Michael Elwan - Lived Experience Solutions LEXs

24/12/2025

As the year winds down, I’m mindful how heavy this season can be for many people.

If you’ve interacted with my work through LEXs in any way; therapy, supervision, training, advisory work, speaking, writing, or collaboration; and feel comfortable, I’d be grateful for a short Google comment.

These reviews help people who are quietly searching for support decide whether it feels safe to reach out. Even a sentence about trust, values, or your experience of working alongside me can help.

No pressure at all; just an open invitation. Thank you for being part of this community.

Here’s the link if it’s easier:

Post a review to our profile on Google

20/12/2025

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲.

For some, this season brings grief, distance, family tension, or the quiet work of getting through the day while everyone else seems to be celebrating.

That experience often goes unseen.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

https://www.lexs.com.au/post/christmas-mental-health-support-australia

Often, these resources reach people through someone they trust. If a colleague, family member, or friend comes to mind while reading this, feel free to share it.

Care doesn’t need to be loud to matter.

You’re not behind for feeling this way.
And you don’t have to carry it alone.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan shares Christmas mental health support Australia resources and crisis help options.

15/12/2025

I’m grateful to share that my latest reflective essay, 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦: 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, has been published by the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation.

I’ve also written a short blog post on my website to introduce the piece and explain why this work matters now; particularly for those working alongside migrant men in mental health, community, and policy spaces.

The essay itself draws on lived and living experience of migration, caregiving, grief, and rebuilding life in Australia. It reflects on what migrant men often carry quietly; the weight of responsibility, cultural expectations of strength, and the inner migration that continues long after arrival.

I write about how masculinity, silence, and care intersect; and how mental health systems can sometimes assess people before truly understanding them. While Australia’s services are well resourced, they don’t always speak the emotional or cultural language people arrive with.

This work isn’t about fixing men or romanticising struggle. It’s about widening how we understand strength, distress, and help-seeking; and about creating systems that meet people with respect before procedure.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/migration-masculinity-mental-health-alive

Thank you to the The ALIVE National Centre for holding this series with such care, and to the many men whose stories continue to shape how I listen and work.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan reflects on migration, masculinity and mental health in a new ALIVE Network essay.

14/12/2025

𝗠𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

What we’re seeing out of Bondi has shaken many of us; not only because of the harm, but because it rattles our sense of safety and belonging. Moments like this ripple far beyond one place. They reach kitchens, lounges, late-night group chats.

This does not reflect Australia, or who we work to be.

If you can, check in on your neighbours. Send a message to a friend you haven’t heard from today. Offer a quiet hello to the person next door. Small acts matter when nerves are raw.

Please take care with what you share. Prioritise verified updates. Choose language that steadies rather than stokes.

To everyone directly affected, and to the first responders and community members holding others through this; you’re not alone. Many of us are standing with you, even from afar.

𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

13/12/2025

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗟𝗗 𝗠𝗲𝗻: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵
📅 17 March 2026 | Live online

This session grows directly out of practice.

“𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯”

I’ve heard versions of this sentence many times from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) men at moments of deep distress. Often not spoken until crisis. Often carried alone.

Despite high levels of psychological distress, CaLD men remain far less likely to access mental health support; and when they do, it’s frequently late, acute, or through involuntary pathways. This is not a lack of insight or motivation. It’s about culture, masculinity, migration, systems, and silence intersecting in ways our services don’t always recognise.

This webinar is for social workers and allied professionals who sense there’s more happening beneath the surface; and want practical, culturally responsive ways of engaging men without asking them to abandon identity, faith, family, or dignity in order to be helped.

𝗪𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲:
• Cultural constructions of masculinity and help-seeking
• Structural barriers like visa insecurity and underemployment
• Trauma-informed, masculinity-sensitive engagement strategies
• Narrative and culturally embedded assessment approaches
• Practical shifts that reduce misdiagnosis and disengagement

I’ve written a longer reflection on 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 on my blog.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/supporting-mental-health-in-cald-men-aasw-webinar-with-michael-elwan

Thank you to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) for creating space for these conversations, and to practitioners who continue to sit with complexity rather than rush to simple answers.

***deprevention

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan presents an AASW webinar on supporting mental health in CaLD men through culturally responsive practice

04/12/2025

Yesterday, I co-facilitated the first session of a 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮. We built this workshop from scratch; co-created with care, lived experience, and a shared refusal to do this work superficially.

