OPPORTUNITIES FOR USING (Y)OUR LIVED EXPERIENCE FOR CHANGE
HAVE A SAY & GET ACTIVE + SPACES & PLACES WHERE PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE CONNECT OR LEARN
Representative & Development Opportunities:
Contribute via Surveys and Research:
[CO-DESIGN]: Suicide Prevention expression of interest
Researchers at Flinders University are interested in hearing the voices of people who have attended hospital emergency Department (ED) or used the Rural and Remote Emergency Triage Service (R&RETS) following a suicide attempt.
Your input will contribute to the co-design of a new suicide prevention response. For more information or to express your interest follow this link.
[ROUND TABLE]: ‘Voices from the Missing Middle: Supporting People with Severe and Complex Mental Health Conditions.’ with The Black Dog Institute, submissiions close Wednesday 26 June
The Black Dog Institute in conjunction with Federal MP Allegra Spender will be hosting a roundtable discussion in Canberra on 3 July entitled:
‘Voices from the Missing Middle: Supporting People with Severe and Complex Mental Health Conditions.’
The roundtable is being set up to investigate two main things:
- the difficulty people have in finding appropriate mental health services, and
- identifying where the holes are in Australia’s mental health system between federal services (eg GPs and private psychologists) and state services (eg hospital ED and inpatient mental health units).
If you have experience of either of these and would like to contribute to the solution, they would love to hear from you. Perhaps you were turned away from an ED, or were unable to find a suitable psychologist or psychiatrist to visit, or perhaps some other obstacle or difficulty? Your experience could be invaluable to share and could shape the upcoming National Health Agreement.
Submissions close at 5pm on Wednesday June 26th.
As part of the process, we will be looking for some participants to attend the roundtable in person in Canberra on July 3rd and/or be willing to speak to the media about their experiences. Please be sure to confirm your interest in either of these in your feedback.(Participants attending the event and speaking to the media will be paid for their time and have reasonable expenses covered.)
To make a submission, click here.
If you have any questions, please email info@being.org.au.
[AWARDS]: 2024 Mindshare Awards Are Now Open, Entries Close Monday 22 July
The 2024 mindshare Awards are now open. This annual competition recognises emerging and established writers with a lived experience of mental health challenges. Poetry and creative writing entries are welcome. Finalists’ works will be featured during Mental Health Month at the annual mindshare Exhibition in City of Adelaide libraries – City Library, Hutt St Library and North Adelaide Library – with the North Adelaide Community Centre.
Competition categories include unpublished emerging and established poets with poems of no more than 50 lines and unpublished emerging and established writers with prose of no more than 750 words.
The winners of each category will receive a membership and $100 gift card for any Writers SA resources or services, a free 20-minute consultation with the Writers SA Director, a mindshare Awards plaque and the opportunity to be profiled and interviewed on the Access2Arts website.
Winners will be announced at the launch of the mindshare exhibition at North Adelaide Community Centre on Friday 4 October.
You can find out more on the mindshare website here.
Download the entry form here.
[GRANT]: ABC Storytellers Grant, applications close Monday 8 July
Are you an upcoming storyteller?
The ABC is partnering with International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) to recognise the 4.4 million Australians with disability.
A series of factual stories and content will be commissioned by the ABC to be published and broadcast across ABC platforms for IDPwD on December 3.
The ABC are particularly interested in hearing from First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse content creators.
To be eligible, you must live in Australia, be over 18, have lived experience of disability and be available to work on your content between August and December 2024.
To read more about the ABC’s storytellers grant, click here.
[NOMINATIONS OPEN]: Australian Mental Health Prize 2024, Nominations Close Monday 8 July
The Australian Mental Health Prize is awarded annually to Australians who have made outstanding contributions to either the promotion of mental health, or the prevention or treatment of mental illness.
There are four categories for the Awards in 2024, they are as follows:
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- Lived experience
- Professional
- Community hero
The winners of the Prize will be announced at a gala event on the 23 September 2024.
To nominate someone, simply submit the nominees resume, along with 200 words outlining the work they do and how it is making an impact and email it to austmhprize@unsw.edu.au.
[SHARE YOUR STORY]: Share Your Advocacy Story with JFA Purple Orange
Advocacy can mean standing up for yourself, connecting with support, and getting what you deserve.
It is about you having the right to make choices about your own life and having your voice heard.
If you are not happy with the way something is done, then speaking up is a way to change it to make a better life for you and other people with disability.
Have you spoken up before?
Did you have someone to help you?
Would it have been better if you had someone to help you?
