Hey, I’m Meg (they/them)
I’m a trans and queer social worker. I think terms like ‘trauma-informed’, ‘person-centred’, ‘recovery-oriented care’, ‘neuroaffirming’, ‘LGBTIQA+ affirming’ and ‘intersectional’ have been co-opted by practitioners who don’t actually work in these ways and people can often find themselves with practitioners who don’t do what they say they’re going to. I don’t generally use these terms to define my practice because of this reason, but I do practice in ways that are affirming to who you are and want to be, adapt to your needs, work towards what you value and take into consideration the impacts of marginalisation/multiply marginalisation.
I’ve been given a bunch of labels from the mental health system over the years including at various times Bipolar, cPTSD, Anorexia with features of ARFID, Austim and ADHD. I prefer the terms neurodivergent and Mad, but I absolutely respect if you feel that a DSM/ICD diagnosis helps you make sense of your experience.
I am currently a PhD candidate. My PhD is on coercion as a response to suicidal distress. I believe that we can be really reactive to people experiencing distress when sometimes people just want someone to witness their pain and stand in solidarity with them. In being reactive we often take away someone’s autonomy and infringe on their dignity in ways that increase their distress. I am really keen to explore non-carceral responses to people’s distress and advocate for systemic change.
I have primarily worked in mental health settings with brief stints in both disability and hospital social work. I have worked in clinical and non-clinical mental health roles (including peer work). I have worked in counselling roles with people, along with case management roles which means I have experience navigating systems such as NDIS and Centrelink (primarily DSP). I’ve been known both within the organisations I’ve worked in and those I’ve worked alongside to be a very vocal and persistent advocate for the people I work with. I’ve completed post graduate studies in mental health practice and suicidology and a number of various trainings throughout my practice, some of which I’ve listed in the ‘Am I a good fit?’ page.
Lived
Experience
Social
Work
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Lived Experience Social Work ✶
Services
Support for adults experiencing a range of difficulties including navigating suicidal thoughts. Based in Naarm (Melbourne). Telehealth available across ‘Australia’. No referral needed.
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Individual counselling adapted to your wants, needs and neurotype. Meg draws on a range of therapeutic modalities along with lived experience knowledge to walk alongside you on your journey and find what’s right for you and your situation.
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Tailored support with navigating systems designed to meet your individual needs.
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A reflective space for you to explore what your values are - both professional and personal - and how to incorporate those into your social work practice.
*Sliding scale available.
Why private practice?
I worked within organisations and systems for several years and felt like a lot of my energy went towards advocacy within the organisations and systems themselves to ensure that ethical care was being provided. Organisations and systems that promised ‘person-centred’ and ‘trauma-informed’ care seemed far from that. Staying and working within those organisations and systems made me feel like I was being complicit in the sometimes really harmful ‘care’ provided. I decided I wanted to provide support and use my skills in a way that truly aligned with my values and ethics. This led me to private practice.
My approach draws on:
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Lived experience expertise
My work both draws on my own lived experience but also on the advocacy and resistance by those within the lived experience movement. My practice acknowledges that people deemed Mad experience ongoing oppression and marginalisation from systems claiming to ‘care’ for us. We experience an ongoing silencing that means our voices are not heard in our own care, and ‘treatment’ is done to us rather than with us.
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Radical social work values
While I love some parts of social work, I recognise that it is built on white supremacy and the ‘saviour complex’ and that it automatically creates a power imbalance between you and I. While I cannot change any of these things, I can practice in ways that attempt to put power back in your hands, by providing support in a way that you want it and in a way that recognises your right to autonomy. I recognise ongoing systemic marginalisation and oppression and aim to push back on systems wherever I can.
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Systems and complexity theory
As someone that was often referred to as a ‘complex client’, I hate the term. I’ve seen it so many times in my career and it makes me want to scream. Complexity does not lie in individual people, we are all human in our own way. Complexity lies in the systems in which we live, work and relate to others. With experience in navigating systems, I aim to support you to make these systems work for you and whatever your circumstances are.
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A range of therapeutic modalities
There’s no one-size fits all therapeutic modality. We’re all unique humans with varying things going on for us. I draw on a range of therapeutic modalities and aim to explore with you what might work for you. I will never push a particular therapy type on you, or put you in a box; you know what works for you better than anybody else. The aim is to take bits and pieces from approaches that align with you and leave behind the parts that you don’t vibe with.