From the first moments, the room told us something mattered.

For two and a half hours, people spoke with courage and clarity; not in borrowed clinical language, but in the language of real lives. Stories shaped by migration, family, faith, silence, and survival. Safety didn’t need to be explained. It was felt.

We sat with a truth many multicultural communities live every day. 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲. First, into biomedical language so the system will listen. Then back again, to protect meaning, dignity, and cultural sense-making. That translation is a skill, often learned through necessity. But it should not be a lifelong burden placed only on individuals. Learning the system is important. So is insisting the system learns from us.

Another moment landed quietly but powerfully. Seeking help does not dilute culture, loyalty, or strength. It stretches what becomes possible. When that permission comes from others who genuinely understand the complexity, something releases. Breath comes back into the room.

Co-facilitating alongside Maria Almudena Jimenez Rodriguez made this space what it was. Her depth, warmth, and cultural intelligence invited reflection rather than performance. We held the space together. The group filled it with insight, honesty, and care.

Time moved strangely. Two and a half hours passed in what felt like minutes.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱, 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲.

That’s how you know something real happened.
When people don’t have to choose between their culture and their care.
When translation becomes a bridge, not a burden.
When we work with the system as it is, while holding it accountable for what it must become.

This is why we build spaces like this.

With deep 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 backing recovery-oriented, community-led approaches across Western Australia.

28/11/2025

𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱.

The Hon Meredith Hammat, Minister for Mental Health, delivered a formal statement in the WA Parliament recognising the winners of the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗪𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.

As someone who arrived in Australia alone in my late twenties, rebuilt life from the ground up, and later founded Experience Solutions - LEXs in honour of my mother, hearing this acknowledgment in Parliament carries a quiet weight. It’s a reminder of how lived experience, migration, community, and cultural identity shape not only who we are, but how we lead.

The Minister’s statement recognised all award recipients and finalists across Western Australia, and highlighted the shared commitment to building mental-health systems that hold people with dignity.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:

𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱.

The Hon Meredith Hammat, Minister for Mental Health, delivered a formal statement in the WA Parliament recognising the winners of the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗪𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.

As someone who arrived in Australia alone in my late twenties, rebuilt life from the ground up, and later founded Lived Experience Solutions - LEXs in honour of my mother, hearing this acknowledgment in Parliament carries a quiet weight. It’s a reminder of how lived experience, migration, community, and cultural identity shape not only who we are, but how we lead.

The Minister’s statement recognised all award recipients and finalists across Western Australia, and highlighted the shared commitment to building mental-health systems that hold people with dignity.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:

https://www.lexs.com.au/post/wa-mental-health-award-parliament-congratulations

My thanks to Minister Meredith Hammat MLA and to the team at Western Australian Association for Mental Health. The work continues, and moments like this help light the path a little further.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan receives WA Mental Health Award congratulations in WA Parliament.

26/11/2025

𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱-𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Some say it’s overdue. Others fear it could narrow who we are. Both views have truth in them.

The debate is louder than ever, yet the real question runs deeper; how do we protect the public and protect the cultural depth, lived experience and justice-orientation that define our profession?

I’ve written a long-form reflection on the push for social work registration in Australia - what it could strengthen, what it cannot fix, and who might be left behind if we get this wrong.

It’s honest, careful, and grounded in the voices I hear every day across CaLD communities, lived experience spaces, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander networks, clinical teams and community services.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/social-work-registration-australia

If you work in social work, study it, supervise it, or rely on it, this conversation affects you. I especially welcome insights from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners, multicultural social workers, overseas-qualified colleagues and lived experience leaders whose perspectives are often missing from national debates.

This is a moment of possibility. If we approach it with clarity and courage, we can build a regulatory model that strengthens (not shrinks) who we are.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan examines the debate on social work registration Australia and what it means for the profession

26/11/2025

I’m pleased to share that I’ve joined the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, supporting the implementation of Australia’s 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺 2022–2032.

The network brings together people from every corner of the mental-health system; clinicians, lived experience advocates, educators, First Nations representatives, community leaders, and policy specialists. Its purpose is to offer grounded advice, highlight emerging issues, and help shape a workforce that is skilled, diverse, culturally responsive, and supported to do work that changes lives.

