Pebble in the Pond

Once a child or young person discloses their thoughts, plans or acts related to self-harm and suicide, mental health professionals rapidly enter a space which requires both clinical and ethical decision-making. This can include sharing this information with parents, sensitively but clearly. Parents are likely to respond to this news with a range of experiences and emotions, commonly shock, denial,...

Working in a frontline environment routinely exposes an individual to trauma. When combined with pre-existing psychological experiences, this can be a trigger for traumatic injuries including PTSD. It doesn’t matter what type of injury was sustained in the line of duty - direct physical trauma or observed trauma – the impact is synonymous.  The experience of trauma has a neurobiological impact on...

When you or someone you know is having a hard time mentally dealing with things, the simple realisation that you’re “not alone” make a huge difference to how you deal with it. This is the foundation of lived-experience – to share stories, extend empathy, and help shape the outcome for others in similar situations. Our guest for this week is Vanessa Kite, a Maori woman of Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto de...

When it comes to addressing addiction in Australia, issues of underfunding, under resourcing and continued stigma prevents us from progressing further. To move forward, we must consider a system reboot. This week, we welcome Dr Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute and Director at 360Edge, a consultancy specialising in the alcohol and other drugs sector. With 30 yea...

Addicts, especially those leaving the prison system, need intensive support at this critical point of vulnerability. A stable job and income are important elements to provide structure, consistency, and purpose. This week’s guest Simon Fenech is Operations Manager of Fruit2Work, an enterprise creating meaningful employment opportunities for those impacted by the justice system. His transformation...

Suicide and mental health matters are global problems. To break the stigma, we need to speak out. Sharing personal mental health experiences has proven to be an effective means to provide valuable insight into suicide prevention initiatives, as well as contribute to improved care and enhanced safety. One man committed to making a global difference in suicide prevention is this week’s guest, Stuart...

Despite the best efforts of governments over the years, providing timely, appropriate, and equitable access to services supporting child mental health has been problematic. Both parents and professionals have difficulty navigating a fragmented service system, and there are long waiting lists for assessment and treatment. At the same time there is increasing recognition of the importance of conside...

Developing and implementing a framework for mental health training and support in a large organisation is essential. It also requires a significant amount of hard work, research, testing, and feedback. This week’s guest Tania Raghavan is a Senior Psychologist with the Queensland Police Service. She has played an integral role in developing the QPS Mental Health and Wellbeing Literacy Framework and...

As we all know, adolescents are highly influenced by their peers - and healthy peer relationships are important predictors of good mental health. However, the importance of peer relationships is not catered for in many mental health programs for young people, instead focusing on clinical intervention or online support materials. This week’s guest David Butt has played an integral role in shining a...

Over recent years in Australia, overall rates of methamphetamine use have declined, however of those who use methamphetamine, ice is the most popular drug of choice. This week’s guest Professor Dan Howard was the Commissioner of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug Ice and delivered his final Report to the Governor and Premier of NSW in January 2020. A former President of the NSW Mental...

Ever wonder why addiction works in a cycle? The answer could be all in your head. This week’s guest Judith Grisel took her first drink of alcohol at 13, and soon began using other addictive drugs. In less than a decade, her life completely transformed, ending up in a drug treatment centre. After learning about the disease model of addiction, and getting clean and sober, she went on to earn a Ph. D...

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, cultural connection, positive self-identity, and a sense of belonging within family and community are the bedrock of health and wellbeing. If we are to improve outcomes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and perspectives must be at the heart of systems that impact children. This week’s guest Catherine Liddle is an Arrernte/Luritja woma...

There is a subtle but dangerous belief that the pressures and challenges of events in the workplace cause stress. This form of thinking could be seen as an ‘outside-in view’, where an external event is the cause of an internal response. In many cases there is a strong correlation between workplace risk factors and reported states of stress, however, this relationship is not causative. In other wor...

In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have significantly higher mental health needs than other Australians and experience psychological distress at around 3 times the rate of the non-Indigenous population. To close the gap in inequality and provide the right treatment and support, we need a collaborative solution. This week’s guest Tom Brideson is a Kamilaroi/Gomeroi man born...

In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are the most at-risk group of experiencing domestic and family violence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic and family violence workers warned there would be increased violence as a result. It is now indisputably evident that violence caused by COVID-19 has had a devastating impact, particularly on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander...

Alcohol and other drug use are the leading cause of disability in young people. Comorbidity between alcohol and drug use and mental health problems is common - and can quickly and easily have grave outcomes. Very few young people with substance abuse problems seek help, with a staggering average of 18-years between identifying they have a problem, and receiving treatment. While evidence-based trea...

After a traumatic event, there is the responsibility to tend to the wellbeing of attending staff and individual personnel leading a command. This includes preparing for, giving evidence in and supporting staff post-inquest. Building a response capability and a workplace where relationships are positive, respectful and supportive are the cornerstone of good outcomes. Dedicated to building resilienc...

In 2020, the health care landscape was significantly impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic. With restrictions and border closures in place, access and costs of illicit substances have impacted on the patterns of use for those with substance use disorders. Offering insight into how COVID 19 has changed the alcohol and other drugs landscape from the perspective of a busy metropolitan emergency departmen...

Essential services, including frontline workers, carry a high stress load, resulting in more prevalent mental health conditions and an increased risk of suicide. So, how have our frontline workers been faring over a tumultuous few years – and what can we do to help? Here to answer these questions are this week’s guest Dr Alex West, Senior Psychologist for Victoria Police, and clinical lead in Well...

What does it mean to be a bloke today? And what do we want it to look like tomorrow? The tide is changing for men young and old, and the outdated stereotype is leaving some of our mates, dads, sons, uncles, teammates, workmates and brothers stranded without the tools for a healthy life. This week’s guest Tom Harkin is one of Australia’s pre-eminent advanced facilitators dedicated to reinventing ma...

On average, Australians living in rural and remote areas have shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury, and poorer access to and use of health services compared to those in metropolitan areas. So, how can we improve mental health accessibility to people living in rural and remote areas? This podcast guest, Dr Joseph Dunn, qualified Psychiatrist and medical superintendent has a solution –...

We’re all guilty of a little too much screen time. But when we’re raising a new generation of tech-savvy users consistently glued to their devices, how can we make sure they don’t get consumed by the virtual world? Whether its Facebook, Instagram, gaming or entertainment such as Netflix or YouTube, the common issue is a lack of ability to turn it off, or use it at the appropriate time and place. T...

Despite all the money the Federal and State governments have invested into domestic violence, DV homicide numbers remain at a stable rate. Why? According to this week’s podcast guest Amy Mouafi, it comes down to a handful of factors. Amy believes a fundamental reason is the innovation of the status quo. Services are funded to deliver the same thing and there is no real 'early intervention'. Anothe...

It comes as no surprise that children who are exposed to traumatic events such as homelessness often develop social, emotional, health and behavioural problems. So, how can we prevent this from happening? With a particular interest in child protection and meaningful support for families, this week’s podcast guest Jessica Braat believes early intervention and providing appropriate services after tr...

During times of disaster and crisis, there is one necessity that drives a team to focus, persist, and achieve set goals. That necessity is effective leadership. Joining us this week to talk about leadership during times of crisis is Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons of Resilience NSW. After a distinguished career with the NSW Rural Fire Service over 35 years, Shane was appointed as the inaugural Comm...