Hilton Sydney · 5–7 August 2026 · In-person + Virtual
Whatever brings you to the conversation, there is something here for you. Your guide to August.
TheMHS Conference 2026 begins in
Follow the conference as it happens, wherever you are. The latest from Sydney, updated through the day.
TheMHS Awards 2026
Eleven Awards across eight categories were presented at the Gala Dinner in Sydney on 6 August. See all the recipients, finalists and photos from the night.
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"Last night the Youth Peer Work Team was awarded the Lived Experience Storytelling Award. Young people, their carers, and loved ones no longer have to wait to learn about peer work through clinicians, they can now see it directly from peers themselves."
India Guerrieri · on the Youth Peer Work Team's award at Alfred ICY Mental Health and headspace Early Psychosis
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"This award is theirs and testament to the hard work, care, compassion and collaborative spirit which is powering a positive change in the lives of young people growing up in rural Australia."
Youth Live4Life · winner of the Mental Health Program Excellence Award, quoting Director Cathryn Walder
Read the post →"Really grateful to see there was a session dedicated to Eating Disorder support, and the inclusion of lived and living experience voices. This is something very close to my heart."
Lisa Bloom · on eating disorder support and lived experience at the conference
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"To share a poem at the opening ceremony of a mental health conference was such an incredible joy! So many wonderful connections made and learning left me feeling inspired and hopeful."
Amber Gibson · mental health advocate and spoken word artist, on performing at the opening ceremony
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"You don't have to be a musician or a talented singer to experience the wellbeing benefits of songwriting. You've been studying good songwriting since the day you were born."
Ben Drysdale · presenting the "Songwriting for Sanity" workshop
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"Hope is not passive. It's not something we sit and wait for. It's a measurable, teachable skill and that changes everything about how we approach mental health."
Kathryn Goetzke · on delivering the opening keynote at TheMHS Conference 2026
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"I don't wish for hope. I don't hope for change. I work for it, and I'll keep working until it stops being called hopeful and starts being called practical."
Rachael Burns · on her presentation "When Hope Becomes a Hindrance"
Read the post →"The participation in the room was so motivating, people leaning in, having a go at the exercises, asking thoughtful questions. And it kept going long after we wrapped."
Kim Borrowdale · on her workshop "Powerful Storytelling with Purpose"
Read the post →"We literally covered all bases, literacy, ethics, equity, the consumer being fundamental to AI policy and regulation, and where the effort needs to go over these next critical years to shape AI for good."
Chris Boyd-Skinner CF · on the TheMHS 2026 AI Hypothetical panel
Read the post →"It was a pleasure to share what we are experiencing in Aotearoa with our Asian communities and the models we have designed to provide culturally specific, relevant and accessible support."
Romy Lee · presenting on culturally responsive support for Asian migrant gambling harms
Read the post →"It never gets old attending a TheMHS conference. It's a strong pulse check for the mental health sector. There is a mixture of anxiety, hope and determination permeating the halls."
Tully Rosen · Director of Allied Health, Dept. Health, Disability & Ageing
Read the post →"Another day of learning, connection, inspiration (and a little bit of silliness) at TheMHS Conference 2026 in Sydney."
Lisa Bloom · lived experience story sharing and LLE peer workforce
Read the post →"When educators are invited to co-design, collaborate and learn from one another, they don't just participate in change, they lead it."
Victorian Collaborative Centre · Karen McKnight, on the Workforce Development Forum
Read the post →"Reclaiming Agency: Integrating CBT and Narrative Therapy for Youth Digital Addiction, moving away from pathologising 'lack of willpower' and instead fostering algorithmic literacy and personal agency."
Yasin Bagci · presenting on urgent and crisis support for youth digital addiction
Read the post →"Lived experience isn't being framed as a nice-to-have anymore. That shift from consultation to structure is the one that actually changes what happens, not just what gets written in a strategy document."
Craig Worland · reflecting on day one and the future of peer work
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Day 2 starting soon. Is it too early for Gelato Messina? Catch them at the Uniting stand on Level 3 (while we work our way through all the flavours).
"Stop by, explore the exhibition and have a chat about Out From The Mist and how creativity can help people share their mental health experiences."
Out From The Mist · photography, short film and music from the 2025 finalists, on Level 2 at the Hilton Sydney
Read the post →"I want to learn how to be comfortable with making people in power uncomfortable with the truth and creating that change. It's complicated but it's important."
Kyra D · on day one, and being empowered by Grace White's words
Read the post →"Hope is the belief that the future can be better and we have the power to make it so. Hope is learnable, we can fight for it."
Andrew Pryor · sharing notes from Kathryn Goetzke's keynote on hopelessness and hope
Read the post →"He shared a true transformation process, based in our history, driven by lived experience, and connected to a strong evidence base. The results are amazing!"
Will Ward · WALSH Trust CEO, on Aaryn Niuapu's presentation
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