Better Thinking

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Professor Stephen Hinshaw about his work on developmental psychopathology, clinical interventions with young people and addressing mental illness stigma in the community. Stephen Hinshaw is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was Department Chair from 2004-2011. He is also Professor o...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Christopher Hunt about gambling addiction, gambling treatment, and clinical phenomena observed in gambling clients. Dr Christopher John Hunt is the Senior Clinical Supervisor at the University of Sydney'sGambleAware clinics, which are responsible for co-ordinating government-funded gambling treatment throughout Central, Western and So...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Alina Morawska about promoting positive family relationships as an early intervention tool to promote lifelong health and wellbeing. Alina Morawska is the Deputy Director (Research) at the Parenting and Family Support Centre, The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on behavioural family intervention as a means for promoting po...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Blake McKimmie about the influence of gender-based stereotypes and the influence of different modes of evidence presentation in jury decision-making. Blake McKimmie joined the School of Psychology at UQ in 2007 having previously been a lecturer at Queensland University of Technology. Blake won a Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2010...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Fiona White about the development of effective strategies to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. Fiona White was awarded her PhD in 1997 by the University of Sydney. She is now a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Sydney, and the Director of the Sydney University Psychology of Intergroup Relations (SUPIR) Lab. She ...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Frankie Fong about overimitation and the role of social learning in the development of scientific and religious beliefs and behaviours. Dr Frankie Fong is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Psychology at UQ. His research interests lie broadly in social learning and overimitation, with a particular focus on factors that modulat...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Renee Adair about End of Life Doulas and how their services provide support, options, and education assisting the needs of those who are facing death. Renee Adair is the founder and director of the Australian Doula College , the Groundwork Program and the ADC’s charity-arm Doula Heart Network. She first began working with women and babie...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Michael Duhig about medicinal cannabis trials and research for treating various symptoms in children. Michael Duhig is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist who has completed post-graduate training in Psychology and Health Management. While completing his studies, Michael developed his clinical skills in government and non-govern...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Professor Alex Haslam about identity leadership and its implications in social and organisational settings. Alex Haslam is Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology and Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. His research focuses on the study of group and identity processes in organizational, social, and clini...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Gwen Adshead about the psychological mechanisms that give rise to violence and life threatening behaviour toward others. Dr. Gwen Adshead is one of the UK’s leading forensic psychiatrists and psychotherapists. She has spent thirty years working in Broadmoor, England’s largest secure psychiatric hospital, with groups and individual pat...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Alice Shires about the possible effects of mindfulness training on anger, grief, and chronic pain. Dr Alice Shires is a Clinical and Research Psychologist, Director of the UTS Psychology Clinic. She was Chair of the Australasian Psychology Clinic Directors association (AAPTC) for over a decade and is a member of the NSW Mental Health...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Tanya Cole-Lesnick about why a group is powerful for the same reason that it's intimidating to join. Tanya Cole-Lesnick has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1995, after receiving her master’s degree in social work from New York University. She has extensive experience in both outpatient hospital mental health and private prac...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Cassandra Chapman about the psychology of charitable giving, trust in nonprofits, and public responses to charity scandals. Dr Cassandra Chapman holds a PhD in the psychology of charitable giving (University of Queensland) and is now an Associate Professor of Marketing and ARC DECRA Fellow, specialised in donor psychology and fundraising...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Michael Noetel about effective altruism, existential risk, and decision-making Michael Noetel is a psychologist and an academic trying to find the best way of helping others, and to then put them into practice. He’s an awarded educator, including awards from the Australian Awards for University Teaching. He’s a prolific early career r...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Annabelle Neall about the effects of bullying and harassment in organisational settings. Dr Annabelle Neall is a Lecturer of Organisational Psychology at the University of Queensland. Her research aims to tackle negative workplace behaviour through bystander intervention and psychosocial risk management. Her work has been translated i...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Jolanda Jetten about the consequences of economic inequality for the social and political vitality of society. Jolanda Jetten (PhD, University of Amsterdam, 1997) is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Queensland. She has been employed as an ARC Future Fellowship, UQ Development Fellowship and was recently awarded the 201...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with James Kirby about examining Compassion Focused Therapy and his book entitled ‘Choose Compassion’. James N. Kirby, Ph. D., is a Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychologist, and the Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. He has broad research interests in compassion, but specifically examines facto...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Michael Sugrue about his new best selling book entitled RELENTLESS COURAGE: Winning the Battle Against Frontline Trauma. Michael Sugrue is a retired police sergeant with the City of Walnut Creek with over 14 years of service including specialized assignments as a Field Training Officer, SIU Detective and Undercover Special Agent assigned...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Kristy Goodwin about practical brain-based hacks to tame tech habits and strategies to decode the neurobiology of peak performance in the technological era. Dr Kristy Goodwin is one of Australia’s leading digital wellbeing and performance experts (and mum who also deals with her kids’ techno-tantrums!) She’s a researcher, author, speaker...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Kirrilie Smout about the common elements of mental health treatment planning for children and adults. Kirrilie Smout is a qualified clinical psychologist specialising in working children and teenagers about finding a life vision, creating community among each other, persistence, self-belief, study skills and overcoming obstacles. Kirrili...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Piers Steel about how procrastination shows up in one's life and the related forces that make it irresistible. Piers Steel likes to think he is among the world’s foremost researchers and speakers on the science of motivation and procrastination. Well, he is a Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Calgary, where he teaches hum...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Associate Professor Alan Pegna about cognitive neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. Alan Pegna is a neuropsychologist whose interests lie in the field of cognitive neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. After receiving a Masters degree in Psychology from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and a second Masters degree in Huma...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Steven Hayes about Process Based Therapy, psychiatric medications, and other global issues relating to mental health. Dr Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor in the Behavior Analysis program at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 44 books and nearly 600 scientific articles, his career has f...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Debbie Anderson about her experience practicing as a neuropsychologist. Debbie Anderson works exclusively as a clinical neuropsychologist. She trained at the University of Melbourne and has practised in Queensland since completing her course in 1989. She initially worked in public hospital settings before moving into full time private wo...

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Maggie Dent about the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. Maggie Dent is an author, educator, and parenting and resilience specialist with a particular interest in the early years and adolescence. Commonly known as the “queen of common sense” she is also an undisputed &ls...