Lived Experience Solutions - LEXs

18/04/2026

𝗟𝗘𝗫𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝗹𝘄𝗮𝗻, 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽.
This appointment reflects the kind of work Michael continues to contribute to nationally; work grounded in lived and living experience, governance, service design, culturally responsive practice, and meaningful systems improvement.

At LEXs, we believe lived and living experience should help shape how systems think, decide, design, and improve; especially in areas as serious and human as su***de prevention and crisis support.

This recognition strengthens the work we continue to offer across Australia through social work supervision, peer workforce supervision, consultancy, facilitation, training, and project support for NGOs, government, and purpose-led organisations.

We’re grateful to Lifeline for the opportunity to contribute through this advisory role, and for the trust placed in members to bring lived and living experience perspectives into conversations that matter.

If your organisation is looking to strengthen lived/living experience leadership, culturally responsive practice, supervision, or project work with depth and integrity, we would be glad to connect.

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06/04/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺? At Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs), this is not a theoretical question. It shapes how we work every day.

Our founder, Michael Elwan, has just published a new article with The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation:

𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘖𝘯 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

The piece explores a tension many people recognise but rarely name.

Some of the most important forms of understanding are developed long before professional recognition; through caregiving, grief, migration, and lived/living experience. Yet in practice, those forms of knowledge are often only taken seriously once they are translated into formal language; frameworks, credentials, and systems.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻.

Because when knowledge is only recognised in its translated form, something essential can be missed; the depth, context, and human meaning behind it.

At LEXs, our work sits in that space between lived/living experience and professional practice; helping individuals, practitioners, and organisations make sense of complexity without losing what matters most.

We’ve shared a short blog post introducing the article and why this work matters.

Read it here: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/alive-article-before-the-microphone

We are deeply grateful to The ALIVE National Centre for the opportunity to contribute to this work and to the support team behind the scenes whose labour made this piece possible.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan shares his new ALIVE article on caregiving, migration, grief, and knowledge.

06/04/2026

LEXs is pleased to share that our Founder and Director, Michael Elwan, will be facilitating an upcoming workshop on 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗟𝗗 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, hosted by the 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗔𝗔𝗦𝗪), the peak professional body for social workers in Australia.

This workshop focuses on practical tools for social workers to open culturally safe mental health conversations across generations; especially where silence, stigma, migration history, and identity shape what is spoken, what is avoided, and what becomes hard to name.

It is practical, skills-based work. The aim is to help practitioners reduce stigma, support stronger intergenerational dialogue, and facilitate conversations that honour culture while strengthening family connection.

We have also published a blog on the LEXs website exploring the thinking behind this workshop and why this topic matters:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/mental-health-in-cald-families-aasw-workshop-michael-elwan

Thank you to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and the wider team for the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation.

Michael Elwan will facilitate a workshop on mental health in CaLD families hosted by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), the peak professional body for social workers in Australia. The workshop gives social workers practical tools to reduce stigma, support intergenerational dialogue...

03/04/2026

We’re pleased to see this webinar now available on demand through AASW.

At LEXs, this work sits close to the core of what we do. Supporting men from multicultural backgrounds requires more than awareness; it asks for careful attention to culture, masculinity, trauma, migration, and the systems shaping how distress is expressed and responded to.

One of the consistent reflections from participants was how easy it is to miss what sits beneath the surface. When distress is filtered through silence, responsibility, stigma, or cultural expectations, it does not always present in ways services are trained to recognise.

This is where practice needs to slow down.

This webinar was designed to support practitioners to move with more care and clarity in that space; to strengthen engagement, reduce misattunement, and respond in ways that feel more human and culturally grounded.

We’re grateful to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) for supporting and sharing this learning more broadly.

For practitioners working across mental health, community, settlement, and justice settings, the on-demand recording is now available.

27/03/2026

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗘𝗫𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 & 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝗹𝘄𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗪𝗔 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.

This recognition speaks to work that often happens quietly; supporting people navigating mental health challenges across cultures, identities, and lived and living experiences.

At LEXs, this has always been the focus.

Creating spaces where people don’t have to translate themselves to be understood.

Supporting practitioners and organisations to engage with cultural complexity in a meaningful way.

Holding care in a way that feels human again.

We’ve shared the article, along with a broader reflection on the work behind it, in our latest blog.

You can read it here:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/multicultural-mental-health-leadership
—
Media coverage: PerthNow
Written by Ava Berryman

***deprevention

19/03/2026

We’re proud to share that our Founder & Director, Michael Elwan, has received the 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Presented by the Office of Multicultural Interests, Government of Western Australia, this award recognises individuals who contribute to strengthening multicultural communities and advancing the values of inclusion and respect.

LEXs was founded on a simple belief: mental health care must recognise the complexity of culture, migration, identity, and belonging.

Many people living between cultures carry invisible pressures that shape how they experience wellbeing, family, and community.

This recognition reflects ongoing work supporting multicultural mental health, community wellbeing, and culturally responsive su***de prevention.

We’re grateful to the Office of Multicultural Interests for recognising this work.

You can read the full story here: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/western-australian-multicultural-awards-michael-elwan

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan receives the Western Australian Multicultural Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

17/03/2026

We’re grateful to share that 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗟𝗘𝗫𝘀) has received the 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗙𝗘 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮.

This award recognises initiatives improving su***de prevention responses for communities who often face barriers to support.

At LEXs, much of our work focuses on ensuring mental health care is culturally responsive, accessible, and grounded in lived and living experience.

