Signposts for Living with Dr Kirsten Hunter

Podcast - Do people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder believe their own lies? Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan You should have seen Kristen's face when I bought this topic into the room. Truth is fairly irrelevant to people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, they tell a version of the story that suits their agenda, so many lies. But do they know they are doing it? Do they realise their p...

Podcast - Singer Sue Ray; neurodivergence  in the creative world Sue Ray is known as an Australian Indigenous multi-award-winning singer/songwriter. She's has roots in the Australian and American music scene. Her authentic and fresh approach to country/blues and roots music is matched by her enchanting voice (have a listen - you won't forget her voice once you've heard it). Today ho...

Weaponising incompetence. Someone may never have paid the bills, cleaned the bathroom, learnt how to communicate effectively, learnt how to calm their anger, learnt how to do the washing... you name it... But do they try to learn or simply say 'I'm not good at that'. There's a difference between knowing our weaknesses and stepping away from trying to improve ourselves. Let&apos...

Podcast: The difference between hyperfixation in ASD and ADHD. Co-presenter Kristen Coggan This is an interesting dissection in the world of psychology. Hyperfixation is a common characteristic of both ASD and ADHD, but yet there is a difference in the expression of this symptom across these two diagnoses. Let's see if we can clear this up?

Podcast: My challenges living in Antarctica. Special Guest David Wardle It's not very often that you get to have a sit down chat with someone who has lived in Antarctica, so I was beyond eager to dive into David's lived experience on this one. I have always thought it would be like living on another planet to live in Antarctica, and hearing David's stories... I was not wrong. I also...

Quick Chat: Do you really have a bad memory? A lot of clients say to me 'I have a bad memory', when it truth memory is a complex thing and their reported experience of their memory is very much in the realm of normal / typical... This may be an interesting quick chat for you to reflect on your memory (strengths and weaknesses) and for you to learn to work with your beautiful brain.

Podcast: Do you have to be psychologically minded to be happy? Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan With our increasing focus on our mental health, our level of self awareness, and our psychological skillset, I ask the question of whether this is all essential to be happy? The question may appear obvious, but perhaps there are those that are smiling through life without much psychological intelligence.  Th...

Choices - the end of life. Bringing Voluntary Assisted Dying Legislation to QLD. Dr Harry Jacobs and Fiona Jacobs. I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Harry and Fiona Jacobs. Through their medical background and their personal story of loss, they have taken action where action was urgent and overdue. Harry and Fiona explain with such clarity and sensitivity the various...

Those in the know come along to Couples Therapy to tweak and further strengthen their relationship. But most couples come along at absolute breaking point, where their long held patterns of behaviour have created a huge chasm between them that is difficult, but often not impossible to recover from.  We can learn from this. There is so much to learn about ourselves and our partners. There is so muc...

Podcast: Domestic Violence against men. Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan It is estimated that 1 in 4 women (27%) experience domestic violence. Sadly, this is a known fact. What isn't known is that 1 in 8 men (12%) also experience domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Men are routinely left in the shadows when they experience DV (coercive control, physical violence, psychological a...

Podcast: Transitioning our children with Autism into adulthood; a parent's perspective. Special Guest Dr Karen Glasby. Karen wears so many hats when it comes to this topic. She is an academic, and an advocate for parents, but most importantly she is a mother of a young man with Autism. Karen, like many parent's, has been to hell and back with her son. Her family have watched helplessly a...

Are you critically judgmental or compassionate judgemental, there is a difference.  I have clients come into session worried that they are judgemental, that they are critical of others. This opens up a fascinating topic of what it means to observe your world and how you respond to what you see.  I thought I would add this topic out of interest because it always creates such interesting responses. ...

Podcast: The gender roles that have shaped you.  Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan Have you ever thought about who your role models are with regard to your masculinity and femininity? With regard to your sense of your gender? It's a fascinating personal question. Are there adults who you swore you'd wouldn't turn out like, or other's in your personal world or in a more far off role t...

