Mindful Speechies

"There can be this oversimplification - ‘just unmask, just be yourself' - but that's terrifying for people. Masking is a safety strategy. You can't just stop." — Jess Farrell — In this month’s episode, senior speech pathologist Jess Farrell returns to explore the profound emotional landscape of late-in-life neurodivergent diagnosis. Shifting away from the pathologising lens o...

"Our brain created this incredible adaptation to allow us to get through... I don’t think we would be where we are today if it weren’t for the incredible skill our mind had in using dissociation as a coping mechanism. I’m really grateful for what our brain has done." — In this profound episode, Kizzy and Andrew sit down with Steph Robertson, a neurodivergent Occupational Therapist, to ex...

"Kids are always trying their best, and behaviour is always telling us something about how a child's nervous system is feeling." ——— In this episode, dual-qualified therapist Kate Broderick joins Andrew and Kizzy to discuss her twenty-year evolution from a traditional, "expert-led" clinician to a neuro-affirming and trauma-informed leader. Kate reflects on how her own neuro...

"My practice is completely different now. I spend a long-time building rapport and asking, 'What's that unmet need?'. How do I first meet that need before we even think about goals." ——— In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Caitlyn Weber, a passionate speech pathologist who brings a trauma-informed and neuro-affirming lens to her work in both pri...

“This is such an exciting time to talk about FND… researchers are finally acknowledging they’ve been too slow to listen to people with lived experience and use that to inform practice and future research.” ——- Note: this episode contains sensitive information including experiences of restrictive practices. If this episode brings up feelings of distress, please reach out to your support network or...

“The more we understand ourselves as therapists, the more transformative our work becomes.” —  Andrew Watt --- In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with  Andrew Watt , a speech pathologist, trauma-informed psychotherapist, and passionate advocate for mental health. Andrew shares his path from studying international relations and Japanese language to b...

“It was a huge leap of faith - I didn’t even have an online presence before that. When I finally started sharing, I was amazed by the incredible support I found online.” --- In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Kizzy Searle, a Speech Pathologist passionate  about trauma-informed practice.  Kizzy Searle is a speech pathologist, mental health advoc...

"Fear of the unknown was more significant than any fear I’d felt interacting with anyone, even when they were quite mentally unwell." - Jess Farrell ——— In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Jess Farrell, a Speech Pathologist and passionate advocate.  Jess is a senior speech pathologist working in a public multidisciplinary mental health...

In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Rose Spiller, a Speech Pathologist and Headspace Youth Access Worker. Rose Spiller is a certified practising speech pathologist who began her journey studying a bachelor of psychological science straight out of high school. With a passion for healthcare and language, she completed a master's in speech path...

In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Becca Henderson, a Speech Pathologist and Mental Health Clinician. Becca is a speech pathologist and the founder of Real Talk Speech Pathology. Based in Geelong, she also provides services to surrounding areas, including the Bellarine Peninsula and the Colac Otway region. Becca’s focus is on supporting individ...

In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Margaret Jacobs, a Speech Pathologist and Jungian Analyst. Margaret began her career as a Speech Pathologist 28 years ago and worked for many years as a Senior Speech Pathologist in Canberra in acute care of both adult and paediatric patients.  Clinically her interest was sparked in working with patients with...

In today’s episode, we explore the intersection of mental health and speech therapy with Rachel Chapman, a Speech Pathologist originally from the UK.  Rachel graduated in 2013 and began her career working within the NHS (National Health Service), where she worked in community clinics and mainstream schools, supporting children on alternative education pathways. She then took a secondment with the...

In this pilot episode of The Mindful Speechies Podcast, co-hosts Andrew Watt and Kizzy Searle open up about how they each discovered the importance of mental health in speech therapy, why they decided to launch this show, and what they hope listeners will gain along the way. They touch on how personal experiences shaped their practice and lay out their vision for a supportive community of speech p...