The founder of Western Australia’s Body Esteem Program and recipient of the 2007 Leadership Achievement Award for Women, Liz Everard has more than 20 years of experience in the mental health sector.
Liz completed her nursing degree in the Netherlands and has worked in a variety of roles both in Australia and overseas.
Liz’s personal passion for mental health advocacy was spurred by the death of her brother who struggled with schizophrenia and took his own life in 1994. She envisages the establishment of holistic mental health environments across Australia, where people living with complex mental health issues can develop and utilise their strengths in a way that builds self-confidence and sense of meaningful contribution.
Liz’s Hocking Fellowship project aims to research various therapeutic farm communities that exist in the United States and Ireland. Therapeutic farms provide a variety of accommodation options, as well as psychiatric treatment and a full continuum of care for adults living with complex mental health issues. Liz will explore how this model of care could be provided in the Australian context.