Mental Work

Bron and Brede chat about MUSIC THERAPY! 🎶 We discuss 👉🏽 Who music therapy can help 👉🏻 How creativity is therapeutic 👉 How to become a Registered Music Therapist 👉🏿 Common misconceptions about music therapy aaand 👉🏾 Practical advice for psychologists interested in incorporating music into their therapeutic practices. Guest: Brede Davis, Registered Music Therapist & Co-Chair of the Australian Music Therapy Association's Culture and Diversity Advisory Group LINKS InstagramWhat is music therapy? THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Please rate & review on Apple and Spotify. Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕ Sponsor the show for $2 a month on Patreon Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Marie explore how to work effectively with teenage clients. We cover 👉🏽 The importance of getting to the root cause of behaviours like vaping or excessive phone-use 👉🏻 Managing parents' expectations 👉 Ethical complexities when working with young people 👉🏿 TikTok self-diagnosis 👉🏾 Ways to build rapport with teens. I learned HEAPS when recording this ep, and I hope you do too! Guest: Marie Vakakis, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) and Family & Couples Therapist at The Therapy Hub LINKS Family Therapy: The basics and an intro to relational dynamicsFeeling Confident Working with Parents.This Complex Life THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Please rate & review on Apple and Spotify. Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕ Sponsor the show for $2 a month on Patreon Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Rebecca explore all things joy, play, and fun! They chat about the importance of joy for sustainability in our careers, the common challenges of therapist schemas like self-sacrifice and unrelenting standards, and practical ways that therapists can bring joy into their work to keep burnout at bay. This was a delightful chat and I definitely felt ready to make more space for joy and play in my daily life by the end! Guest: Rebecca Black, Clinical Psychologist at Nourish, Heal & Grow Psychology & Coach at Sustainable Therapists LINKS Building a Sustainable Career in PsychologyBosco and his Big Stick EnergyDog Wins with Big StickDog Obsessed with Big Sticks THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Please rate & review on Apple and Spotify. Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕ Sponsor the show for $2 a month on Patreon Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron chats with Matthew about Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and its application for folks diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). We dive into the stigma surrounding BPD and discuss how reframing BPD as a trauma response can help us to be more compassionate practitioners. Matthew explains the core components of DBT, the importance of a supportive therapeutic relationship, and his favourite DBT strategies. Guest: Matthew Jackson, Intensively Trained DBT Psychologist. LINKS Online training in DBTDBT Skills Training Manual for TherapistsNeurodivergent-friendly workbook of DBT skills by Sonny Jane WiseDialectical Behaviour Skills WorkbookA Systematic Review of the Association Between Early Childhood Trauma and Borderline Personality Disorder (2023)Research article: The Role of Trauma in Early Onset Borderline Personality Disorder: A Biopsychosocial Perspective (2021)Multiple and Interpersonal Trauma are Risk Factors for both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review (2019) THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Please rate & review on Apple and Spotify. Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕ Sponsor the show for $2 a month on Patreon Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Come celebrate our 100th episode with us! 🥳🥳🥳 Bron is joined by editor of the podcast, Dr Michael English, to reflect on this huge milestone and listen to clips from our favourite episodes. What was the most requested episode? The most fun episode? The most listened to episode? You'll have to listen in to find out! (PS: I say it in the episode, but I'll say it again, thanks so much for listening 🥹 We're so glad the podcast has been helpful to so many of you. Your kind words and support mean so much 💖) THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Please rate & review on Apple and Spotify. Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕ Sponsor the show for $2 a month on Patreon Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron chats with Betty about her experiences of failing the National Psychology Exam. Betty shares the emotional toll of failing, the financial implications, and the struggle with shame and self-doubt it brought. We highlight the need for more open discussions about setbacks in the psychology profession and stress that failing an exam does NOT define one’s worth or capability as a psychologist. We thank and applaud Betty for vulnerably sharing her story, and hope that listeners who have not succeeded in passing the exam feel less alone - We support you! 💖 Guest: Betty Farrell, Provisional Psychologist LINKS Coping with Challenging Feedback"From Special Ed Teacher to Working in Prisons" Studying for the National Psychology Exam with Amanda MosesClick here to learn more about AAPi and become a member THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Please rate & review on Apple and Spotify. Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕ Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron chats with Jordan about why she chose to work as a contractor and how she knew it was time to open her own private practice. We also unpack what you need to know if you're considering contract work, including 👉🏼 What's a fair split arrangement? 