Mental Health Commissioner for South Australia

03/11/2025

Finding your people when sport isn’t your thing

In country towns, footy and netball can feel like the whole calendar. Great if you love it. Tough if you don’t. I hear from young people who feel on the outer because they are not “sporty”. That feeling of being left out is not trivial. Loneliness gets under the skin and it chips away at mental health.

If that’s you, here are places I see connection growing that have nothing to do with scores or ladders. None of these require being the loudest in the room.
• Community radio needs presenters, tech help and playlist nerds.
• Libraries run gaming clubs, Dungeons & Dragons, makerspaces and zine tables.
• CFS or SES cadets, ambulance auxiliaries and surf lifesaving all build belonging through service.
• Music is a doorway, not a talent show. Open mic nights, choir, the kid who runs sound at the hall.
• Art lives in institutes, galleries and pop-up spaces. Join a workshop, start one after school, hang work at the show.
• Community gardens, Landcare and Coastcare connect people who care about the same patch of earth.
• Op shops and neighbourhood centres run on volunteers, and you meet good humans stacking shelves.
• Drama clubs, youth theatres and film nights, including the person on lights and costumes.
• Faith and cultural groups, youth groups, language classes or dance crews.
• Online groups that are local, then meet in person when it feels safe.

Practical barriers are real. Transport, cost, nerves. Ask for a lift. Email ahead so someone can meet you at the door. Take a friend. Start small and stay curious.

For the adults reading this, widen what “community” looks like. Fund the art room as well as the oval. Offer low-cost nights that are not centred on alcohol. Back the quiet kids who organise a board-game club. Celebrate the sound tech as much as the goal kicker.

If you grew up feeling like sport was the only doorway and it never fit, you were never the problem. There are many doors. If I missed yours, add it below so someone else can find their people too.

03/11/2025

I’m on the committee for the 2026 International Mental Health Conference on the Gold Coast, 23 to 24 June. We’re opening the floor to presenters. If you’ve been thinking someone should talk about this, that someone might be you.

We’re keen on the real stuff. Neurodivergence and inclusive systems. Digital realities and media. Sustaining the workforce and systems of care. Trauma and recovery. Justice and rights. Lived experience and peer innovation. Emerging frontiers. Su***de prevention and postvention.

If you’ve got something useful, grounded and a bit bold, please throw in an abstract. Submissions close Friday 14 November 2025.

All details here: https://asn.pulse.ly/9iiq823dtd

If you’re registering to attend, IMHC26COMMITTEE gives 10% off.

Bring your ideas. Wear your comfy shoes. Let’s make the conversations that actually help.

31/10/2025

Breakfast with 400 coffee-fuelled humans is a lively way to start the morning. Bit I was pleased to be able to come along and keynote this awesome event. I talked about the messy bit of work that refuses to live in a spreadsheet.

Psychosocial risk is real. Ignore it and errors climb, good people leave, culture frays. The fix lives in the boring habits. Pick the priorities for this week. Write emails that are kind and specific. Keep a short stop-now list so people can breathe when things spike.

AI was on the menu. I build with it and use it daily but I won’t ever trust it to do the human stuff, I reckon I’m still marginally better at that!
Treat AI like power tools, useful with guardrails: consent, privacy by design, bias checks, human oversight. If your team cannot explain those on one slide, or the tool fails on a cracked Android with dodgy wifi, skip it.

Great workplaces grow from noticing people. Learn what your staff can actually do. An ops manager who DJs becomes the person who can run events. Retention often looks like fruit trees out the back, a dog under a desk, flexible hours, a leader who sees you.

When distress shows up, go A-B-C. Affect first, name the feeling and slow your pace. Boundaries next, be clear about time, behaviour and scope. Choices last, offer two workable options.

If you try one thing this week, bring back a small ritual. Salad Day. A Monday meme to the teammate who goes quiet. Five minutes to stand, breathe and reset. Signals that people matter here.

Thanks so much to for having me along to speak!

29/10/2025

The Tone Between the Lines

It’s interesting how different we can sound on a screen compared to in person.
A sentence that feels fine when we type it can land hard when it’s read alone, without a voice, a look, or the warmth that usually softens our meaning.

