Signposts for Living with Dr Kirsten Hunter

Podcast: Relationships - how to heal hurts. Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan. When we have said something or done something to hurt our special person, it is a skill to know how to heal the hurt. How to move forward and genuinely feel okay. This podcast breaks down what we need from the other person in order to overcome our hurts. A simple sorry doesn't cut it. Why? Well we talk through the why&ap...

Podcast: Doing school differently - for kids that haven't thrived in mainstream schooling. Special Guest Libby Rosentreter Libby is an advocate for neurodiversity and alternative educational settings. She is the principle of Samaritan College in Toowoomba, SE QLD, Australia. Libby is one of those people that quietens all the noise, and gets to know what the inner working are of each child tha...

Podcast - Is it cliche that our childhood shapes us? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan. In session, the Psychologist hopefully doesn't say the cliche words 'tell me about your childhood'... but the truth is, our childhood is central to shaping us.  How we learn about ourselves (healthy or unhealthy), how we learn to be in relationships (healthy or unhealthy), how we learn to relate to the...

Podcast: Do you appreciate your body in the good times? We humans have a bad habit of taking things for granted. Our bodies are no exception. Yes, when we are unwell, we miss when we were well. But then, when we are back to health, we tend to stop appreciating the health and capacity that we have. What a great topic to take a moment to consider... and to wake up to. We truly benefit in our mental...

Podcast: My experience with Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. Special Guest Holly Paterson. Where to begin? This podcast is layered with so many intriguing and confronting themes and issues... trauma, utter desperation, the power of psychedelic assisted therapy, and healing. Holly is a highly intelligent, informed and articulate advocate for so many who are lost to trauma. As she explains, Holly was e...

Podcast: 'I fear conflict.' Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan It's a strange thing.... client after client come in and say these words 'I fear conflict.' This is a completely valid statement of course, and it's often core to the struggles that we are having. No problems there... what is interesting is that we tend to think that we're alone in this thinking framework, w...

QUICK CHAT: Domestic Violence - Does the cycle always continue? There is no doubt that when you have been exposed to psychological or physical Domestic Violence, there are high odds (due to dangerous subconscious psychological forces) that you will end up in another Domestically Violent relationship. But... this is when the patterns remain under our conscious awareness and therefore out of our con...

The Vanuatu Project: bringing music to children. Special Guest Melissa Buchholz. Melissa is a truly extraordinary pianist. If you have ever had the opportunity to hear her perform, you know that her reputation and impressive credentials are well earned. But her passion does not stop there, Melissa wants to bring music to those who don't have access to musical education. Her focus started out...

Podcast:- Separated Parents - Does your child feel like a visitor? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan Children can be very adaptive to parent separation when it's done well. We all know the obvious don'ts like 'Don't speak negatively about the other parent...', but there are some other curve ball issues that we need to master to make sure our child's childhood is not highjac...

When we are trying to help people who are anxious, overwhelmed and stressed it can be hard to know what to say. Of course we can't fix other people's struggles, although we might like to and may try. I love this simple analogy that came to me in session... the broken leg analogy. What do you think?

Podcast: Girls - Walking them through their teenage years, perfectionism, judgment, silence, mean girls and survival.  This is a huge topic that effects so many families. It's tough being a girl, and tough parenting girls with so many social and personal obstacles to navigate.  Mia is a bonafide expert on teenage girls. Her passion and dedication is unwavering.  She brings with her insight an...

Podcast: Are you creating guilt in your child. Co-presenter Kristen Coggan Guilt is the strangest emotional state and thinking process. As parents, it's extraordinary how easy it is to set our child up to feel guilt. Perhaps we are programmed to feel guilt ourselves from our childhood, our culture or our religion. But guilt is a problem. Guilt can lead us to make choices that are not our own,...