JFA Purple Orange would like to hear your ideas about how people with disability can be better supported to make change for themselves (for example, accessing different supports) or to make change for everyone (for example, making something in your community more accessible)?
To complete the online form click here.
[GET INVOLVED]: Represent people with a disability With JFA Purple Orange
JFA Purple Orange are making a database of people who would like to be contacted by Purple Orange when there is an opportunity to get involved in their work. This usually takes 1-2 hours and you may be paid for your time. They sometimes also have opportunities for people to tell their stories through social media. If you would like to be in this database, please fill out this short survey about your interests and availability: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SupportingPurpleOrange
[REPORT]: Report a Media Item to StigmaWatch with SANE
If you find media coverage that stigmatises mental ill health or irresponsibly reports suicide, you can report the item to StigmaWatch.
Anyone can report a media item to StigmaWatch. If the coverage is found to breach media reporting guidelines, StigmaWatch will contact the media outlet involved with constructive feedback and advice.
They also want to hear about positive media stories of mental ill health, suicide and AOD. These are stories that can reduce potential harm and enhance community understanding about the issues.
Find the Mindframe media reporting guidelines here.
Click here to access the StigmaWatch criteria.
Click here to report a media item to Stigma Watch.
[RESEARCH]: Factors Affecting Community Treatment Orders Research Study
Lived Experience Australia are seeking people to participate in an online survey that will investigate the experiences and perceptions of people who have been placed on a community treatment order (CTOs) for their mental health. There is also a separate survey for Family/Carers.This survey is part of a larger study funded by the Australian Research Council which aims to understand why and how this treatment varies, and to reduce coercive actions by mental health services. To participate follow the links below
Individuals identifying as someone who has been placed under a CTO
For those who are Families/Friends/Supporters of someone who has been placed under a CTO
[SURVEY & FEEDBACK]: South Australia Mental Health Phone Integration
LELAN is partnering with SA Health and Think Human to look at ways of improving peoples access and experiences of finding support and advice when they need it. For example, when you are distressed or struggling in parts of your life and would like to be connected to resources and supports available to you.
As part of this process LELAN is seeking feedback from participants from South Australia with a lived experience including having accessed one of the phone helplines available in South Australia such as Mental Health Triage, ETLS (Emergency Triage and Liaison Service – Regional SA), CAMHS connect (Child and Adolescent Mental Health), Head to Health phoneline or LETSS (Lived Experience Telephone Support Service).
Your feedback will contribute to a better understanding of people’s experiences when contacting helplines and how this point of contact can be improved to meet the needs of those seeking support. This is a great opportunity for people with lived experience to directly shape how people might access support in the future.
Complete a Survey:
We are inviting people with lived experience to complete this survey. The Survey closes on Friday the 2nd of August.
There is also an opportunity to provide more in-depth feedback via a one-to-one interview (Zoom or Phone) for 10 participants. Participants in one-to-one interviews will be remunerated with an honorarium payment of $40. If you would like to provide feedback one to one with someone from LELAN via phone call or Zoom, please choose a time on either Monday July 22 or Monday July 29 at this link.
[FEEDBACK]: Who would you want to respond if you were feeling suicidal? with Being
Systemic discussion is ongoing into into how our mental health response system could be improved to help those in crisis.
BEING is keen to capture the opinions of people who have experienced suicidality to understand who you would most like to support you when you’re experiencing suicidality.
If you have experienced suicidality, please click on the button below to answer two questions which should take less than a minute to complete.
You are not required to provide your personal details so your response by default will be anonymous. However, if you might be willing to talk about your experience, please provide contact details in the form so we can get in touch.
To complete the feedback, click here.
[RESEARCH]: How People with Lived Experience can Inform and Influence the Education of Social Work Students with Flinders University
Researchers at Flinders University are interested in hearing the voices of people with lived experience can inform and influence the education of social work students.
Your stories and suggestions are an important resource for universities to include in the teaching of students who will become future practitioners. You will be asked to attend an interview at a mutually decided location and answer some questions about your lived experience. All participation is voluntary.
For more information contact Michelle Edwards (student) by emailing edwa0280@flinders.edu.au
[RESEARCH]: Understanding the Roles, and Challenges Faced by Migrants in Healthcare Settings with The ANU
Sona Jerry is undertaking a research project with ANU on understanding the roles, and challenges faced by migrant consumer representatives in healthcare settings. It aims to examine the advocacy strategies they use, and the impact of these strategies on healthcare services. Special attention is given to the intersectionality of the consumers’ identities and the systemic barriers they encounter as well.
