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When Louise Lovell joined our team in September 2022 as a Mental Health Project Coordinator, she’d already built an impressive career in mental health support. With us, she’s tackling exciting new projects to improve community health services while finding the support she needs to thrive.
A dramatic impact
When you think of primary healthcare, your first thought probably isn’t community theatre. And yet, as part of her role at South Western Sydney PHN, Louise Lovell has facilitated funding to stage a thought-provoking dramatic production in Arabic. The play, written by playwright Abbas Al Harbi, explores the stigma surrounding mental illness while offering information on accessing support. It’s early days, but the production is proving a roaring success.
“I’m super excited about this project,” Louise says. “The feedback from the Arabic community has been outstanding. The most recent production had more than 200 attendees, and we have another two shows coming up. Audiences told us they think the play should be performed all over the community. It’s just one example of how we’re working to meet our region’s needs in diverse ways.”
As Mental Health Project Coordinator, Louise wants communities across South Western Sydney to know exactly where and how to access mental health support. And that when they do, those support services are best equipped to meet their needs. It’s a broad mandate involving collaboration with many service providers across a large region with diverse mental health needs. But Louise brings huge passion to the role, and importantly, she knows she and her team are making a difference.
“I am extremely hopeful for our region, and that hope comes from working at South Western Sydney PHN. We have so many amazing supports available, so it's really about educating people on what’s out there and how to access it.”
For the community
Improving healthcare for South Western Sydney’s communities is very personal for Louise. She’s always called the region home and has many fond memories of growing up in the noughties in the close-knit community of Campbelltown, surrounded by friends, family and neighbours.
“Nowadays, the suburbs of South Western Sydney still have that community atmosphere. So, I feel extremely fortunate to work at South Western Sydney PHN because I know my work is giving back to my community.”
Growing up, Louise watched her adored older brother battle severe mental health problems that saw him admitted, numerous times, to psychiatric hospitals.
“What my brother went through introduced me to the world of mental health. And I think that’s where my passion for my work stems from, seeing my family struggle and not knowing what to do or where to go for support.”
Years later, Louise’s young son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Louise enrolled in every educational course she could find while seeking support services for advice and assistance.
“The care I felt from individuals and the way the service providers supported me on this journey with my son just led me one day to realise, ‘You know what? This is what I want to do. I want to be able to help people like me in need. This is my passion.’”
Louise, a single mum at the time with two young kids, enrolled in a Diploma of Mental Health. Juggling work, study and parenting was a huge challenge. But with grit and determination, she pulled it off and began her impressive career.
Finding support when it’s needed
In early 2022, Louise was working as Coordinator of Speciality Services for a national mental health and disability organisation, managing a team of people across New South Wales and Queensland. Then, a friend told her about a role on offer with us. And Louise says she’s genuinely glad she did.
“My friend spoke about the great culture and how fantastic it was here, and the role sounded like a challenge, which I wanted. It was a big leap, but I’m so thankful I made it. Working here has been just amazing. I feel a lot better within myself and I enjoy coming to work!”
Louise has also appreciated the flexibility and support we offered when her son became extremely unwell in late 2022.
“It was the hardest time in my life. But South Western Sydney PHN was amazing. They went above and beyond to support me, including allowing me to work full-time from home to support my son. When I think of where I previously worked, I’m not sure I would have been able to keep my position. I’m so thankful to the organisation for offering such flexibility and support.”
Fortunately, Louise’s son is in much better health now, and she’s been able to return to the office to connect with her team.
“I feel extremely supported, not only by my team but by the other teams as well. If you ever need anything, there’s no hesitation to reach out to anyone with the organisation for support. It’s a brilliant culture. South Western Sydney PHN is definitely doing something right.”