Hearing From Charlotte: A Personal Reflection and Learnings from the TheMHS conference

When we invited our three young people to attend the TheMHS Conference and co-facilitate the Satellite Connect — Making the Hard Conversations Possible workshop, we also asked if they would provide a reflection of their experience across the four day inter-state trip to share with our wider Satellite community.

There weren’t many parameters. Our young participants were free to provide their reflection in any format they felt comfortable. The first reflection we are sharing is from Charlotte (she/her) and she chose to provide her reflection in the form of daily, diary-esque entries about their journey, key moments, and insights. We will provide some snippets from her reflection and Charlotte’s full summary will be available for viewing at the end of the article.

Charlotte was one of the first graduates of Satellite Connect and is now a Peer Facilitator in Satellite spaces. She is a peer facilitator of Satellite programs and is an advocate for how important and life changing peer connection and creativity can be. She enjoys learning about others’ stories, interests and hopes to create environments that feel safe and inviting to all. Charlotte has a passion for mental health, with a keen interest in neurodivergence. Outside of Satellite, Charlotte can be found crafting and reading, or hanging out with her supportive partner Joel, and their two cats Thor and Ember.

Key moments and insights from the Mental Health Conference

Day 1:

“After what was one of the shortest flights ever, we were in Canberra and off to the 2024 TheMHS Conference. Day One of the conference was dedicated to the Lived Experience Forums, where we had the opportunity to attend the ‘Lived Experience in the Arts’ session. We heard from three talented artists who delved into how they each used their art forms to give voice to their mental health experiences and advocate for others. Shauna Winram, a filmmaker and theatre performer, spoke about how they used their art to give others ‘a glimpse into the madness’; they hope to prompt the audience to reach inside themselves to discover something they didn’t realise was there.

It reminded me of finding the TV series ‘Please Like Me’ by Josh Thomas and how deeply I connected with his experience of having a parent with mental illness. As a 17-year-old, this was the first time I had really seen the young carer experience represented; it was so authentic and raw, I remember feeling vulnerable, but truly seen. As part of Shauna’s presentation, they included a video of one of their theatre performances depicting an episode of psychosis. There was so much connection in the room, for those who experience psychosis themselves, or as family and loved ones of those who experience these challenges.

This session reminded me of the purpose of what we do at Satellite and how creativity is unparalleled in its ability to give everyone a voice. The presenters, Shauna, Ben, and Liam each advocated for everyone to find a way to give voice to their experiences, but to also make sure that they enjoy the process.”

Day 2:

“Day Two was the official start of the conference and it began with an amazing opening ceremony, which was deeply connected to the traditional owners of the lands, the Ngunnawal people. The opening ceremony also included an insightful 30-year retrospective, inviting Mary O’Hagan, who presented at the TheMHS Conference as a consumer in 1994, to reflect on the changes that have been made in the Australian mental health system, as well as those that haven’t. Mary spoke openly and honestly about how slowly change has been made, despite best intentions. She also spoke about how the field of mental health keeps losing good people due to burnout. This was a common theme throughout the conference; tireless burnout is inherent in a broken system, not only for professionals, but also its consumers and carers.

My favourite session of the entire conference was the No Suppression workshop. This session was delivered by a group of dedicated individuals, who run monthly peer-facilitated workshops. They invite participants to utilise creativity to explore mental health – much like another wonderful organisation I know 😉… No Suppression was my favourite workshop as it highlighted the impact and importance of the ‘small’ groups and organisations, who, with limited or no funding, dedicate their time and resources to looking after the mental health of others. I deeply admire those who see a gap in the system and decide to take action in whatever capacity they can. With knowledge of Satellite’s similar origins, I feel honoured to be part of the amazing work that we do. I also feel hopeful that there are other No Suppressions and Satellites out there, doing similar incredible things, no matter the odds.”

Satellite’s note to reader: Charlotte also pulled out many interesting statistics that was shared from the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing – be sure to check out her full summary to see which ones stood out to her!

Day 3:

“Day Three commenced with a fantastic Keynote presentation by Amanda Tattersall, who is a social change maker. She explained how her lived experience of mental health challenges is an important driver in her advocacy work and reminded the audience that differences will always exist between individuals and communities, but that we must coordinate across these differences and take accountability for important and lasting change to occur. Some personal highlights from Amanda’s presentation included:

My interest was captured by all the presentations in this session; from hearing about one woman’s lived experience of being a carer for her daughter, to hearing about the research outcomes relating to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centres. Of particular interest, there was an absolutely incredible presentation by Gabriel Leeves, who is a Carer Peer Worker with Alfred Health. Gabriel’s presentation explored various intersections which impact whether someone identifies as a carer. Gabriel was so articulate, thoughtful, and thorough in explaining the carer experience/identity. Throughout the presentation, I constantly wanted to do the Satellite ‘connect’ hand signal, as so much of what Gabriel explained truly resonated.”

Day 4:

“After four days of watching amazing and thought-provoking presentations, it was our turn to present! I might be biased, but I believe we did an incredible job! In true Satellite style, the presentation involved some tech issues and a bit of pivoting, but overall, I believe we really connected with our audience, and thoughtfully communicated the value of creativity as a tool for mental health exploration, communication, and connection.

Our audience participated in each of the activities, and generously shared with the wider group. I was appreciative of the question time we had towards the end of the presentation, where we could talk about our own experiences of the Satellite Connect program and highlight the wider programs that Satellite offers. Based on the responsivity of the audience, you could tell that Satellite is addressing an important gap in mental health services, and that there was interest in how creativity could be added to other organisation’s programs.

There was interest in how to make referrals, both at the organisation level and for individuals who knew someone personally, that would benefit from our programs.”

Final reflections from Charlotte

“I cannot express how incredibly proud I am of both Caleb and Chloe, who brought their whole hearts to the presentation. We quickly fell into a flow with one another, and I was so impressed with how flexibly they adapted as certain changes were made. They were both so thoughtful and responsive to our audience’s engagement, emulating the safety of our Satellite spaces. Cathy* was an absolute star in prompting us throughout the presentation and brainstorming what we could add or change, if it was needed. I think the 4 C’s made an excellent team and it was truly an honour to work alongside each of them. The greatest gift of attending this conference has been getting to know Chloe, Caleb and Cathy better. It is the same connection that I felt during my own Satellite Connect; knowing you are amongst ‘your people’ and feeling inspired by how we each want to create better mental health spaces for everyone. Thank you to the 4 C’s”

*Satellite’s note to reader: Cathy is Satellite’s wonderful Engagement & Consultation Manager. She flew up to Canberra with our three young people and provided support prior to and during the conference. Cathy has worked with children, youth and families for over 25 years, predominately in the out of home care space. Cathy is an experienced advocate and a leader in championing the voice of lived experience in systemic advocacy.
[Could add Cathy’s headshot here if we want an image]
Looking Ahead

The next article will focus on another attendee’s perspective, this time highlighting Chloe’s favourite quotes and moments. Stay tuned to hear more!

You can read Charlotte’s full summary here