Carol’s Story
I was a quiet achiever since childhood. I grew up in a family that speaks very little English and I had some challenges connecting with people. All through primary school, I was the only one in my grade who was Chinese. There were also times when I was discriminated against and bullied. One example … [Read More...]
Bob Murphy’s Musings on Life, Vulnerability and His New Memoir
Bob Murphy is one of the AFL’s most loved characters – he is charming, poetic and one-of-a-kind. Bob, the son of a former priest and a former nun, was not destined to fit into the short-back-and-sides of the blokey football world. He has challenged its foundations with his alternative and … [Read More...]
He’ll Be Right: My Journey with Anxiety
I was probably always what people would assume was just shy, as a child, but there was always that worry that other kids didn't seem to have. Things got really bad around Year 7, when I was going into high school and I wasn't dealing very well with all the social changes and I started to withdraw … [Read More...]
Why sharing the journey matters
What this year’s Mental Health Month theme means to one of the WayAhead team members. Sometimes when things are bad, when my emotions are exhausted and overwhelming, when my eyes are puffy and red from crying, on the lowest days, despite all the feelings, I can, even in a small way, feel some … [Read More...]
Taking care of yourself, taking care of your child with Autism
Autism impacts each child differently depending on their neural and cognitive differences. Parents and carers are continuously caring for their child, whether it be interacting with them or supervising them, finding the right interventions or financial support. Often, the responsibilities of … [Read More...]
When workplaces get it right: A case study in returning to work
When Paul, a healthy man in his thirties, started having seizures at work, the doctors initially diagnosed him with epilepsy. He had spent years working at a global banking company in approving loans for projects and seizures were completely new for him. The company organised training for his … [Read More...]
Creating your own fit – the story behind Queanbeyan’s anxiety support group
When Simone first moved to Canberra in 2015, there was a lot to get used to. “The weather” she said immediately, when asked what she struggled with adjusting to the most. However, with the move away from Sydney, she also left behind her WayAhead Anxiety Support Groups. When she searched for … [Read More...]
Creating connections in Cabramatta in the wake of OCD
Anxiety disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), can often manifest when people are quite young. That was certainly the case for Lisa, WayAhead’s newest Support Group Leader, who is facilitating the newly formed Cabramatta OCD Support Group. “I first experienced symptoms of … [Read More...]
Laura’s Story
What’s wrong with mum? Laura always knew something was wrong with her mum. She just didn’t know what. She would walk into her mum’s bedroom in the middle of the day to find her asleep in pitch darkness. Other times, she would hear her mum laughing and talking to herself when no one was around. … [Read More...]
Tackling Illness Through Art: An Interview with Christie Begnell
At WayAhead, we first met Christie Begnell as a participant in our Eating Disorders: Dispelling the Myths video installation at Parramatta Library for Mental Health Month last year. Christie is a 24-year-old occupational therapist and artist who has a lived experience of having an eating disorder … [Read More...]
Meet Alice Cheok: The Grateful Refugee
It is stories like Alice Cheok’s that remind us that while migrants have a past, they also have a future here and have so much to offer to the Australian community. It is stories like Alice Cheok’s that remind us that while migrants have a past, they also have a future here and have so much to … [Read More...]
![The Big Black Hole: Functional Neurological Disorder [FND] / Conversion Disorder [CD]](https://i0.wp.com/wayahead.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FNDAwarenessWeek.png?resize=272%2C182&ssl=1)
The Big Black Hole: Functional Neurological Disorder [FND] / Conversion Disorder [CD]
Falling through the gaps in the system between neurology and psychiatry – The disconnect between Mind and Body Like many people with functional [also known as conversion or psychogenic] symptoms it has been a difficult road to travel. My symptoms began suddenly. At the time I was very active, … [Read More...]
Personal story – Stephanie
Stephanie’s beautiful eyes and easy smile speak of a carefree young woman making strong strides in the world. But, it wasn’t always this way. What those same eyes mask is a past challenged by mental illness: she was diagnosed with bulimia at 18, had her first suicide attempt just shy of her 23rd … [Read More...]
Meet Jo – Carer, Sister, Aunt, Mother
Jo is a resilient woman. As a carer to her sister and nephew, both of whom lived with schizophrenia, and then to her son, who developed clinical depression and bipolar disorder, she has experienced a road full of personal heartache and despair, and while there have been moments on her journey where … [Read More...]
Support Groups
Australians from CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds are less likely to seek help for mental health issues due to a range of factors, such as language barriers, not being familiar with Australia’s health system, or simply just not knowing what warning signs to look out … [Read More...]
Jenny Smith
One woman’s journey for change in mental health awareness Jenny Smith is a consumer advisor for her local health district and a mental health educator, who shares her experience with others. She goes to regular workshops and carer support groups and generally lives a happy, healthy and fulfilling … [Read More...]
From Cambodia to Australia – Leakhena Sous
One woman’s remarkable story of survival. Jean Roxon talks immigration; looking at one woman’s extraordinary story of escaping Cambodia in the 1970s, the impacts it had on her and her family’s mental health, and what it means to be Australian. Walking through Sydney recently, it has been hard … [Read More...]
Karen Purtle – Peer Support Worker
The role of the peer support worker is becoming increasingly popular in the mental health care sector. Harry Easton speaks to Karen Purtle, who is using her past experiences to empower mental health consumers today. … [Read More...]
Stephen O’Brien
You may have met Stephen. He’s the man who kept smiling at you on the bus, the stranger who approached you in the street and made a joke, the one who stood in the line at the shopping centre and smirked as he muttered under his breath. You may have met Stephen, but do you know his story? … [Read More...]
