Mental Work

Bron is joined by Marie Vakakis (Mental Health Social Worker, Couple and Family Therapist) to unpack how to work with affairs and betrayal in therapy. Using hypothetical cases, Marie walks through what to do when an individual client discloses an affair, and how to support couples after an affair is discovered. They chat about: 👉🏽 Affairs as “turning away” from a relationship, and ho...

Bron is joined by Matthew Jackson (Psychologist and Board-Approved Supervisor) to unpack why so many psychologists can be deeply compassionate towards clients but harshly critical towards themselves. Matt reflects openly on how his upbringing, attachment and his own therapy have shaped his relationship with self-compassion, and Bron discusses how she is is at the start of her own self-compassion j...

Bron is joined by Claire Trevitt (Psychologist) to explore the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM), which is one diagnostic alternative to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (the DSM). Claire explains how the PDM uses the same diagnostic categories as the DSM but adds depth around personality and subjective experience, which can give mental health workers a different perspectives on their cli...

Bron is joined by Fiona Mann (Clinical Psychologist and Board-Approved Supervisor) to chat about balancing parenting young children with building a career in psychology. Fiona shares how she fell pregnant halfway through her clinical Masters, worked through her registrar program with twins on the way, and now works in a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), plus what she has learnt about flexibilit...

Bron is joined by Jordan Turner (Educational and Developmental Psychologist) to unpack how to work well with clients who have ADHD. Both are ADHDers themselves and passionate about delivering neurodiversity-affirming, helpful therapy for ADHD clients. They chat about: 👉🏽 What ADHD is, why the DSM criteria only tell part of the story, and where executive functioning fits 👉🏻 Assessment pathways,...

Bron is joined by Matthew Jackson (Psychologist) to unpack psychologist myths and facts, quickfire style. Bron presents the myths (which Matthew has not heard before!) and Matthew weighs in, from whether therapists secretly judge clients to whether you can only take clients as far as you've gone yourself. They chat about: 👉🏽 Judging clients and having favourite clients 👉🏻 Does charging a fee f...

Bron is joined by Marie Vakakis (Mental Health Social Worker and couples therapist) to chat about working with couples who stonewall, withdraw, and shut down. Marie unpacks the Gottman Method's "Four Horsemen" and shares exactly what to say and do when a couple's session starts to unravel. I found the episode really helpful for individual work, too! They chat about: 👉🏽 The Four Horsemen: Critici...

Bron is joined by Krasi Kirova (Clinical Psychologist) to chat about identifying coercive control in the therapy room. Krasi shares her own '3Ds' framework, built from years of clinical work, to help clinicians name abuse that doesn't always look obvious. They chat about: 👉🏽 Krasi's '3Ds' framework : Disrespect, Disempowerment and Distortion 👉🏻 Why coercive control is so often missed by psycho...

Bron is joined by Mish Kumar-Jonson (Mental Health Social Worker and Chair of the Iceberg Foundation) about bringing anti-oppressive and anti-colonial practice into therapy. Mish shares how their own experience of migration and community shaped a lifelong commitment to supporting LGBTIQASBP+, neurodivergent, and BIPOC communities, and supporting mental health practitioners to unlearn colonial norm...

Bron is joined by Renae Martelli (psychologist, Board-approved supervisor, and former school psychologist) to unpack what school psychology really involves. Renae shares how the role differs from private practice, why the work is more varied than most people expect, and how to figure out if being a school psychologist is for you.  They chat about: 👉 What a typical school psychologist's day a...

Bron is joined by Amy Howell (Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Co-Founder of Centre Self Collective) to unpack what our core psychological needs actually are and why they matter so much in clinical work. Amy shares how unmet needs in childhood shape attachment styles, coping patterns, and the schemas we carry into adulthood, and why acknowledging this isn't about parent-blaming. They chat a...

Bron is joined by Anastasia Sagris-Desmond (psychologist and graduate of the Pathways to Politics Program) about advocacy beyond the therapy room. Anastasia shares how three decades working in gambling harm and family violence led her into politics, union leadership, and co-authoring a book on coercive control and financial abuse. They chat about: 👉🏽 Why early-career psychologists often feel pre...

