“headspace saved my life,” says Grace.
“When I sought help for mental health challenges, I had no idea what to expect. No one in my family had ever had mental health support; it wasn’t like it was talked about.”
“My GP referred me to headspace, and it completely changed the course of my life in the best way,” she said.
Growing up part of a military and farming family - two communities often impacted by mental ill-health - Grace felt she was destined to become a mental health advocate where her own lived experiences could help others.
Now holding a Bachelor of Psychology and completing a Master of Suicidology, Grace is putting her lived experience of physical illness, mental illness and suicide, at the service of others.
“I found it very confronting when I was living with depression and had just started studying psychology; the way they summed up depression in the textbook was not representative of my experiences at all,” Grace said.
“I’m passionate about using my lived experience to educate and empower others, and to advocate for improvements in the healthcare system - because nothing about us should be done without us,” Grace says.
Read more stories of Australians who have been touched by mental illness here.
