BESIDE YOU
Supporting those who support others.
You spend so much time being there for someone else.
This is somewhere that's here for you, too.
WHAT WE DO
A community built for the people who are always there for everyone else.
CONNECT
Meet people who understand. Have a coffee, talk, laugh, make friends — or simply be around others who get it.
LEARN
Optional practical conversations and lived-experience education about supporting someone without losing yourself in the process.
BELONG
Community activities, stalls, projects and opportunities to have something that's yours outside of caring.
OUR STORY
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Beside You was founded by Melanie Allsop, a 19-year-old lived-experience educator, author and mental health advocate from Sydney.
Melanie (Mel) first entered the mental health system at 13 and has spent much of her adolescence navigating mental health services, including extended periods in inpatient psychiatric wards and mental health intensive care. Some of her most formative and developmentally significant years were spent growing up within these environments — meaning hospitals were not simply places she went to receive treatment, but places where she experienced significant parts of adolescence, identity development and growing up.Those experiences have given her an unusual perspective on what it feels like to be the person on the receiving end of care — particularly during periods when communicating what you need can be incredibly difficult.She has since turned those experiences into education, writing and advocacy. Melanie is the author of two books, For The Girl I Used To Be and Beyond the Medical Record: Understanding Mental Health Care Through the Eyes of a Patient, has had articles about mental health care and the patient experience published by Mamamia and KevinMD, and contributes lived-experience education for healthcare students and professionals.Her work focuses particularly on trauma-informed and patient-centred care, therapeutic communication, understanding distress, and the small differences in how support is offered that can completely change how it is received.But through that work, Melanie began noticing another side of care that was rarely being spoken about: the people doing the caring.She had experienced what it was like to desperately need support. At the same time, she had watched the people who loved her try to work out how to give it — often without guidance, preparation or anyone looking after them in return.And the same story kept appearing in other families.
We spend a lot of time talking about how to support the person struggling. Far less attention is given to the person standing beside them.
That gap became the beginning of Beside You.
WHERE THE IDEA CAME FROM
When Melanie’s mum first found herself in a caring role, she felt lost.She wanted desperately to help, but there was no handbook telling her what support should actually look like — when to step in, when to give space, how to start difficult conversations, or how to help without overwhelming the person she loved.She was also scared of getting it wrong. Of saying too much, doing too much, damaging the relationship, or somehow making things worse.More than a decade later, she has now cared for multiple different people with varying needs.Along the way, particularly in hospital waiting rooms, emergency departments and mental health services, she has met countless other carers — especially mothers — who have quietly described the same experience.“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” "I feel so alone."And often, while everything understandably revolves around the person who is struggling, the carer’s own world becomes smaller. Hobbies get pushed aside. Social connections can change. Their own needs move further down the list.Some become afraid to talk openly about how hard caring can be because they worry about judgement, stigma, or being seen as though they are complaining about the person they love.That is why Beside You isn't only about learning how to support someone else.It's about making sure carers have somewhere they can be supported, too.
A CARER’S PERSPECTIVE
Melanie’s mum will also be involved in Beside You, bringing more than a decade of caring experience and sharing some of the things she wishes she had known when she first found herself in that role.From approaching difficult conversations and knowing when to step in, to finding the balance between offering support and giving someone space.One of the things she believes most strongly is making sure your loved one always knows you are showing up for them — while respecting that they still have a choice in whether they are ready to let you in.Her hope for Beside You is equally simple: to create a place where carers can experience respite, connection and a sense of nurture — somewhere they can step out of the caring role for a little while, be around people who understand, and have space for their own needs too.Beside You isn't built around having all the answers.It's built around not having to figure everything out alone.
GET INVOLVED
Beside You is just getting started — and we'd love you to be part of what it becomes.Whether you're a carer looking for connection, someone who would like to help, or a local organisation interested in supporting the initiative, there are different ways to get involved.
I'D LIKE TO ATTEND!
Are you supporting a loved one through mental health challenges, disability or other additional needs?Register your interest in joining a Beside You gathering. There’s no commitment — it simply helps us understand who would like to come and keep you updated as our first gatherings are organised.
I’D LIKE TO HELP
Beside You will be shaped by the community around it.If you'd like to volunteer, help with community stalls or fundraising, contribute an activity, share a skill, or simply lend a hand as we get started, we'd love to hear from you.
I’D LIKE TO SUPPORT BESIDE YOU
We're currently working to establish our first regular gatherings. Support could include venue assistance, community partnerships, resources, promotion or financial contributions towards the costs of getting started.
Not sure where you fit? That's okay. Get in touch and tell us what you're thinking.
WANT TO READ MORE?
If you’d like to learn more about the experiences and ideas behind Beside You, Melanie has written extensively about mental health care from the patient perspective.Through the link below, you can access her two published books and three published articles exploring lived experience, trauma-informed care, patient-centred support and what care can feel like from the other side.
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