Many communities navigate complex pressures around migration, identity, stigma, and belonging. Su***de prevention must recognise these realities if it is to truly support people.

This recognition means a great deal to us, and we’re thankful to Su***de Prevention Australia for highlighting the importance of strengthening su***de prevention support for priority populations.

You can read more about the work behind this recognition here: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/priority-populations-su***de-prevention-life-award-lexs

***deprevention

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan and LEXs receive the Su***de Prevention Australia LiFE Award for Priority Populations.

15/03/2026

We’re honoured to share that our Founder & Director, Michael Elwan, has received the 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗙𝗘 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮.

The LiFE Awards recognise individuals and organisations across Australia who are strengthening su***de prevention and supporting people experiencing suicidal distress.

For us at LEXs, this recognition reflects something we hold deeply: su***de prevention must remain human. It must listen to lived and living experience, respect culture, and meet people with dignity.

This work is never carried by one person. It is the collective effort of communities, practitioners, advocates, and families who continue pushing for systems that respond with care and understanding.

We’re grateful to Su***de Prevention Australia for recognising this work and for the many people across Australia working every day to strengthen su***de prevention.

You can read more about the story behind this recognition here: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/su***de-prevention-australia-life-award-michael-elwan

***deprevention

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan receives the Su***de Prevention Australia LiFE Award for Outstanding Contribution in Western Australia.

22/02/2026

On 17 March 2026, Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs) is proud to be represented on the national panel for World Social Work Day 2026, hosted by the Australian Association of Social Workers.

This year’s theme, Co-Building Hope & Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society, draws on the philosophy of Harambee (“all pull together”) reminding us that sustainable care, justice, and wellbeing are collective work.

LEXs Founder & Director Michael Elwan will join fellow National Excellence Award recipients in a conversation exploring how practitioners, organisations, and communities can work together to build connection in a time of increasing complexity and division.

The discussion will reflect on:

• strengthening relational practice in stretched systems

• the role of lived and living experience in shaping responsive care

• creating organisational cultures that hold, rather than harm

• building shared responsibility across communities and services

For professionals across social work, mental health, disability, and community services, these questions are immediate and practical. They shape how care is delivered, how trust is built, and how systems remain human under pressure.

LEXs has published a short reflection on why this year’s theme matters and what it asks of practice in Australia:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/world-social-work-day-2026-panel

We thank the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) for convening this important national conversation and for continuing to strengthen the profession’s collective voice.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan joins the World Social Work Day 2026 panel exploring hope, harmony, and collective responsibility.

18/02/2026

At Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs), we often see how national strategies are experienced not in policy rooms, but in everyday encounters with care.

This Friday, our Founder, Michael Elwan, will contribute to a national panel marking one year since the launch of the National Su***de Prevention Strategy.

Milestones can be celebratory. They can also invite careful reflection.

Twelve months on, attention turns to implementation: how commitments translate into practice; where coordination is strengthening support; and where people still move between systems without feeling held. Central to this is whether lived and living experience is informing decisions in ways that shape real outcomes.

Across our work with individuals, families, practitioners, and organisations, the impact of any strategy is felt in small moments: when someone feels safe to reach out; when responses preserve dignity; when support arrives early enough to ease pressure on families and communities. These moments rarely feature in policy language, yet they are where trust is formed.

We thank Su***de Prevention Australia for creating space for this national conversation and for sustaining focus on what is emerging, what remains unfinished, and what requires ongoing collective effort.

Michael has shared a brief reflection on the panel and why this moment matters:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/national-su***de-prevention-strategy-panel

Addresses from:
Emma McBride, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Su***de Prevention

Alex Hains, Head of the National Su***de Prevention Office

Panel discussion:

Nieves Murray, CEO, Su***de Prevention Australia

Ben Pook, Advocacy & Government Relations Manager, Yourtown & Kids Helpline

Michael Elwan, Founder of Lived Experience Solutions & Lived Experience Panel Member

Facilitated by Christopher Stone, Executive Director, Sector Advocacy, Su***de Prevention Australia

***deprevention

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

14/02/2026

Ahead of Monday’s session with WA Recovery College, Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs) Founder & Director Michael Elwan and his colleague Maria Almudena Jimenez Rodriguez have been reflecting on what it means to live between cultures.

For many people, multicultural identity is not an abstract idea. It is lived in the body and in everyday life; in the languages we move between, the expectations we carry, the humour that shifts across contexts, and the quiet question of where we feel most at ease.

Through his personal migration journey and years of professional practice, Michael has come to understand that belonging is rarely about choosing one culture over another. It is about integration; carrying forward what matters, loosening what no longer serves, and allowing new ways of being to emerge.

This perspective informs Michael’s work across therapy, supervision, mentoring, and coaching, where he supports peer workers, social workers, and individuals navigating life across cultures. In these spaces, identity is not replaced; it evolves through movement, reflection, and connection.

On Monday, Michael and Almudena will explore these themes through reflection, language, and a creative exercise titled The Bridge Between Worlds; an invitation for participants to notice what they keep, what they release, and who they are becoming.

Michael shares further reflections here:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/multicultural-identity-australia

LEXs extends its appreciation to the WA Recovery College Alliance - WARCA for championing learning grounded in recovery and dignity; to HelpingMinds for leadership anchored in community; and to the Western Australian Mental Health Commission for supporting recovery-oriented, community-led approaches across Western Australia.

Award-winning social worker Michael Elwan explores multicultural belonging, identity, and migration in Australia ahead of the Between Worlds workshop.