Working behind the walls of a maximum security prison to the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

I’ve worked in some of the toughest environments you can imagine.. from maximum-security prisons, offshore immigration detention,  right through to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. On paper, those worlds couldn’t be further apart. One is surrounded by concrete walls, razor wire, and strict routines. The other is filled with beach views, brunch spots, and boutique gyms.

But after years of working in drug and alcohol programs, sex offender treatment units, high-intensity behavioural programs, and even with juvenile offenders, one thing stands out above everything else: mental health doesn’t discriminate.

Whether you’re behind bars or living in a beautiful coastal suburb, struggles with mental health can touch anyone. Anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, these are not limited by postcode, job title, or social class.

In prison, I’ve sat across from people who have committed unimaginable crimes, yet when you strip away the behaviours, you often see pain, neglect, and unhealed wounds. In the Eastern Suburbs, I’ve worked with people who “have it all” by society’s standards, but behind the facade of success and lifestyle, there can be the same loneliness, stress, or reliance on unhealthy coping strategies.

The environments may look worlds apart, but the human experience of suffering and the need for compassion, support, and connection is universal.

When we remember that, it becomes easier to separate the person from the behaviour, to see the human being beneath the story, and to hold hope that change is always possible.

Because at the end of the day, mental health doesn’t discriminate. And neither should we