The Playful Psychologist

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, I explore the topic of seasonal depression and how this differs from the winter blues. When the weather gets colder, the nights seem longer and your motivation to get out and about can seem to constantly low. While Feeling less than excited about the colder nights is common, but feeling very, very bleak during Winter might be something more. This...

In this week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I explore fidgeting and fidget toys. Fidgeting is making small movements with your body, usually your hands and feet. It’s associated with not paying attention, and often reflects discomfort and restlessness. For example, if you’ve been listening to a lecture for a long time, you may find yourself tapping your pencil. Fidgeting can increase your...

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, I explore employee vs contractor positions. Recently, so many new graduates have reached out to me about how stressed they are when it comes to employment. They don’t know whether to accept an employee position or to accept a contracting role. This episode will discuss the pro’s and con’s of both. Please note, this is my personal/professional opin...

In this week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I am joined by Emma Gray to talk about postpartum mental health. Emma is a mum of two who is really passionate about sharing the highs and lows of parenting. Emma is also the founder of a community organisation called The Nurtured Village. Together with twelve other mums across the east coast of Australia, she organises meals and gifts for new mu...

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, I am joined by Alana Gardini.   Alana is a mum of two little boys and an Australian paediatric physiotherapist with over 14 years experience. Alana currently works on the Gold Coast at a clinic called All About Physio in Nerang. Alana has also written an amazing book which covers gross motor milestones in infants and young children.  This episode...

In this week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I am joined by Deedee Zibara to explore the effects of additives and preservatives on behaviour. Deedee is a nutritionist, personal trainer, and mindset speaker for young people and is passionate about educating people about food that fuels your body.  In this episode, Deedee answers the following questions: What are additives and preservatives?...

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, the topic of Carer Burnout is discussed. Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. It may be accompanied by a change in attitude, from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can occur when caregivers don't get the help they need, or if they try to do more than they are able, physically or fin...

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, I explore autism and some of the confusions surrounding diagnostic 'labels' and misconceptions around how individuals on the autism spectrum may present. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a lifelong, developmental condition that affects the way an individual relates to their environment, interacts with others, communicates, and copes wi...

After you graduate university, it feels like you are really thrown into the deep end. A huge part of being a psychologist is focusing on your own mental health. For me, this was a big struggle in that first year after graduating university! This episode of The Playful Psychologist explains the struggles I experienced in that first year, despite landing my dream job! It also explores a really simpl...

This is the final episode of The Playful Psychologist for 2020, and what a year it has been! Psychologists have been pushed harder this year than ever before and we all know how difficult it has been to maintain boundaries during tele-health sessions and not being able to physically ‘leave work at work’ because let’s face it…work is now your dining room table! This episode explores common difficul...

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss friendships and why they are so important. I think we can all agree that friendships are pretty important. Having friends gives us a sense of belonging and security. This episode explores: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how friendships/a sense of belonging impacts our ability to reach self-actualisation  Why it is important for children to de...

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss some of the common misconceptions about routines and why parents try to ‘avoid’ them. I also discuss how routines can actually help with spontaneity and creativity! Routines are a normal part of life for most people, even those who consider themselves spontaneous. Routines don’t have to be rigid. They don’t have to become boring for you and yo...

In this week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss the different between bribery and reinforcement. When I work with young kids, I often suggest positive reinforcement as a strategy. However, the most common response is ‘isn’t it a bad thing to bribe my child’ or ‘I don’t want to teach my child to rely on bribes!’ This episode is going to explain how bribery and reinforcement are not th...

Welcome to Season 2 of The Playful Psychologist! This season will include some interviews with other health professionals, as well as information requested by you guys via my social media platforms!  This week’s episode focuses on Imposter Syndrome. Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalised fea...

This week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist is all about developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are behaviours or physical skills seen in infants and children as they grow and develop. Rolling over, crawling, walking, smiling and talking are all considered milestones. Milestones are different for each age range and offer important clues about child's developmental health. Reac...

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss emotional intelligence and why I believe it is SO important to focus more on emotional intelligence over IQ.  Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. Having emotional...

On today’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I interview my younger brother, Richard, who is on the autism spectrum. Together, we answer listener questions in the hope of shedding more light onto the needs and wants of people on the autism spectrum. We explore the following questions: -      What are some of your biggest accomplishments? -      Did you do ABA therapy when you were little and if...

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I chat to Jen Hamilton who is the founder of WOT Baby. I personally used Jen's services with my own son when I was feeling very overwhelmed and her guidance turned my experience of motherhood around! I wanted to get her on the podcast so that she could share some of her knowledge with the rest of you and to also let knew mums know that you are NOT...

In this episode, I answer all the questions that my instagram followers asked me on being a psychology student and early career psychologist. If you are a psychology student or a newly graduated psychologist, this episode will be particularly helpful to you! This episode will explore and answer the following questions: How can you prepare for graduate school/a masters program? What are the require...

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I explore 'Theory of Mind' (TOM). Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states: beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, opinions, and knowledge, etc. to oneself & to others. Theory of mind is necessary to understand that others have beliefs, opinions, and feelings that are different to our own. TOM begins to develop at a pretty yo...

In this week's episode of The Playful Psychologist, I talk about my personal experiences growing up with a brother on the autism spectrum. I explore sibling jealousy/craving attention, sibling anxiety/guilt, worries about the future, and when my relationship with my own brother began to change and why. Having a sibling on the autism spectrum is challenging, and my aim with this episode is to...

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I share how you can use ANY story book to create an emotional learning lesson. I also share my own favourite picture books and  give you the reasons as to why I love them, and how to use them to facilitate a lesson on emotional awareness, identification, and regulation.  Most story books have a clear beginning middle and ending and you can use almost an...

Today's episode is all about mindfulness. The episode includes evidence-based information on what mindfulness is and the broader implications of practicing mindfulness regularly. I explain why I think it is important for kids and how it can help with impulse control, emotional regulation, and social skill development. I also explain why I think it is best used as a preventative strategy. I th...

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I chat about anxiety and children. Did you know that anxiety is the most common mental health diagnosis in children, and that 1 in 10 children experience high levels of anxiety? Even more concerning, is the statistic that 1 in every 14 young Australians (aged 4-14) have experienced an anxiety disorder! This episode will hopefully shine some light on chi...

Hi and WELCOME! This first episode is just a quick introduction to me, who I am, and what you can expect from this podcast in future episodes!  I can't wait to share more content with you guys in the future!