and intergenerational experience

• Masculinity, vulnerability, and culture

• Culturally responsive practice and systemic gaps

• Peer work and lived/living experience in practice

• Ethical storytelling and safe language in suicide prevention

• Recovery, hope, and what supports communities through hard seasons

 

If you have a specific topic, audience, or event purpose in mind, I will work with you to shape the right session.

 

How I work

Each engagement follows a clear sequence.

 

First, an initial enquiry. Share your event's purpose, audience, themes, dates, location, and budget. You can get in touch via the contact form or by email.

 

Second, a scoping conversation. We discuss what you need, the questions you want raised, and how the session fits within your event.

 

Third, co-creation. I develop a tailored presentation aligned to your audience and goals, with materials reviewed and refined with you in advance.

 

Fourth, delivery. Online via secure platform across Australia, or in person where geographically and logistically practical.

 

Fifth, follow-up. Where useful, I can provide post-event resources, reflections, or follow-on workshops.

 

What you can expect

• Content grounded in clinical evidence, research, and lived/living experience

• Cultural humility and trauma-informed practice as defaults, not extras

• Material that respects audience emotional load while still naming hard things

• Direct collaboration on framing, language, and content sensitivity

 

Recognition

My speaking and broader practice have been recognised through state and national awards, including the AASW Social Worker of the Year, the WA Mental Health Award (Lived Experience Impact and Inspiration), the Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE Awards (Outstanding Contribution; Priority Populations), and the WA Multicultural Awards (Outstanding Individual Achievement).

 

Get in touch

If you are planning an event and looking for a speaker who can hold complexity with care, get in touch. Share your event's purpose, audience, dates, location, and themes. I will respond with a proposed approach and fee.

​