For data collection, Sona will be interviewing 10 participants who self-identify as migrants, and are consumer representatives regarding their motivations for entering the field, and the challenges they have experienced.
To participate, please fill in the google form: https://forms.gle/c7D5AyoWcwh7paHx5.
If you wish to contact Sona her details are: phone: 0420573681, or via email at sona.jerry@anu.edu.au.
[RESEARCH]: Social Inclusion and Psychosis with Orgen
Orygen is researching how people living with psychosis experience social inclusion and social cognition. They are inviting people aged 25 to 65 who are living with a psychotic illness to share their experience.
Participation will require completing some questionnaires, taking part in an interview and completing some cognitive tasks. Participants will be reimbursed for their time.
If you wish to discuss the project further, please contact Annabel on 0437051 846 on annabel.burnside@orygen.org.au
[SURVEY]: EDBridge: A Brief Emergency Department Intervention for Teens at Risk of Suicide with Monash Health
Monash Health are interested in developing a comprehensive program of support and helpful information for young people, parents, and caregivers. The first part of this research aims to produce a series of text messages for young people who present to an ED due to suicidal ideation or following an attempted suicide, and their parents/carers. These text messages will become part of the comprehensive brief intervention program made up of safety planning, text-message support, and a parent factsheet delivered in an emergency department by trained clinicians to support teens at risk of suicide and their parents/carers.
They are hoping to hear opinions from young people, parents/carers, and clinicians to help them develop this program.
They are looking for:
- Young people aged 16-24 with lived experience of suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide during ages 12-18 years
- Parents and carers of a young person who experienced suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide during ages 12-18 years
- Clinicians with at least one year experience in supporting teens with suicide-related concerns and their parents/carers
If you would like to take part or would like more information, click here.
[SURVEY]: Clozapine Video Project with NSW Health
NSW Health are conducting a research project on a video they made about the pros and cons of Clozapine. It was made by consumers, for consumers. You don’t have to be taking Clozapine to watch the video. They are seeking feedback from consumers, carers, health professionals, peer workers and any other interested parties.
To watch the video click here.
To complete the survey click here.
[SURVEY] Help Seeking for Self-harm in Young People with the University of the Sunshine Coast
This project aims to investigate the facilitators and barriers to help-seeking for self-harm in young people by taking a systems thinking perspective to this issue.
We invite you to participate in this research project by completing an anonymous online survey. The online survey includes questions about your demographic background and your (personal or professional) experiences with help-seeking for self-harm in young people.
The survey will take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete and you will be compensated $20 for your time.
For more information and to take part, click here.
[EVALUATE]: Supporting Voice Hearers
Do you work with people who hear voices? The University of Sydney invite you to be part of a research study to help us evaluate a set of online resources to help mental health workers to support voice-hearers using an evidence-based voice hearing approach.
You are eligible if you are a mental health worker (e.g., clinician, support worker peer worker, psychiatrist) who works with voice-hearers. Participating in the study involves less than 3 hours of your time spread over an 8 week period. It includes you going through the online resources (2 hours) and doing three questionnaires (5-20 minutes each). You will be randomised to receive the resources immediately (after doing the first questionnaire) or in 4 weeks’ time (after the doing the second questionnaire).
For more information or to volunteer for the study:
Contact Dr Anne Honey atanne.honey@sydney.edu.au
Read the Participant Information Statement available at the link below
https://t.ly/eiDgc.
[RESEARCH]: Lived Experiences of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders in Australia, Victoria University
Victoria University would like to hear from adults (18+) with a lived experience of OCD, hoarding, compulsive hair puling/skin picking or body dysmorphia to better understand if and how other people treat you differently because of your mental health. It is hoped that this research will help shine a light on what it’s like to live with obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in Australia, and guide anti-stigma practices in health and mental healthcare settings, workplaces, in the media, online, and in personal relationships.
What’s involved?
- You will be asked to complete a confidential online survey at a time and place that’s convenient to you. You will be asked questions about:
- Your demographic information
- Your obsessive-compulsive and other related symptoms
- How other people treat you (both positively and negatively) because of your lived experience of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
- Your own and other’s attitudes towards people living with obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
Questions about stigma will cover a range of important areas of life – your relationships with friends and family, employment, treatment in health and mental healthcare services, and what you’ve seen in social media and mass media.
For more information, contact lead researcher, Dr Imogen Rehm: imogen.rehm@vu.edu.au
Find more information and access the survey here.
