I am Ellie Hodges; a Lived Experience Counsellor & Consultant based in Adelaide

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 As someone who draws on my personal experiences professionally I am not afraid to say that I have lived through mental health issues and difficult childhood experiences. I am also not afraid to say that all of these combined make me a better counsellor and support person, supervisor, trainer, consultant, speaker and advocate.

I specialise in what I have lived myself – food, weight, body issues; anxiety; and trauma. Which at the heart of it is about how we live beyond experiences that tear at our souls and leave us in a wilderness not of our choosing. It’s supporting people to find and have a voice in their own lives within a society and systems that often add to the invalidation and harm we experience. More often than not because life experiences and distress are individualised and issues of social justice and power imbalance are under-acknowledged or disregarded. 

Another thing I am not afraid to say is that I want systemic change for the way that mental health issues are understood and supported in this State (SA), our Country (Australia) and worldwide. I do not believe that what is currently available is adequate or appropriate. Rather than having this opinion on the sidelines I am actively involved in imagining and driving change. We have to do better.

I hold ultimate hope for the people I work with and advocate for. I do not give up

Our experiences do not need to define us, we can live in ways that honour and allow us to be who we really are. The first step can be the hardest – until the next hardest one after it. We don’t need to do it alone.