Expert Insights – Black Dog Institute Podcasts

Black Dog Institute’s Senior Research Fellow Dr Adam Bayes and Clinical Psychologist Dr Laura Kampel will provide an evidence‑based overview of psilocybin-assisted therapy, including: how it works which patients and conditions it may support current pathways for access in Australia Panel: Dr Adam Bayes, Psychiatrist and Senior Research Fellow, Black Dog Institute Dr Laura Kampel, Head of Clinical...

Digital phenotyping is opening new possibilities for proactive, personalised mental healthcare. This webinar explores how continuous insights from smartphones and wearables can help clinicians detect emerging risk, tailor interventions, and deliver support exactly when it’s needed. Join leading researchers as we examine how moment‑to‑moment behavioural data can enhance treatment timing and inform...

Irregular hours. Night Shifts. Long days, blurring into longer nights. For many health professionals, disrupted sleep isn’t the exception; it’s the norm. But poor sleep doesn’t have to be part of the job.  In this panel discussion, we’ll explore the science behind sleep and shiftwork, share the latest research on how disrupted sleep impacts health and wellbeing, and provide practical strategies to...

What happens when standard treatments for depression don’t work? In this special Mental Health Month episode from the Black Dog Institute, we explore the next steps for primary care teams supporting patients with treatment-resistant depression. Designed for GPs and allied health professionals, this conversation explores practical strategies, novel interventions, and referral pathways that can make...

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an ideal framework and set of tools to enhance mental health support provided to clients and patients in a range of settings. It is evidence-based, easy to learn, clearly structured, time-limited, and it is respectful and consultative. Health professionals working across all fields are reporting mental health aspects to their work with clients. Indeed, all he...

To celebrate NAIDOC Week 2025 and its theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, this Expert Insights episode brings together an all First Nations panel to explore how the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Framework can be used to support and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.   Our panellists will discuss how the SEWB wheel can be a powerful tool in st...

This important webinar is designed to equip health professionals and leaders with the tools, insights, and strategies to foster mental wellbeing in their teams during crises and beyond.   This session will: * Present key research findings on healthcare workers' mental health needs during crises like COVID-19. * Introduce an insightful report and checklist as actionable resources for enhancing ment...

Despite decades of government investment, significant research endeavour, and a growing commitment to mental health training and response activities in schools and workplaces, rates of mental health in Australia are rising.   The scale of this issue is staggering: a recent report shows that 494,000 Australians with moderate to severe mental health problems are not receiving the support they desper...

The median age of onset for mental disorders is 14 years. This means, 50% of individuals who will develop mental illness will have already developed the disorder by the age of 14 years. Since children's diagnoses are missed, they do not receive the care that they need and are less likely to receive help, which has a flow-on effect to adolescence where more complicated conditions can present. In th...

The term dMH (digital mental health) covers a wide range of online resources for mental health care.  This includes, but is not limited to, the CBT-based treatment programs that Australia has led the world in developing.   The scientific evidence is important for practitioner confidence but sometimes our patients and clients want to know about it too. This webinar will make it easier for you to ex...

Can engagement with the arts improve children's wellbeing? In this episode, we talk to Dr Diane Macdonald (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Black Dog Institute/School of Psychiatry, UNSW) about her research on Culture Dose for Kids, an arts engagement program for children and their caregivers that has been designed to improve mental health and wellbeing in children who are experiencing anxiety. Joini...

To celebrate the 2024 NAIDOC week (7 - 14 July) theme, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud ( www.naidoc.org.au ), this Expert Insights session focuses on the enduring wisdom, vitality, and strength in First Nations communities, passed down through generations. We explore the power of cultural healing approaches within suicide prevention, with a particular focus on what works, achievements,...

Research evidence clearly supports exposure as a key ingredient in first line treatment for anxiety, yet practitioners can be reluctant to use it with children and young people. In this episode, Professor Jennie Hudson from Black Dog Institute will share her research findings on exposure therapy for anxious children and adolescents as part of an app and programs she has developed for them and thei...

With the plethora of digital CBT apps and programs available, how do you select one that's effective, safe, and engaging for teens?   In this episode, Dr. Aliza Werner-Seidler, Scientia Associate Professor and Head of Population Mental Health at Black Dog Institute, delves into her research on digital cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and its impact on teen mental health. Aliza shares the latest...

How do lengthy mental health service wait times affect service delivery to young people in Australia? In this episode, Bridianne O'Dea, Associate Professor and NHMRC MRFF Investigator at Black Dog Institute, will share her research on wait times for mental health treatment for young people in Australia. Bridi will discuss her research on the impact of long wait times on service provision to young...

The effect of loneliness on mental health: How can we strengthen meaningful connections? Loneliness is a growing community health concern which has been associated with social anxiety and mood concerns as well as physical health complaints and disturbed sleep. End of year rituals and celebrations can serve to exacerbate a sense of loneliness, particularly in socially vulnerable and isolated people...

Join us for the conversation! Screens tend to be a regular part of many young people's lives - to connect, play, learn, and to get news and information. To what extent does screen time affect young people's mental health? Dr Sophie Li, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist at the Black Dog Institute will share her research on this topic to help us understand the various nuances of...

Mental Health Treatment Adherence: What can clinicians do to support clients and patients to stick to treatment for mental health concerns?   Listen to our discussion with Dr Matthew Coleshill (Postdoctoral Fellow, Black Dog Institute) where we will delve into his recent research findings on treatment adherence, particularly regarding how to increase adherence to medication. Professor Sam Harvey (...

In this episode, Black Dog Institute researcher Dr Chloe Watfern, will share her findings about the links between climatic change and climate distress, with research informed by her personal responses to climate crises. She will also be joined by Dr Charles Le Feuvre and a lived experience representative who will discuss the impact of climate change on individual and community wellbeing; collectiv...

To celebrate the 2023 NAIDOC Week theme, ‘For Our Elders’, this Expert Insights episode will look at the vital role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders play, and have played for generations, in guiding communities and families through everyday life right through to broader national advocacy and activism across a plethora of sectors. It will explore the role Elders have in sharing cul...

In this Expert Insights session, we share recent research findings about the concerning rates of mental health concerns and burnout in Australian teachers as well as considerations for improving teacher mental health and well-being and teacher attrition. Teachers' mental health and teacher burnout have long been concerns, and these have been significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, whic...

This Expert Insights session will focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of First Nations Peoples as a result of discussions surrounding The Voice to Parliament.  Discussions and media about The Voice to Parliament are a regular phenomenon in the lead-up to the referendum later this year. What is the effect of these conversations and reports on the social and emotional well-being of Aborigina...

This Expert Insights session will focus on men's mental health and the rise in international male suicide rates.   Dr Zac Seidler will share his research on men's mental health which has looked at shifting how we understand, approach, respond to, and treat men's distress by creating mental health services and therapeutic approaches that specifically take masculinity into account. Our conversation...

Ways to recognize, prevent, and manage burnout have been on the minds of many health professionals, particularly over the past few years. Black Dog Institute has developed a free, evidence-based resource called The Essential Network (TEN) in response to research on burnout in healthcare workers to address this issue. This Expert Insights session explores the findings of Black Dog Institute's resea...

Black Dog Institute's recent report, Turning the Tide on Depression: A journey that starts with Australia’s youth, has tracked an alarming rise in depression and depressive symptoms in Australia’s youth, especially among girls and young women. This Expert Insights session will explore the research behind the report with a focus on the socioeconomic factors at play. It also looks at the role of sex...