Psych for Life with Dr. Amanda Ferguson

Have you considered the future of work? In this episode I chat with Caitlin Guilfoyle, a Workforce Transformation specialist and leader within PwC's Future of Work practice. Caitlin develops the firm's point of view in market and supports clients across all industries, to help them prepare for their future of work, now. So if you're keen to stay a step ahead of the ever-changing wor...

Mindset is our most powerful psychological tool, as the way we think causes the way we feel and behave. With the uncertainty and turbulence of the last few years, we have been forced to become more conscious of how to help ourselves not only survive, but thrive. With the term mindset becoming more and more popular, this episode dives into:- What is mindset- Does our mindset impact our goal achieve...

In this must listen episode, I chat with Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg, psychologist, author and parenting and adolescent specialist, about the impact on adolescent mental health post pandemic and how we can best support teens to not only survive, but thrive. Listen in to hear - - why teen mental health needs to be prioritised now more than ever- the one conversation you should have on high rotation with...

As the saying goes, laughter really is the best medicine and in this episode of Psych for Life I delve into why laughter and humour are important to our health, happiness, learning and relationships. Staying physically and socially connected is critical for our resilience, however in recent years this has been severely restricted – and so too our opportunities to share a joke and a good laugh with...

Is it time to improve your sleep? In this episode I chat with Dr. Moira Junge, CEO of Sleep Health Foundation and Director of Australian Sleep and Alertness Consortium. As a psychologist specialising in sleeping difficulties, Moira's focus is on education, awareness and prevention. If you're keen to uplevel your sleep or simply get it back on track, listen in to find out:- is 8 hrs a nig...

How does our increasingly volatile world impact our individual goal achievement – and why are our goals still so important? Dip into the fascinating history of work engagement, self-regulation, performance, goal setting and achievement. Learn more about the nature of volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) times, the discoveries made about performance and achievement for these times. Ga...

I caught up with Chelsea Pottenger, an international wellbeing speaker, ambassador for mental health charities, and author of “The Mindful High Performer”. Chelsea suffered a life changing mental health crisis, suicidal ideation and was hospitalised for postnatal depression. Listen in to find out -- what is EQ and why it deserves more of our attention- why you want to future-proof your mindset and...

Anger often gets a bad rap and certainly – aggression should! However, anger is an important emotion and when used wisely – it's part of how we empower ourselves and others, achieve amazing things and stay mentally well. In the latest episode of Psych for Life I chat all things anger, so tune in to find out - - the 3 ways we communicate with anger and how to make anger work for us, not agains...

In this wonderfully engaging yet highly insightful episode, I sit down with Daisy Turnbull, a secondary school teacher of 10 years, published author of two books, Lifeline counsellor and mother of two. We discuss her new book “50 Questions to Ask Your Teens”, the many facets of raising teens, and some of the most powerful processes parents can adopt during this part of their parenting journey.   D...

Friendships are strange things. In other relationships the rules are pretty clear to most of us, but friendships can take so many forms and many of the rules are concealed – and are often bewildering. When we make a true friend it’s like a magic spell has been cast over us – we feel so lucky! But what do we do when this initial bubble bursts? What does the work of friendship involve? How can we be...

In this fascinating chat, I sit down with my friend and peer, Nell Zandberg, to discuss the highly topical and often deeply fraught business of blending families. Most marriages in the western world end – so the likelihood of finding ourselves creating a blended family is high. There has been a rapid rise in this recently, with nuclear families seeming set to soon become uncommon. 40% of families...

Job crafting is how we shape our jobs to align with our strengths, values, and interests. Scrutiny of job crafting began before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but since then, it is now considered an essential workplace skill for those who want to stay engaged in their work, secure in employment and successful in their careers. But what is it exactly and why should you be onboard? Whether you're a...

What impacts women's ability to do better with money? How do past traumas affect our future financial decisions? On this episode of Psych for Life, I welcome back Jane Monica Jones, a Financial Therapist, to dive deeper into how women move from disempowerment to empowerment and agency when it comes to their finances.

Snowflake or no flake? Are our youth actually strong in declaring their sensitivity? And are we being too harsh in our judgement of them? Is it really a case of these young people lacking resilience, as they have been hastily accused? Or are there more meaningful benefits for us all from this apparent sensitivity? This episode is an anthem to the younger generations! I discuss the impacts of the l...

In today's episode I speak with Evelyn M. Field, OAM a psychologist and international authority on treating school and workplace bullying. With over forty years experience, we discuss what bullying is, contributing factors, short and long term impacts and how to help students and adults develop social survival skills to manage school bullying. Discover how bullying can damage, not only the vi...

In this episode of Psych for Life, Dr Amanda covers the essentials you need to know about gaslighting and how it can impact relationships. Gaslighting is a term many are familiar with, but often struggle to understand what it actually is and how to protect yourself from Gaslighters.

In this episode Dr. Amanda Ferguson and neuroscientist Professor Mark Williams discuss the health, developmental and social problems children are facing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This fallout comes at a time in history when young people with the most well-developed social skills will be the successful adults of the future. Problems in social development, resilience, mental health, and...

Dr. Amanda explains what narcissism and other personality disorders are and why they can be very destructive to these people and others. Personality disorders are more than your average bad moods or habits and they are quite common. They are in our families, workplaces, and communities. Even though the difficult person you are dealing with may not be a murderer – or psychopath – disordered persona...

Dr. Amanda is joined by Financial Therapist, Jane Monica-Jones to discuss people's mindset and behaviours with money. From financial sabotage to economic empowerment, Jane shares what our spending habits mean psychologically and how we can have a better relationship with money. Together, Dr. Amanda and Jane discuss just how important it is for our mental health to have an understanding of our...

Dr. Amanda has helped countless patients overcome their sleep problems and get a better night's rest. In this episode, Dr. Amanda looks at the science behind sleep, what can lead to sleep deprivation disorders and the recent development of 'covid-somnia', a term describing sleep issues relating to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Research shows our sleep is imperative to our p...

As a chairman of LifeLine Australia and president of Lifeline International, John Brogden shares his insight and own personal experiences with mental health and losing the will to live. Following a very public resignation from his high profile political career as the leader of the opposition in NSW, Australia, John experienced first hand the crippling despair of depression and attempted to take hi...

In this episode, Dr. Amanda is joined on the mic with old friend and casting director for the Ensemble Theatre, Merran Regan, as they discuss the link between performing arts and psychology. As the daughter of an artistic theatre director, Merran shares the history of the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney, Australia as well as life as a casting director and how Covid-19 has affected the performing arts i...

Since the pandemic of 2020, work burnout has become an increasingly prevalent issue, affecting employees and organisations across the globe. Our every day and work life are more intermingled than ever before and the effects on our mental health can be devastating. As a global expert in work engagement and having investigated the related construct of burnout, I share how to recognise the signs of b...

In this episode, Dr. Amanda Ferguson takes a deep dive into understanding addiction and its connection to trauma with practicing psychiatrist of over 20 years, Dr. Bruce Lachter. Dr. Bruce explores this correlation and the similarities between the two as he explains that addiction is often the 'echo' of trauma and discusses the complicated issues surrounding addiction and its effects. Dr...

The year 2020 not only brought us the start of a new decade but also began the era of uncertainty. We faced many challenges and changes over the year including natural disasters, race riots, political unrest, economic downturns and the worldwide spread of Covid-19. As we enter 2021, many of these crises follow us into the new year and with them the unknown of what is to come. However, history and...