👉 How do I know if I'm a contractor or an employee? 👉🏿 The importance of understanding the financial side of contracting. Guest: Jordan Turner, Educational & Developmental Registrar LINKS Working with parents and kidsWorking while pregnant"First time mother"Fair Work Australia - All about independent contractingFair Work Australia: "I think I could be an employee not a contractor"Differences between employees and contractorsClick here to learn more about AAPi and become a member THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Sherry-Lee explore the application of trauma-informed approaches, particularly Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, to eating disorders. We dive into 👉🏿 trauma-informed care 👉🏽 adapting trauma therapy for clients with eating disorders 👉 What EMDR is and how it can be used to help clients with eating disorders. Guest: Sherry-Lee Smith - Director of the Phoenix Holistic Health Centre, Psychologist, EMDR Consultant, Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician LINKS Graham TaylorCaroline BurrowsChris LeehereCentre for Integrative HealthTrauma-Informed Approaches to Eating Disorders THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eating disorders are complex but don't stress, we're here to help. Bron and Harriet chat about 👉🏿 The critical roles that body dissatisfaction, shame, and perfectionism play in eating disorders 👉🏾 Treatment approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Enhanced (CBT-E) and Maudsley Family Therapy 👉🏻 The importance of being aware of your own attitudes towards weight and shape 👉 Why treatment plans need to be client-centred 👉🏼 Guidance if you're interested in specialising in eating disorders. Guest: Harriet Iles, Psychologist LINKS Body Matters AustralasiaNational Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC)hereCentre for Integrative HealthClick here to learn more about AAPi and become a member THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ Thanks Jemma! 😍 We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Daniela talk about how to ensure that therapy is culturally responsive, particularly for clients of Asian heritage. They chat about 👉🏽 Daniela's lived experience as a person of the Asian diaspora 👉🏻 How culture shows up in therapy (even if we're not aware of it) 👉 Strategies for building rapport and retaining clients who are culturally-diverse 👉🏿 Daniela's passion project, Project Horizon, in which she strives to make culture part of the therapy conversation. Guest: Daniela Ho Tan, Clinical Psychologist and Advanced Accredited Schema Therapist at Mindwealth Psychology LINKS workshopsProject Horizoncontact@projecthorizen.com THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕Thanks to Steph for the coffees! ✨😍 We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might have heard that professional associations exist for psychologists -- but what exactly do they do, and what are the benefits of joining one? Bron is joined by two Directors of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi) to chat about what professional associations do for their members, how professional associations collaborate with Government, and where psychology advocacy is headed in the future. Guests: Sahra O'Doherty (AAPi President) and Carly Dober (AAPi Director). LINKS Check out the AAPi conference, 20-22 March 2024 in BrisbaneAAPiAPSAACBTACPAEMDRAAISSTACBS THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ THANKS SO MUCH to Sarah and Anonymous for the recent coffee donations 🥹. Even though we are now sponsored by AAPi, the coffee donations still help to cover costs and keep the podcast going. We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clients often share information that hits us right in the feels: Things that are sad, traumatic, angering, devastating, and everything in between. Bron and Matthew explore how to go about actually processing the emotional impact of therapy sessions. They chat about 👉🏽 Ways to lessen the risk of vicarious trauma 👉🏻 Managing the challenge of not being able to talk about client sessions with loved ones due to our ethical obligations 👉🏿 Our strategies for processing sessions. Guest: Matthew Jackson, Psychologist Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Dr Aaron Frost discuss the importance of deliberate practice in the development of psychologists. They highlight that psychologists can reliably improve their skills by collecting client data and working on the areas that are difficult (like client retention), instead of learning therapy after therapy. We talk about 👉 What role plays should look like 👉🏼 Why step-by-step improvement is the goal to therapist skill development 👉🏾 How to find a deliberate practice supervisor. Guest: Dr Aaron Frost, Director of Benchmark Psychology / Program Lead for the Psychology Registrar Endorsement Program (PREP). LINKS Psychology Registrar Endorsement ProgramBenchmark PsychologyPsychology Supervisor Training and Approval Program"Creating Impact: the four pillars of private psychology practice"Better Results: Using Deliberate Practice to Improve Therapeutic Effectiveness THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron chats with her brother, Cameron, who is an NDIS participant and lives with cerebral palsy. They discuss his experiences, his preferences when working with psychologists, his likes and dislikes in the way people approach his disability, and how the NDIS could improve. Listen in for an insightful chat! THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Katherine demystify the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and