Bron tackles a listener question: how do you actually stay evidence-based once you're out of university, time-poor, and no longer have easy access to academic databases? She walks through the full range of free and low-cost options, from AI search tools to library memberships, so you can keep up-to-date with research without it becoming a second job. Bron covers: 👉🏽 The AI tools built specifical...

Bron is joined by Kyle Miller (psychologist working in forensic private practice) about what it's really like to work with people who have committed sexual or violent offences. Kyle shares how he found his way into forensic work almost by accident, and why "I work with people" has become his guiding philosophy. They chat about: 👉🏽 The biggest misconceptions about people who commit sexual offence...

Bron is joined by returning guest Harriet Isles (psychologist and founder of Restorative Space Psychology) to talk about therapist self-disclosure. Harriet shares her practical, intentional approach to deciding when sharing personal information with a client helps the therapeutic relationship, and when it gets in the way. They chat about: 👉🏽 How to know when self-disclosure is actually for the c...

Bron is joined by Nishie Govender (clinical psychologist and occupational psychology consultant) for an honest conversation about building a career that looks nothing like the one you imagined. Nishie shares how realising full-time clinical work wasn't sustainable for her led to a fulfilling dual career working between corporate psychology and private practice, and what prompted her to go back to...

Bron is joined by Samantha Duroska (clinical psychologist) for a practical deep dive into using imagery techniques in therapy. They chat about: 👉🏽 How to adapt if clients struggle to visualise 👉🏻 The common mistake of talking about imagery but not actually doing imagery 👉🏿 How to manage dissociation risks with simple, practical grounding strategies 👉 Why allowing clients to feel strong emot...

Bron is joined by Richard Sedgman (social worker and founder of Live Well HQ) to talk about one of the most emotionally challenging areas in clinical work: supporting clients through grief and loss. Richard draws on his three years in palliative care and extensive private practice experience to share what actually helps, and what well-meaning therapists often get wrong. They chat about: 👉🏽 The d...

Bron is joined by Ethan Solomon (organisational psychologist and private practice therapist) to chat about building a career that blends both therapy and corporate work. Ethan shares how he went from wanting to be a clinical psychologist to specialising in psychometric assessment, leadership development, and coaching, while keeping one foot firmly in private practice therapy. They chat about: 👉🏽...

In this short bonus episode, Bron discusses the financial stress experienced by many psychology students undertaking placements and the push to include psychology students in the Australian Government's Commonwealth Prac Payment scheme. She covers: 👉🏽 Why psychology students currently miss out on the Commonwealth Prac Payment 👉🏻 The data on financial stress during unpaid placements 👉 Case stu...

Bron is joined by returning guest Matthew Jackson to celebrate episode 200 with a live recording about one of the most important questions in early-career psychology: how do you actually make this career sustainable? They chat about: 👉🏽 What hasn't worked for their own sustainable practice, including poor work/life boundaries, rescuer complexes, and placement scarcity 👉🏻 How time-blocking psyc...

Bron is joined by Ceara Rickard (psychologist, Board-Approved Supervisor, and lived experience leader at Life Without Barriers) for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really means to be a psychologist. Ceara shares her journey to working proudly in the NGO and lived experience sector, and challenges the profession to grapple more critically with power, privilege, and human rights. They chat...

Bron is joined by Kate Crosher (founding director of the Australian Educational and Developmental Psychology Association, AEDPA ) to unpack the Australian Psychology Board's proposed training pathway redesign. Kate breaks down what the proposed changes are in plain English, reassures current trainees and early career psychologists about what could change (and what isn't), and makes a compelling ca...

Bron is joined by Patricia Gallagher (psychologist & EMDR consultant) to unpack how early-career clinicians can safely and confidently support survivors of family and domestic violence. They chat about: 👉🏽 The difference between toxic relationships and coercive control 👉 How to respond when clients don’t recognise they’re in an abusive relationship 👉🏿 Managing rescuer instinct...

Bron is joined by Tiffany, a licensed psychotherapist based in Switzerland, to chat about the emotional realities of starting out in therapy and what it’s like working in mental health on the other side of the world. They chat about: 👉🏽 Why personal therapy helped Tiffany become a better clinician 👉🏻 Feeling like you’re “drowning and swimming at the same time” when star...