10/10/2025
This World Mental Health Day, we are spotlighting Karla (she/they), a counsellor at Your Community Health who draws on their lived experience to provide safe, affirming support for those seeking mental health care.
"S*x workers are a marginalised group that face unique barriers when it comes to accessing safe and affirming healthcare. Research shows that stigma is the biggest obstacle, with almost 9 in 10 s*x workers in Australia reporting discrimination from healthcare workers in the past year. This stigma often extends into mental health services, where s*x workers describe experiences of judgment, pathologisation, pressure to exit the industry, and even refusal of care. Understandably, many avoid seeking help at all.
As both a counsellor and a person with lived experience in the s*x industry, I am passionate about addressing this gap. My work at Your Community Health focuses on providing s*x worker-affirmative counselling: care that recognises the realities and nuances of s*x work, challenges stigma, and centres the autonomy, dignity, and wellbeing of my clients.
When I first began developing this work as a student, I felt vulnerable disclosing my lived experience in a professional setting. But what I found was a community of colleagues eager to learn, open to being challenged, and committed to building safer services for s*x workers. That support reaffirmed to me that lived experience is valuable and vital in shaping accessible and respectful healthcare. This is why I continue to prioritise the expertise of s*x workers in our own lives, reflective practice, and partnership with peer-led s*x worker organisations.
My goal is to contribute to a culture of counselling that welcomes s*x workers without judgement, celebrates diversity, and ensures our services are safe for all."
