Emerging Minds Podcast

What are the types of factors that underpin substance use in families and how can practitioners support parents to make changes that will improve outcomes for themselves and for their children? Suzie Hudson, Sarah Watson, Melissa Shee, Lisa Hofman and Sally Field generously share their valuable insights about why practitioners should ask their clients about their children; how practitioners of dru...

Have you always wanted to adopt a child-focused approach when working with parents with substance use issues but perhaps you have been a bit unsure as to what this might actually look like in practice? In this podcast we will hear from four practitioners who will talk us through how children are impacted by their parent’s substance use, how practitioners can open up supportive conversations with p...

In this episode, Dr. Priscilla Dunk-West joins the series again to discuss what separation and divorce look like when it goes well for children.

In this podcast, Clyde Rigney Sr and Rose Rigney share their story of their community, Raukkan. Raukkan is a Ngarrindjeri community on the banks of Lake Alexandrina, whose historical church takes pride of place on the Australian fifty-dollar note. Established in 1859 as Point McLeay mission, and finally being handed back to the Ngarrindjeri people in 1974, and renamed Raukkan in 1982.

This is the second part of a two-part series where we are joined by Emeritus Professor Judy Atkinson and Dr. Caroline (Carlie) Atkinson, CEO of ‘We Al-li’, two extraordinary women who have dedicated their lives to the healing of trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities. Judy and Carlie share stories of practice through a culturally informed trauma-integra...

This is the first part of a two-part series where we are joined by Emeritus Professor Judy Atkinson and Dr. Caroline (Carlie) Atkinson, CEO of ‘We Al-li’, two extraordinary women who have dedicated their lives to the healing of trauma for First Nations children, families and communities. Judy and Carlie share stories of practice through a culturally informed trauma-integrated healing framework whi...

In this podcast, you will meet Darryl Bingapore, a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander man who has faced many struggles since his removal as a member of the Stolen Generations era. Darryl shares his experiences of diversity and healing, and hopes that his story helps to inform trauma-integrated practice for practitioners.

In this episode, Nancy Jeffrey reflects on her own lived experience and wisdom, gained through many years working in and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, families and children in metro, rural and remote communities throughout Australia.

Tune in to hear experienced family violence practitioners and other leaders in the field discuss some of the possible entry points into conversations about children’s wellbeing with mothers experiencing family violence and fathers who are using violence. They’ll also address themes of safety, complexity, and organisational support. This episode is the second in a two-part series on family and dome...

This episode is the first in a two-part series on family and domestic violence and child-aware practice. Tune in to hear experienced family violence practitioners and other leaders in the field discuss the impact of family and domestic violence on children and the mother-child relationship, and some of the practice dilemmas that accompany conversations with mothers about their children’s wellbeing...

In this episode, social worker Nellie Anderson reflects on what she has learned about culturally competent practice through her extensive experience working with refugee communities.

How might children’s social and emotional wellbeing be affected by the changes brought about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? In this bonus episode, Brad Morgan, Director of Emerging Minds, discusses some challenges that might be coming up for families at this time as they navigate spending more time at home together. Tune in to this discussion to hear about what infants, toddlers, and childr...

This episode provides an insight into what culturally competent practice with children and families looks like from the perspective of Mthobeli Ncganga, a practitioner who works with families from migrant and refugee communities with experiences of torture and trauma.

What does the evolving nature of sexual and gender identities mean for working with families? Tune into this episode with Dr Priscilla Dunk-West to explore this question and learn about shifts you can make in your practice and organisation to become more inclusive of rainbow families. Priscilla is a sociologist and social worker and has worked in academia in both Australia and England. She practic...

How do you create a sense of hope for children and families who are in the midst great hardship? Social worker and child and family therapist, Angel Yuen, has spent much of her career in Toronto, Canada, working alongside children, young people, and adults who have been subjected to abuse, violence, and oppression. She has taught narrative ideas in several countries for over a decade and is the au...

What principles and practices keep children's needs at the centre when working with families where there is violence? In this episode, Prof Sarah Wendt interviews Dr Carmela Bastian, both from Flinders University, about child-centred practice in situations of family and domestic violence. Carmela draws on her twenty plus years of experience as a practitioner and academic in the fields of child pro...

How are children from refugee backgrounds faring in terms of their social and emotional wellbeing? Tune into this conversation with Dr Sonia Terhaag to find out what the Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants can tell us about this. Sonia has worked in research for more than ten years in Canada and Australia and currently works on various national longitu...

What can the body's signals tell us about how to respond to trauma? In this conversation with psychologist, Chris Cussen, we draw on polyvagal theory to understand how the nervous system is affected by trauma and what is supportive when working with children who have abuse-related trauma histories. Chris draws on her many years of experience working with the Australian Childhood Foundation to give...

This is a re-released episode from our Community Trauma Toolkit podcast series. In this episode we talk to Michelle Roberts, a psychologist and expert in the areas of child and adolescent trauma, loss and grief, and children's disaster recovery. She has decades of experience as an educator and psychologist supporting school communities, and discusses with us the ongoing psychosocial needs of child...

This is a re-released episode from our Community Trauma Toolkit podcast series. In this episode, we talk to Kate Brady, a Churchill Fellow and National Recovery Advisor at Australian Red Cross, about what happens in a community during and after a traumatic event. She discusses the difference between natural disasters and community traumas, what communities might experience, and how families, commu...

This is a re-released episode from our Community Trauma Toolkit podcast series. In this episode we talk to Dr. Briony Towers, a research fellow in the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University, about the benefits of involving children in disaster preparedness, as well as some of the myths and misconceptions that children hold about disasters and bushfires in particular. In this episode you will...

How do you create a family environment for young people in residential out-of-home care? Service Manager, Paula May, talks us through her experience of setting up and managing a therapeutic youth residential care program in South Australia called 'Jo's'. She explains how the program was designed, drawing heavily on recommendations from the report of the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission in...

What is it like to work in one of the country's main services providing care to trans and gender diverse children and adolescents? Paediatrician, Dr Michelle Telfer, is the Head of Department of Adolescent Medicine at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne and Director of the RCH Gender Service. In addition to improving medical and mental health services for the transgender population, Mich...

A conversation about the influence of technology in children's lives, the impact of screen use on their health, and ways of working with families to manage screen time.

Mentalising is the act of trying to think about what's happening in people's minds in order to make sense of their actions. In this episode, host Dom Kleinig talks to Perth-based psychologist, Dr Matthew Ruggiero about mentalising and mentalisation-based therapy (MBT).  Dom and Matt talk about the skill of mentalising; its importance in human relationships; and how its development can strengthen p...