Podcast: It's nice to be nice; why volunteering is amazing. Special Guest 'Krazy Kevin' Howarth.   Kevin is one of those big personalities that leaves a lasting impression. Kevin is a man of many talents, he is 'Krazy Kevin' radio and DJ personality, he is Toowoomba's Town Crier, he's officially the loudest person in Australia, he has won the 'Best DJ in the...

Do you know the difference between OCD and OCPD? Over my 25 years as a Clinical Psychologist, I've seen this misunderstanding come up time and time again. A client comes in complaining that they or their partner has OCD, but they actually have OCPD, and vice versa. One presentation is a debilitating anxiety condition, the other is a personality type.  Have a listen. You might recognise these...

Podcast: What do your pet peeves say about you? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan You know those things that irritate you, and drive you nuts? We all have pet peeves. We can I'm sure all list them easily. What is interesting is that our pet peeves are unique to each of us and this is a very interesting thing. Our pet peeves actually say a lot about us. They are a reflection of our personality trait...

Podcast: Murder of my 8 year old brother - Change in DOCS legislation. Special Guest: Chantelle Deetlefs The media made a living off this 1982 tragedy, but up until now, Chantelle Deetlefs, the key witness has never told her story.  This tragic story is about so many things; mental health, dangerous critical assumptions and decisions, ignoring multiple cries for help, duty of care, risk assessment...

Quick Chat: Can parents tell their children not to smoke if they are smokers?  This controversial topic comes up surprisingly often in session. Parents don't want their children to smoke, but what if they themselves are smokers? What if they are modelling smoking as a normal way of life to their children?  This is super tricky issue and I have loads of empathy for adults caught in this situat...

Podcast: Why should we cry? Our chemical release. Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan Do you know what happens to your neurochemical self when you cry? Our bodies are pretty clever in their design. When you hear what the physical perks are of releasing a good cry you might just embrace the opportunity when next it comes up. I personally feel extremely comfortable with tears. I don't feel unsettled wh...

When Suzie Holt wins the Federal election in 2025 for the seat of Groom (come on Toowoomba... surely!), our region is in for a much needed shake up. I never put my hat in the ring for politics, but with Suzie Holt I'll make an exception. I've known Suzie for perhaps 18 years, and I can tell you she's got brains, a strong community conscience, brilliant communication skills and the w...

Podcast: The importance of financial independence for women; breaking the cycle. Special Guest Bec Balfour It's very difficult to leave a toxic relationship. One of the most daunting and practical barriers can be our finances. Financial independence of some sort means that we have more freedom and choice to leave.  Bec Balfour comes at this topic from many angles. She has her personal story o...

Quick Chat: What is forgiveness really? Forgiveness is one of those words that we use, but we don't really think about what exactly we are referring to. From a psychological viewpoint, forgiveness is far from straightforward. How have you gone with forgiveness in your past? Have you discovered that it's actually a multi-layered thing to do.  Let's talk...

Podcast. What is age anyway? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan Age is such a subjective thing! How you feel within yourself, how you feel physically, your outlook, how you feel in the world... there are so many elements to age. I know some very old young people, and some very youthful older people, which begs the 'what is age anyway'.  As always Kristen and I enjoyed diving into this question...

Podcast: Being a great leader for self and others. Special Guest: Vanya Hinton Every since I started these podcasts I have wanted to interview Vanya. Not only is she extremely experienced and knowledgable in this organisational psychology field of leadership, but she is my dearest friend since childhood and through all of our adult life chapters together. This opportunity to hear more about her fi...

Consent and the importance of being a good human. Special Guest: Adair Donaldson Adair is a respected Solicitor who has a history of taking on community issues. He doesn't let things go when he takes on a passionate cause. Fortunately for those who have benefited from hearing him speak on the topic, he is passionate about educating youths and the public generally about the urgency and importa...