Anger can affect many aspects of life, even as mundane as waiting in line at the grocery store. But what is anger, really? In this episode, Clinical Psychologists Mark Creamer and Dr Tony McHugh are joined by Senior Scientist at the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Dr Amy Adler, as they consider the definition of anger. During their conversation they explore its cognitive and behavioural components; its normality as a...

Join Lived Experience Practitioners India Guerrieri and Julie Rickard as they share their respective stories of a suicide attempt and suicide bereavement. Throughout their open, honest and candid conversation, India and Julie explore the guilt, shame and stigma surrounding suicide, including how finding the right support and sharing their experiences helped combat their feelings of isolation. Listen as they provide insight into the complexities of experiencing suicidal ideation or grieving...

“So many people fall into the trap of wanting to ignore that this is happening at all to somebody.” - Jesse Sheers In this episode, lived-experience practitioners Jesse Sheers, India Guerrieri and Julie Rickard speak about the importance of breaking the silence and stigma around suicide. Drawing upon evidence-based theories and their own lived experience they ‘flip the script’ on common myths, offering insights on how to initiate and engage in conversations about suicide. They explore the...

Music therapy has the potential to help people both feel better and get better. In the final episode of this music therapy series, our host Clinical Psychologist Professor Mark Creamer, and Registered Music Therapists: Dr Jason Kenner and Dr Jennifer Bibb explore what music therapy aims to achieve, treatment goals and why change occurs. Expand your knowledge by hearing about the difference between individual and group sessions, the ways in which music therapy can meet short and long-term...

So much more than making music; music therapy provides a unique conduit to achieving client goals. In the second episode of this series about music therapy, our host Clinical Psychologist Professor Mark Creamer, and Registered Music Therapists: Dr Jason Kenner and Dr Jennifer Bibb explore what happens in a session. Tune in to learn how music therapists adapt their practice to help a broad range of client groups including premature babies and their parents, older people, people experiencing...

Over millennia and across the world, people have used music as therapy. This three-part series features Clinical Psychologist Professor Mark Creamer and Registered Music Therapists: Dr Jason Kenner and Dr Jennifer Bibb, as they explore the practice of music therapy. In episode one, they offer an introduction to the field of music therapy, what it takes to practice in the field, its different forms, and how it can support different people with a variety of needs. Liked this episode? Stay...

In this episode of Book Club, Brisbane based psychiatrist, Associate Professor Warren Ward, and lived experience Recovery Coach, Lexi Crouch, discuss ‘The Eight Keys to Recovery from An Eating Disorder’ by Carolyn Costin and Gwen Schubert Grabb (2011); exploring the significance of the author’s brave accounts of their experiences with disordered eating. Tune in to learn why Warren and Lexi see the authors' as ‘pioneers’ in the world of eating disorders, and the continued impact of their...

As the mental health impacts of climate change are becoming more widely understood, many practitioners might be considering how climate-distress impacts them both personally and professionally. In this episode, our experts highlight the role that mental health practitioners can play to support individuals and communities experiencing climate-distress, while looking after their own wellbeing. This is the final episode in a four-part series featuring Developmental Psychologist, Ann Sanson,...

With climate-related extreme weather events becoming more prevalent, it’s no wonder the evidence shows that today’s younger generation have significant concerns about the future. How can practitioners support young people when many of them feel that ‘humanity is doomed’? Tune in as our experts share tips and strategies for engaging and supporting young people as they navigate growing up in a world experiencing more climate-related disasters than any generation before. They’ll discuss...

A ‘conspiracy of silence’ around climate change might be present in any conversation, even within mental health practice. In fact, this ‘elephant in the room’ may be bigger than you realise. Tune in as our experts share their top techniques for supporting conversations about climate distress in sessions with clients. Drawing on theories such as Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, they demonstrate how practitioners can better understand a client’s...

While the practical ramifications of climate-related disasters may not be a mystery to many Australian communities, the cumulative mental health impacts on individuals and community may be less obvious or well understood. In this four-part podcast series, join Developmental Psychologist, Ann Sanson, Clinical Supervisor and Psychotherapist, Merle Conyer and Environmental Psychologist, Susie Burke, as they explore and explain the nexus between climate change and mental health. Tune in to...

The impact of social isolation and loneliness has never been more prevalent than in a post-pandemic world. Tune in as Dr J.R. Baker, CEO of Primary and Community Care Services, and Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli, life-course and social epidemiologist, discuss the impacts of experiencing social isolation and loneliness. Combining the latest research with their own anecdotes, J.R. and Rosanne explore the importance of community and the ways in which Covid-19 altered our social landscapes and sense of...