For me, this connects deeply with the work I do through Lived Experience Solutions - LEXs; strengthening multicultural mental-health practice, supporting practitioners, and amplifying lived experience leadership across Australia. The Advisory Network offers another way to ensure the realities I see every day in therapy, supervision, and community work are reflected in national conversations about workforce transformation.

It’s a chance to lift up the voices and experiences of multicultural communities, lived experience practitioners, and families navigating the long shadow between systems and stories. Workforce transformation remains one of our strongest levers for building care that holds people rather than harms them.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.lexs.com.au/post/national-mental-health-workforce-advisory-network

Grateful to contribute alongside so many dedicated people working to strengthen Australia’s mental-health workforce, and appreciative of Mental Health Australia’s role in coordinating this important national conversation.

Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan joins the National Mental Health Workforce Advisory Network to support Australia’s Strategy

21/11/2025

𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.

Yesterday, I was named the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗔𝗔𝗦𝗪 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿.

It’s the highest individual recognition in our profession, and I’m still taking in what it means. When the AASW phoned to tell me the result, I felt a mix of gratitude, disbelief, and a quiet sense of honour for everyone whose stories shaped this path: my family in Alexandria, the communities I grew up with, the people who trusted me with their grief and healing, and the colleagues who walk beside me in this work.

This award isn’t mine alone. It reflects the strength of lived experience, the persistence of multicultural communities who continue to push for justice, and a shared belief that mental-health systems can be places that hold, not harm.

Thank you to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) for this recognition. And thank you to every person who has opened the door to co-creation, cultural humility, and gentler systems of care.

I’ve written a fuller reflection on my website; you can read it here:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/aasw-social-worker-of-the-year-michael-elwan

I’m carrying this moment with gratitude and responsibility. There is more work to do; this gives me fuel to keep going.

***deprevention

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

17/11/2025

Recently, I shared a piece of writing that sits close to my heart. The ALIVE National Centre has published my reflection, 𝘈 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦: 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, and I’ve written a companion piece on my LEXs blog about why silence shapes so many of our stories in multicultural families, and what it teaches us about care, culture, and connection.

Silence is often misunderstood in mental health. People see avoidance; I’ve seen protection. People see disengagement; I’ve seen fear, fatigue, and the weight of carrying distress across borders and generations. My own journey began in Alexandria when I became a young carer. Years later, after migrating to Australia, I learned that silence looks different in different systems, yet the impact is often the same. Someone feels unseen.

Sharing this reflection reminded me why I continue this work across practice, research, and policy. When we meet silence with curiosity rather than judgement, we create space for people to speak in their own time and in their own language. That is the heart of culturally responsive mental health care.

If you’d like to read more, I’ve written about these ideas here:
https://www.lexs.com.au/post/multicultural-mental-health-storytelling-michael-elwan

Thank you to The ALIVE National Centre team for their care in bringing this piece to life.

***deprevention

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

16/11/2025

I’m really pleased to share that I’ll be presenting at the Service Users in Academia Symposium 2025. My presentation "𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢", explores what can happen when lived experience leadership is met with genuine allyship and cultural safety.

The heart of this presentation is simple. Too often, lived experience voices are included but not truly heard. My own journey could have gone that way, but it didn’t, thanks to the support of remarkable people who walked beside me rather than ahead of me.

I want to acknowledge my PhD supervisors - Russell Roberts, Belinda Cash, and Tania Pearce. Their presence, patience, and cultural humility changed the way I think about what academic spaces can be. They modelled what allyship looks like when it is grounded in relationship and shared values. I’m grateful for their guidance and the space they created for me to bring my whole self into the work.

My path into academia began far from a university campus. I migrated to Australia in my late twenties and restarted my life from the ground up; from peer work and residential support to case management, contract management, and senior leadership. Alongside that, I built my academic pathway step by step, from a Cert IV in Community Services to postgraduate study, two MicroMasters, and now a PhD at Charles Sturt University focused on lived experience leadership.

These experiences led me to establish Lived Experience Solutions - LEXs, where I support individuals, teams, and organisations to build cultures that value lived experience as expertise, not story material.

If you’re attending Service Users Academia Symposium 2025 or working in this space, I’d love to connect.

Read more here:

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.