I’ve been thinking about the space between intention and impact especially in how we write to one another. I recently heard "clear is kind" as a mantra or justification for bluntness, but I fundamentally believe that both can sit side by side in writing and on person, and being clear without simultaneously being kind can actually be cruel, particularly if, like many of us, you experience rejection-sensitivity.

Tone can slip through the cracks of an email or message so easily. A quick reply written in haste can read as cold. A firm point can feel like a slap.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do in our day is to reread a message before we send it. Add a greeting. A thank you. A word of context. It’s not about being polished; it’s about being human.

We all have busy days, and we all get it wrong sometimes. But the way we write to each other shapes the culture we work and live in. A few extra seconds of care can turn a transaction into connection.

29/10/2025

love a job that blends head + heart? we’ve got two. 💫

We’re growing a small, mighty team at the Office of the Mental Health Commissioner (OMHC), and I’m looking for two leaders who care about real-world impact, co-design, and community.

1) Communications & Partnerships Lead —
Help us tell the story of what works, shape innovative communications that reach the people who need them, and steward partnerships across health, housing, arts, sport, education, philanthropy and more. You’ll be just as comfortable writing a brief for Cabinet as you are rolling up your sleeves on a community event.
https://careers.sahealth.sa.gov.au/caw/en/job/917842/communications-and-partnerships-lead-omhc

2) Engagement & Participation Lead —
Design and deliver engagement that’s inclusive, trauma-informed and culturally safe. Centre the voices of people with lived and living experience, family and kin, and priority populations and make sure they’re shaping what we do.https://careers.sahealth.sa.gov.au/caw/en/job/917967/engagement-and-participation-lead-omhc

Job search dynamic template

28/10/2025

I’ve written before in the book "Depression Lied to Me" about the inner critics in my head. Two with clipped British accents who bicker. One with an American accent who loves fake news. For a long time I assumed everyone’s inner critics had their own voice and personality like this. Turns out, not everyone’s does.

New research helps explain why some voices feel so real. It suggests the brain can misread inner speech as if it is coming from outside. That frame is useful for some people. It can reduce shame, and it might guide care earlier.

It is not the only frame.

Across cultures, many people understand voice-hearing as connection. Ancestors who speak. Spirits who guide. Voices that warn, comfort, teach, or call for responsibility. For some, the relationship is sacred. For others, it is mixed. At times it is distressing, and at other times it is a source of strength. Both can be true in a single life.

What matters to me is how we meet the person in front of us. If science helps someone name what is happening in their brain, good. If culture and spirituality give language and meaning that helps them live well, good. If it is both, even better. The point is not to argue about whose lens is right. The point is to listen for what keeps a person safe, connected, and able to choose their own path.

I still tell my critics to shhhh when I need quiet. I also try to ask what each voice is trying to protect. There are different ways to be in relationship with them. Different ways to honour the stories they carry.

If you're interested in reading more about this study, you can find it here:
https://medicalxpress.pulse.ly/oknkn8fasw

28/10/2025

Yesterday we launched Tall Trees, a new initiative shaped by people with lived or living experience. Nearly 500 people tuned in and sent thoughtful questions. Thank you. I will share the launch video soon.

So...

What is it?
A program supporting South Australians with lived or living experience to lead positive change.

Who is it for?
Anyone with personal experience, or who walks alongside them, wanting to make a difference at work, school, in community, or across a sector. It welcomes people not usually handed leadership roles.

What will it do?
Free training, mentoring, and support to design a change project that matters to you, from sparking conversations in a footy club to making a film, shifting policy, or creating peer-led supports.

How will it make a difference?
By building a statewide network of everyday changemakers who challenge discrimination, strengthen community responses, and grow inclusion and hope. It helps people use experience safely and strategically.

How is it different?
You can remain anonymous. It is not a public speaking or ambassador program. It is about applying personal insight, not necessarily telling your story.

How can I get involved?
Watch the webinar replay and register your interest to co-design, mentor, facilitate, or take part as a future Tall Tree.

What will it cost?
No dedicated funding yet. We are growing it with time, partnerships, and community energy. After co-design we will assess what is needed, with any future investment going directly to communities.