“I have not experienced anyone speak, write, [or] live like Audre Lorde. The things that she was saying 40 years ago are things that I feel like as a society and as a community, we are grappling with today.” – Stephanie Mendis In this episode of MHPN Presents Book Club, social workers Stephanie Mendis and Alyssha Fooks discuss the profound impact that Audre Lorde’s book, ‘Sister Outsider’, featuring a collection of essays and speeches, has had on their personal and professional...

In this three-part series, Professor Mark Creamer chats with emergency medicine and psychiatry experts about mental health crises. Join Mark and his guests as they share valuable tips and strategies to effectively manage and/or avert a mental health crisis and explore how best to mitigate the negative impact they may have on practitioners. In the third and final episode hear from Dr Jacqueline Huber, staff specialist and clinical lead for psychiatry in the emergency department at St...

In this three-part series, Professor Mark Creamer chats with emergency medicine and psychiatry experts about mental health crises. Join Mark and his guests as they share valuable tips and strategies to effectively manage and/or avert a mental health crisis and explore how best to mitigate the negative impact they may have on practitioners. In episode two, psychiatrist Dr Tad Tietze provides insight into the challenge and complexity of supporting suicidal clients. Tune in to hear Tad’s advice...

In this three-part series, Professor Mark Creamer chats with emergency medicine and psychiatry experts about mental health crises. Join Mark and his guests as they share valuable tips and strategies to effectively manage and/or avert a mental health crisis and explore how best to mitigate the negative impact they may have on practitioners. In the first episode of the series, you’ll hear from Dr Song Chan, a consultant-liaison psychiatrist working at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland. Tune in...

MHPN Presents is excited to announce a new three-part podcast series; ‘A Conversation About… Emergency Psychiatry’. Join Professor Mark Creamer as he chats with three emergency psychiatrists and an emergency medicine expert, about mental health crises. They’ll share valuable tips and strategies to manage and/or avert these crises and explore how best to mitigate the negative impact they may have on practitioners. The first episode will be released on Wednesday 2nd August. Don’t forget to...

Join Tim McDonald, a mental health peer worker, as he and psychiatrist, Dr Ruth Vine, discuss the evolving field of peer support; what it is and what are some of the merits, opportunities and challenges Tim has experienced in the role.  Hear Tim’s insights about the importance of relationships in peer work – both within the clinical team and with the service users - and the role of hope. Expand your understanding of this growing and increasingly important peer workforce – its breadth,...

In this episode of MHPN Presents, In the First Person you will hear a powerful story about family violence and maternal mental illness. Join Millie and hear about her lived experience of growing up in a family with a mother with schizoaffective disorder and a father who used violence. Millie describes challenging and adverse experiences in her family life, in particular during her teenage years, and how they impacted her then and now. What supports or strategies did and/or could have...

Join Prof. Pat Dudgeon (a Bardi woman from the Kimberley in Western Australia), Dr Stewart Sutherland (a Wiradjuri man) and Prof. Alan Rosen across this four part series as they discuss how, by living in harmony with nature, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are, at the same time, a strength and a priority in our response to the significant impacts of climate change and the Covid 19 pandemic.

Join Prof. Pat Dudgeon (a Bardi woman, from the Kimberley in Western Australia), Dr Stewart Sutherland (a Wiradjuri man) and Prof. Alan Rosen in the final episode of this four-part series as they discuss how, by living in harmony with nature, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are, at the same time, a strength and a priority in our response to the significant impacts of climate change and the Covid 19 pandemic. Liked this episode? Stay tuned for the rest of the series of A...

Join Prof. Pat Dudgeon (a Bardi woman, from the Kimberley in Western Australia), Dr Stewart Sutherland (a Wiradjuri man) and Prof. Alan Rosen in the third episode of this four-part series as they discuss how, by living in harmony with nature, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are, at the same time, a strength and a priority in our response to the significant impacts of climate change and the Covid 19 pandemic. Liked this episode? Stay tuned for the rest of the series of A...

Join Prof. Pat Dudgeon (a Bardi woman, from the Kimberley in Western Australia), Dr Stewart Sutherland (a Wiradjuri man) and Prof. Alan Rosen in the second episode of this four-part series as they discuss how, by living in harmony with nature, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are, at the same time, a strength and a priority in our response to the significant impacts of climate change and the Covid 19 pandemic.  Liked this episode? Stay tuned for the rest of the series of A...

Join Prof. Pat Dudgeon (a Bardi woman, from the Kimberley in Western Australia), Dr Stewart Sutherland (a Wiradjuri man) and Prof. Alan Rosen across this four-part series as they discuss how, by living in harmony with nature, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are, at the same time, a strength and a priority in our response to the significant impacts of climate change and the Covid 19 pandemic. Liked this episode? Stay tuned for the rest of the series of A Conversation About…...