Pebble in the Pond

At approximately 1.30pm on the 15th March 2019, the Christchurch Mosques shootings bought the feared reality of horrific acts of terrorism to the door step of the otherwise typically passive citizenship of New Zealand. The extreme nature of this incident echoed around the world triggering an outpouring of support and connection both nationally and internationally. First responders directly involve...

When it comes to the mental health of our rural communities, tele-health and mobile van services are an excellent supplement to our health system. However, factors such as community trust can impact on the effectiveness of these innovative approaches to mental and physical health care. Senator Rachel Siewert has been in Parliament for over fourteen years, building up a vast portfolio in Family and...

Over the last half-century, Indigenous Australia has been transformed by a number of political and social forces that have been accompanied by changing patterns of mental disorders. While the excess vulnerability of Indigenous Australians to adverse mental health outcomes is widespread, it is changing with time and is unevenly distributed. One professional dedicated to finding out more about menta...

For people who live and work in rural and remote Australia, unspoken stigmas and a lack of available services can often lead to neglected mental health. Dr Jennifer Bowers is the inaugural CEO and MD of Rural & Remote Mental Health Ltd a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. In recognition of the unique circumstances and challenges faced by Australians living and working in rural and...

If you’ve got a brain and a blood supply, you’re susceptible to mental illness; it doesn’t discriminate. Kevin Humphreys was a military combat pilot and commander, who now as a civilian rescue helicopter pilot, flight instructor and examiner has a powerful message about mental illness to share. Flying Blackhawk helicopters by age 21, Kevin would go on to complete several deployments in East Timor,...

If you’ve ever found yourself on the receiving end of a co-worker or employee’s problems, it can be difficult to know how to respond appropriately. So, what if you knew there was a way to become an effective accidental counsellor? In this week’s episode, psychologist Richard Thorpe joins us to discuss how a simple counselling model can be implemented into the workplace by both employers and employ...

What happens when the person responsible for managing mental health cases is the one who becomes unwell? This was exactly the case for our very own association ambassador Camille Wilson, a lived experience advocate, founder of Grow Together Now, a social enterprise with the mission to change the way we see mental health in workplaces. In this week’s episode, Camille takes us on a journey of her pe...

More and more, we’re seeing workplaces take a driving seat in the health and wellbeing of its employees. James Hill and Aaron McCann are prime examples of what happens when employers and employees come together in the name of mental health.  As Energy Australia’s mental health ambassadors, both men have used their respective personal experiences to take awareness of workplace mental health to...

When it comes to mental health services, are we really looking at the bigger picture? As a former panel member for the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service, Barbara Disley has heard the stories of over 1,000 people who experienced abuse or neglect while in state care. She is currently the Chief Executive of Emerge Aotearoa, a large non government mental health, disability and social housi...

Episode nine and this week we’re shining a spotlight on the mental health of children, with a guest who’s committed to curbing the numbers of self harm and suicide among children. Appointed in 2013, Megan Mitchell is Australia’s first National Children’s Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. In her work to date, Megan has focused on the prevalence of suicide and intentional self-...

In the world of mental health, peer support workers are an integral part of our community. With over 24 years’ experience, Gabrielle Vilic is a well-respected leader in the mental health sector, working across a range of government and government sectors. In advocating for peer support, she has developed the lived experience workforce to over 50 positions in the last 4 years. Tune into episode eig...

With the increase in apps, technology and online self-help resources, mental wellbeing in the digital age is an area of fast-paced development. Professor David Kavanagh is a clinical psychology researcher at Queensland University of Technology and chairs the Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council. Over the last 12 years, David has been developing and testing e-mental health programs an...

Joining us for episode six is Shaun Robinson, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. With degrees in business and community work, Shaun has held several CEO positions in not-for-profit organisations, addressing issues from child wellbeing to HIV and AIDS. He has been a management consultant to public hospitals, as well as a policy advisor to former New Zealand prime minist...

Onto episode five and this week we are shining a spotlight on a leader who has shaped the strategic vision of organisations across the globe on diversity and inclusion. Following a decade of guiding South African organisations on dismantling apartheid in the workplace, Heather Price has continued her mission for creating working environments that are psychologically safe. This is defined as a pers...

Craig Hamilton was a high-profile sports broadcaster for the ABC when, in September 2000, on the eve of his assignment for the Sydney Olympic Games, he experienced a major psychotic episode in public that led to him being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Craig spent 12 days in hospital and once he recovered, set out to spread the word on mental health awareness. Listen in as we chat with Craig abo...

Commonly referred to as floating, floatation therapy or sensory deprivation has taken the world by storm, praised by celebrities and clinical professionals alike for its relaxing effects on both mind and body. Dr. Justin Feinstein is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Director of the Float Clinic and Research Centre at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research. His laboratory investigates the effect...

What looked like everything going great had a very different story behind the scenes. International speaker Matt Caruana is using his dark past and turning points as a catalyst to instruct, inspire, influence and impact people's frame of mind, for them to change their lives. Find out more about Matt's life-changing journey with mental health and how he has used his experience to reach others in ne...

Listen in to episode one of our podcast with one of the biggest names in mental health. Discover Lucy Brogden's journey into the mental health industry. Hear how she balances life as a wife and carer to husband John, how she found a calling for her passion and how she became a key driver for workplace mental health.