The Boy Who Became a Carer: Young Carer Mental Health in Australia

At fourteen, I became my father’s eyes. That single moment - when he turned toward my voice and said, “I cannot see” - rearranged my world.

This week, I’m honoured to share my first published piece as Writer-in-Residence with the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation.

The essay traces a boyhood spent in silence beside a blind father, and what it taught me about caregiving, loss, and the quiet gaps that systems overlook. These experiences continue to shape my understanding of young carer mental health in Australia and how early caregiving informs prevention and empathy.

In many ways, this piece is the foundation of my work at Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs) - to help build systems that see care not as a burden, but as knowledge. Based in Perth, WA, LEXs provides telehealth counselling across Australia for individuals, couples, and NDIS participants. Services extend to Social Work and Peer Work supervision, training, and keynote speaking on men’s mental health, CaLD community wellbeing, and culturally responsive suicide prevention; helping people and organisations make mental-health care more compassionate, inclusive, and effective. LEXs provides services across Australia, supporting clients in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and beyond.

If even one young carer, clinician, or policymaker reads this and pauses to ask, “Who’s holding the carer?” - then the story has already done its work.

Prevention begins with attention. Read the piece here.

To learn how counselling supports young carers and their families, visit our online therapy page.

LEXs is Michael Elwan's Perth-based practice, working online across Australia. Services include training and workshops, lived experience consultancy, Social Work Supervision, Lived Experience Leadership Supervision, Frontline Supervision, therapy and keynote speaking. Training and workshops can be commissioned for organisational leaders, practitioners and frontline teams, and carers, families and communities. Explore LEXs services.