How will it reflect South Australian values?
From the start we are working with Aboriginal partners and knowledge holders to embed First Nations wisdom at the heart of the program. Co-design will reflect South Australia’s diversity and community spirit.

Gratitude to Minister Chris Picton, Assistant Minister Nadia Clancy, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, NZ Minister Matt Doocey, Kevin Harper of Changing Minds, Jack Buckskin, Borni Te Rongopai Tukiwaho, the Mental Health Education Hub team, and Tall Trees in Aotearoa New Zealand..

If Tall Trees speaks to you, pull up a chair. We value your voice.

27/10/2025

I’m on the committee for the 2026 International Mental Health Conference on the Gold Coast, 23 to 24 June. We’re opening the floor to presenters. If you’ve been thinking someone should talk about this, that someone might be you.

We’re keen on the real stuff. Neurodivergence and inclusive systems. Digital realities and media. Sustaining the workforce and systems of care. Trauma and recovery. Justice and rights. Lived experience and peer innovation. Emerging frontiers. Su***de prevention and postvention.

If you’ve got something useful, grounded and a bit bold, please throw in an abstract. Submissions close Friday 14 November 2025.

All details here: https://asn.pulse.ly/aigufn2oao

If you’re registering to attend, IMHC26COMMITTEE gives 10% off.

Bring your ideas. Wear your comfy shoes. Let’s make the conversations that actually help.

25/10/2025

love a job that blends head + heart? we’ve got two. 💫

We’re growing a small, mighty team at the Office of the Mental Health Commissioner (OMHC), and I’m looking for two leaders who care about real-world impact, co-design, and community.

1) Communications & Partnerships Lead —
Help us tell the story of what works, shape innovative communications that reach the people who need them, and steward partnerships across health, housing, arts, sport, education, philanthropy and more. You’ll be just as comfortable writing a brief for Cabinet as you are rolling up your sleeves on a community event.
https://careers.sahealth.sa.gov.au/caw/en/job/917842/communications-and-partnerships-lead-omhc

2) Engagement & Participation Lead —
Design and deliver engagement that’s inclusive, trauma-informed and culturally safe. Centre the voices of people with lived and living experience, family and kin, and priority populations and make sure they’re shaping what we do.https://careers.sahealth.sa.gov.au/caw/en/job/917967/engagement-and-participation-lead-omhc

24/10/2025

Weekend Reflections: Digital humanity, clunky phones, and why I’m hopeful

Recently I spoke with The Horizon about building technology around people. Real people, not tidy personas. We covered grief, access, language, and how digital tools can soften or sharpen our days. If you’re curious, it’s here:
https://thehorizon.pulse.ly/p4snvljb96

The photo made me laugh. I’m holding a landline like an artefact. You can almost see me checking which end to speak into. It’s a silly image that hints at something serious. We adapt fast to new tools, we forget old ones, and in the rush we can forget each other. Convenience starts calling the shots. Speed gets mistaken for care. Design tidies the mess that actually needs to be seen.

When I build or advise on tech, the question I keep as my guide is simple. Are people being met with dignity, or processed. A form can be simple and still ask the wrong thing. An app can be beautiful and still leave someone out. The front door moments matter. The first page. The first call. If fear must be swallowed to ask for help, the cost is already too high.

My role is independent. I sit with decision makers, and I sit with people who live with those decisions. The gap is short in metres and long in meaning. Bridging it is slow, human work. It looks like language that welcomes. Systems that listen. Courage to hear the awkward truth without shutting down.

There is real hope tho. I’ve seen digital reduce waits without reducing care. I’ve seen lived experience reshape services. I’ve seen clinical and community wisdom stand side by side. When the mix is right, the tech feels less like a product and more like a relationship. Imperfect. Honest.

Next month I’ll be emceeing global thought leaders in Digital Mental Health at the eMHIC Congress. I’m keen to hold a room where big ideas stay close to lived reality. Privacy is personal. Equity is non negotiable. The question is not how clever we can be, but how human we can stay.

And yes, I now remember how to hold a telephone. Progress.

And thanks .raschella for making getting your photo taken fun!
.raschella

South Australia's Mental Health Commissioner Taimi Allan writes of her love affair with tech and how it can serve us well