[SURVEY]: The Co-Creating Safe Spaces Project with the Australian National University
The Co-Creating Safe Spaces project is led by A/Prof Michelle Banfield and a team of lived experience researchers based at The Australian National University. They are evaluating safe spaces and safe havens in Australia in collaboration with services and communities. The project is funded by a grant from Suicide Prevention Australia.
As a part of their research, they are seeking people from the community to fill in our anonymous online survey, to share their insights on services and support for people experiencing emotional distress and/or suicidal crisis. Anyone over 16 years is welcome to contribute, whether or not they have heard about or used safe spaces.
The survey is open to anyone aged 16 years or over. Whether you have personal experience, have supported someone in distress, or simply wish to contribute, they welcome your input!
For more information and to access the survey, click here.
[RESEARCH]: Investigating the Experiences of Providing Mental Health Peer-support in Australia with the Victoria University
Do you provide peer-support to Australians living with mental health issues or accessing mental healthcare services? If so, researchers from Victoria University would like to hear from you about the benefits and challenges you face in this important work. This research aims to better understand how workplace factors, and other factors like self-stigma and personal recovery, might contribute to the job satisfaction and quality of life of Australia’s mental health peer-support workforce.
What’s involved?
You will be asked to complete a confidential online survey at a time and place that’s convenient to you. The survey should take ~30 minutes to complete. You will be asked questions about your:
- ·Demographic information
- ·The benefits and challenges of your role as a peer-supporter
- ·Job satisfaction and quality of life
- ·Experiences with self-stigma and mental health recovery
- You are eligible to participate in this research if you are:
- ·Aged 18+
- ·Have worked as a mental health peer-supporter in Australia during the past 12 months (paid or voluntary roles)
- ·Have a lived experience of mental health issues, psychological distress, mental health service use, and/or recovery
To learn more, click on this link or contact Rachel Sherlock: rachel.sherlock1@vu.edu.au.
[RESEARCH]: Social Inclusion and Serious Mental Ill-Health with Orgyen
In this study Orgyen is researching social inclusion. Social inclusion means having opportunities to participate in social activities that we like and feeling good about the opportunities that are available to us.
Evidence suggests social inclusion can affect a person’s mental health and be affected by a person’s mental health. Sometimes people who have experienced mental ill-health such as psychosis, can have difficulty noticing and processing social prompts in the environment. This can affect their ability to carry out daily activities.
We want to better understand how difficulties in social thinking skills may affect social inclusion in both early and late stages of psychosis and in those without lived experience of serious mental ill-health.
Participants will be reimbursed for their time.
For more information and to participate, click here.
Lived Experience Job Opportunities:
[SUPPORT WORKER]: ColourFull Abilities, Adelaide
ColourFull Abilities is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals, including those in LGBTQIA+ communities. They recognise the unique needs and challenges faced by children and young people, especially within the community, and are committed to fostering an atmosphere that promotes their safety, well-being, and growth.
The Support Worker works alongside participants to provide a range of diverse person-centered emotional and physical supports, while assisting participants to fulfill their NDIS plan goals.
ColourFull Abilities are looking for Support Workers who have an open heart, are highly organised and detail oriented. The prospective workers will have well-developed interpersonal skills and the ability to work and communicate effectively with participants and their families, professionals and organisations. The prospective workers will have a genuine desire to provide care and support to vulnerable people as well as an ability to work in a changing work environment and to work both independently and as part of a team. It is important that the prospective worker has an awareness of the barriers that exist LGBTQIA+ people with disabilities.
For more information and to apply, click here.
[LGBTIQA+ PEER PRACTITIONER]: Mind Australia, Adelaide, applications close Tuesday 25 June
Mind are seeking a compassionate, resilient LGBTIQA+ Peer Practitioner for a Permanent, Full Time opportunity to work alongside the Wellness Connect team in the Central Adelaide area. You will utilise your lived experience of mental ill health and recovery, to provide services to consumers, families and carers in line with Mind’s Model of Recovery Oriented Practice, My Better Life model and organisational values for people experiencing a severe mental health condition resulting in reduced psychosocial functional capacity.
Peer support is an important part of Mind’s approach to recovery. The Peer Practitioner works as part of a multidisciplinary team with lived experience of mental ill health and recovery being the unique specialist lens that they bring.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Draw on the knowledge, skills and expertise as a member of the LGBTIQA+ community to inform your practice with people who share similar experiences.
- Provide direct support to individual consumers to enable them to engage in a meaningful life by supporting them through a strength-focused, staged approach to recovery using agreed practice techniques and approaches.