working effectively with people with a disability. They chat about 👉🏽 Katherine's insights as a Behaviour Support Practitioner 👉🏻 The importance of understanding the functional behaviour of people living with disabilities 👉 Katherine's advocacy work within the disability sector. Guest: Dr Katherine Elliston, Psychologist / Representative on the Australian Disability Advisory Council (Tas), Deputy Community Chair of the Premier's Disability Advisory Council (Tas). LINKS Where do psychologists fit into the NDIS?10 Steps to Excellent NDIS ReportsAustralian Disability Advisory CouncilPremier's Disability Advisory Council THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bron and Dr Michael deep dive into the world of PhDs. They chat about 👉🏽 their very different experiences of doing a PhD 👉🏻 How doing a PhD has helped Bron to be a better therapist 👉 How Michael has used his PhD as a postdoctoral researcher & PhD supervisor 👉🏿 Tips, tricks, and considerations if you're thinking of studying a PhD. Guest: Dr Michael English, Postdoctoral Researcher ✨ SPECIAL NEWS ✨ The Mental Work podcast has a NEW sponsor -- The Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi). Check out the announcement on our socials here (Insta) and here (LinkedIn). AAPi works really hard to create a unified, equal, and diverse psychology profession, and these values align perfectly with my own, so I'm THRILLED to have AAPi sponsor the podcast. If you're not already an AAPi member, do check them out and see whether they are right for you: https://bit.ly/JoinAAPI LINKS Thesis Whisperer THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Mental Work is sponsored by the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) - Click here to learn more about AAPi and become a member. Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron is joined by listener Nick to chat about his unique transition into psychology at a later stage of life and while he was a full-time Executive Director of HR. They chat about 👉🏽 The challenges he faced and sacrifices Nick made to study psychology 👉🏻 The importance of having a solid support system and being patient in your psychology career journey 👉 Guidance for other listeners who may be thinking of switching careers or coming into psychology from a non-psychology career 👉🏾 Nick's passion for serving the LGBTIQAP+ community 🏳️‍🌈 Guest: Nick Gotsis, Clinical Psychology Registrar and Executive Director THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ We want your episode ideas! What aren't we talking about that early-career psychs need to know? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron and Marie unpack family therapy using the hypothetical case study of the Wilson family, who are finding it hard to be in the same room without arguing, all while navigating work stress and teenage development. They chat about 👉🏽 When family therapy is appropriate 👉🏻 How to conceptualise presenting concerns in family therapy 👉 Common family therapy strategies 👉🏿 How to understand family dynamics 👉🏾 Further training and reading recommendations for budding family therapists. Guest: Marie Vakakis, Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW), and Family & Couples Therapist LINKS "We don't need your help but please fix our children"Book: Mastering Competencies in Family Therapy: A Practical Approach to Theories and Clinical Case Documentation by Diane Gehart Book: Growing Yourself Up: How to Bring Your Best to All of Life's Relationships by Jenny Brown THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Thanks Matthew for joining up! 🥳🌈 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ Thanks to Jade for the coffee! Have an early-career question? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year Mental Workers, and welcome back a new season of the Mental Work podcast - it's great to be back! 🥳⭐ In this ep, Bron and Matthew chat about how to reclaim the joy of being a psychologist if you've lost it. They discuss 👉🏽 The factors that can lead to disillusionment for early-career psychs 👉🏻 What gives us joy in our work 👉 Matthew's journey of reclaiming joy after losing it (hint: being authentic plays a BIG part). Thanks to listener Neta for suggesting this fantastic topic! 🌈 Guest: Matthew Jackson, Psychologist LINKS Matilda MercuryPrevious episode with Matthew THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ Have an early-career question? Send it to our mailbag! Facebook / Instagram / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our last episode for 2023! Thanks SO much for listening ❤️ Bron thought she would treat you to some uplifting content to round off the year. In this ep, Bron unpacks all the good things about being a psychologist, just in case you've forgotten how unique, valuable, and special our work is. Tune in for some good vibes and a reminder of why we do this mental work. New beaut episodes from January 11, 2024 ⭐. Until then, consider leaving us a rating & review on Apple and Spotify. And let Bron know what you wanna see on the podcast in 2024 by emailing mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com or sliding into her DM's on Facebook and Instagram. THE END BITS Mental Work is your companion to early-career psychology, hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins. Love the podcast? Reviews really help! Leave a rating & review Keep the pod alive by joining our Patreon for $2 a month 😎 Thanks SO MUCH to new Patron Matthew! 🥰 Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee! ☕ YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website / Apply to be a guest / Email Bron CREDITS Producer: Michael English Music: Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.