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 DBT DBT Skills Training Manual for Therapists Research articles: A Systematic Revie ..read more

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 ..read more

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 Fair Work Australia - All about independent contracting Fair Work Australia: "I think I could be an employee not a contractor" Differences between employees ..read more

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 Australasia offers heaps of training for thera ..read more

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 Daniela i ..read more

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 Brisbane The main professional associatio ..read more

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 ..read more

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 Pr ..read more

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 ND ..read more

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 reall ..read more