- Create linkages and build relationships and referral pathways with services that support LGBTIQA+ community members.
- Share your personal lived experiences in an appropriate and meaningful manner to provide support, empowerment, instil hope, and contribute to the consumer’s recovery process.
- Engage with consumers to fully understand their need for assistance from local service providers with clinical mental health, physical health, education and employment, LGBTIQA+ community connectedness, eligible entitlements and benefits, housing, transport, recreation and social connections.
For more information and to apply, click here.
Learning Opportunities:
Spaces and Places to Connect:
[E-LEARNING]: Foundations of lived experience advocacy, leadership and governance
Free online learning modules for people who want to use their lived experience to inform decision making and influence change in the mental health and social services sector.
For more information, click here.
[E-LEARNING]: Being eLearning Hub
BEING offers a series of free and fee-for service e-learning courses developed to enhance the knowledge and skills of mental health consumers, carers and allies.
These courses are non-accredited, personal and professional, training opportunities for anyone interested in learning key concepts to do with mental health in Australia.
Each course has been co-designed with Lived Experience experts and Peer Educators to ensure these flexible, self-paced, and person-centred learning options meet the needs of those who live with mental health issues.
For more information and to register click here.
[ONLINE JOB READINESS PROGRAM]: Thrive Pilot Program
Neami National and Get Skilled Access have partnered to develop THRIVE, a pilot program focused on improving job readiness and workplace inclusivity for people that experience mental health challenges or psychosocial disability.
THRIVE includes a suite of e-learning modules and workshops that guide participants and employers toward inclusive recruitment and inclusive workplace practices.
For more information click here.
To register click here.
[CONNECT]: Lived Experience Connect with the Borderline Personality Disorder Collaborative (BPD Co), Friday 28 June 10.30AM
Are you someone with a lived experience of BPD (consumer or carer), who is currently involved, or curious about lived experience representation, advocacy or education?
You are invited to join BPD Co’s new network Lived Experience Connect!
The informal and online networking sessions will be hosted by Jess and Karen, Lived Experience Project Officers – Consumer and Carer.
Come along to share with each other about your projects/programs, build connections, or springboard your ideas and develop grass root innovations.
To register for this event, click here.
[SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE]: Share Creative Work with Mindshare
mindshare is a creative mental health community and online platform that provides a voice for those with lived experience of mental illness.
It is a space where anyone and everyone can share personal experiences or thoughts connected to mental health, either in everyday observations or through art and storytelling. mindshare welcomes all original creative work—short stories, poetry, blog posts, podcasts, paintings, music recordings, photography, mini documentaries and much more.
For more information and to submit your creatve work, click here.
[PEER SUPPORT]: Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) groups with LELAN
Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) peer-led community-based groups centre mutual connection and meaning making around suicide distress, thoughts and experiences. They offer non-clinical spaces where people can be honest about their experiences without fear of forced treatment, other forms of coercion, or risk assessment that shuts conversation down.
Multiple Alt2Su groups are available online and in-person for people in South Australia each week. Some groups are completely open and some are specifically designed to be for people of particular ages, gender, sexual or culturally diverse identities.
Alternatives to Suicide was developed by the Wildflower Alliance (formerly the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community) in the US.
To see what groups are running click here.
If you have any questions reach out to the LELAN team at info@lelan.org.au.
[COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE]: Lived Experience Leadership & Change with LELAN, Wednesday 10 July
The Lived Experience Leadership and Change Community of Practice is held online every six weeks and has been created to:
- Offer a ‘safe-enough’ space for lived experience leaders and allies to share information and experiences about their change goals and efforts.
- Explore and grapple with dilemmas and opportunities in and for influencing change.
- Build capacity and skills to generate new thought, shared approaches and resources that support thinking and collective action in this space.
Dates for the Community of Practice for 2024 (9.30-11am SA time):
- Wednesday July 10th 2024.
- Wednesday August 21st 2024.
- Wednesday October 2nd 2024.
- Wednesday November 13th 2024.
For more information and to register click here.
For any questions about the Community of Practice email info@lelan.org.au.
[CONNECT]: Weekly online drop-in sessions with the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network
Join the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) for their exciting new initiative – weekly drop-in sessions designed especially for young people like you! These informal online gatherings provide a unique opportunity for individuals from migrant, refugee, and international student backgrounds to have their voices heard and help shape MYAN’s national advocacy work.
Mark your calendars for the first 3 Wednesdays of the month from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm AEDT, with each session focusing on specific groups – young people from refugee backgrounds, young people from migrant backgrounds, and international students.