QUICK CHAT: Boundaries in Relationships It is an important skill to learn - how to not feel responsible for others but remain supportive, and how to now allow others to step over our boundaries, and impose their needs on us. It's a tricky area. But once we master this skill (well enough anyway) we can prevent so much pain and heartache. 

Podcast; False Assumptions about Muslim Women. Special Guest Ellisa Parker Ellisa is one of those people who can't sit on the side lines. She's passionate about learning, advocating for the environment, woman and the community. As an Australian woman who has converted to her Muslim faith, she provides a fresh perspective on her religion, especially as she is someone who asks questions an...

Podcast - Why do people stay in toxic relationships? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan.  I am often asked this by distressed friends and relatives who painstakingly see their loved one stay in a toxic relationship. This is a tough question to be sure. I'm glad to take the time to flesh this out and really examine why people stay in a relationship that harms them.  I'd love to hear your thought...

Communication is like throwing a ball.  Psychologists spend a lot of time talking about communication. It's the foundation of so many tricky life issues. I love this analogy of it being like throwing a ball... and not pegging it. Check it out. What do you think?

Podcast: Death Doula - supporting end of life. Special Guest Deb Anderson We have support with so many challenges in life, so it makes sense that we may need support with arguably life's biggest challenge - dealing with death. Deb is one of those rare people who has the skill and the gentle presence to help during this end stage of life. Many of us have not heard of a Death Doula. I was very...

Podcast - Parenting through your child's first crush. Co-presenter Kristen Coggan. This is a sweet one. It is inevitable that your child will have their first (second and third!) crush, and let's hope that you have the sort of relationship where they can come to you with their whirlwind of emotion and confusion. This is a beautiful opportunity to tenderly understand, support and guide yo...

Podcast - Our Teenage girls: Perfectionism, Confidence and Losing your Twirl. Special Guest - Mia Patterson. Mia has been working in the world of education all her life. She is gifted, passionate and insightful with regard to the inner working of teenagers. Tonight we explored the headspace of many teens who fundamentally lack confidence and fear self expression. I just love how Mia plays the goof...

How to support a loved one with grief. Most people are scared of the grief state, so we can be awkward with how to support our loved ones. Many people either over-fuss, or withdraw do to fear. I'm happy to take a moment to talk through this process and to normalise that this is in fact a difficult area for most of us. Unfortunately, we are all going to find ourselves in the position of a love...

Podcast: Why mental health self-diagnosis is on the rise... and so dangerous Dr Google is a common source of information when we are trying to understand what is wrong with our body and our minds. With regard to psychological disorders, I can tell you from too much experience that this is routinely inaccurate and therefore harmful. Kristen and I talk through this modern day dilemma, and discuss wh...

Grief is hard enough, but Complicated Grief is a whole new level. I'm always eager to share psychology knowledge. I hope this is helpful to you. Mental Health Support Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/mentalhealtheachother Our monthly Psychology newsletter - https://kirstenhunterauthor.com/newsletter/ Mental Health and Psychology Blog – https://kirstenhunterauthor.com/psychology-blog/  ...

We met Robyn in Alice Springs, we were both staying with the deliciously eccentric Franciose Builder, our mutual friend. It was here that we first heard of her travels, leaving her winery behind her, Robyn has travelled all around Australia and back again. She then came and visited us in Toowoomba, which meant we could do our podcast face to face. It was a treat! Robyn is a bundle of energy who ca...

Phobias are more common than you think. There is no limit to the different things we can develop a phobic fear of - birds, flying, milk, grasshoppers, butterflies, eating noises, storms, heights, deep water... Just when I think I've heard it all, along comes another unique phobia. The good news is that you can overcome them. We talk through what phobias are and how they tend to form. I'm...

How would it be if you harnessed the ideal human state (state of flow) with how you approach parenting? This is about setting up your kid's world so they are being creative, expanding and experiencing genuine contentment and immersion in life. This is a great area of parenting to learn about. Everyone benefits! Mental Health Support Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/mentalhealtheachothe...