PWLLE Archives

Lived Experience

Weaving Through the Challenges

The ABCs of finding paths to ACB mental health care

Spotlight

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Dil Ba Dil (heart to heart) is one of several support programs for newcomers. It is part of ABRAR Trauma and Mental Health’s approach to complex and culturally informed care.

a young woman with a dog on her laps sits in front of the laptop with a cup of tea besides her / une jeune femme avec un chien sur ses genoux est assise devant l'ordinateur portable avec une tasse de thé à côté d'elle

See me as a person, not a diagnosis

When someone says, “you’re so brave” (as they do all the time) all I hear is that to them, my life is pitiful, and I feel diminished and reduced to my diagnosis. It makes me think of an after school special on “never giving up” (remember those cheesy posters from the eighties and nineties with a cat hanging on a rope? Yeah, that.)

Lived Experience

See me as a person, not a diagnosis

‘You’re so brave’ can feel diminishing to those living with mental illness. Courage lies not in existing but in choosing to share our stories against stigma.

Language Matters

Shifting the Narrative

Valuing lived and living experience

I searched for families like mine – and if possible, hope. They were here all along

Stigma leads me to write this under a pseudonym. Why? Because my child is kind, caring, generous and resilient, among many other great qualities.

Spotlight

Insights from Australia and New Zealand

Making strides in mental health promotion and access to quality care. What we learned from examples abroad.

Blogs of the year

It’s a new year. We are celebrating our stories, and our lived and living experience by showcasing our most engaging posts of 2022.

Spotlight

What Do Mullets Have to Do With Mental Health?

Australia’s Black Dog Institute blends research and community spirit. A conversation on outreach, balance, and the art of “business in the front, party in the back.”