Two Old Psychologists Talking About Stuff

Rich and Ray are joined by Dr Freddy Jackson-Brown, a clinical psychologist whose work straddles the fields of contextual behavioural science and artificial intelligence. Freddy speaks about how he has contributed to making psychological support more accessible to people in need through the use of AI, and we talk through some of the pros and cons of living in a world that is increasingly reliant o...

In the first episode of the new 'invite a guest' season, Rich and Ray speak to Dr Dawn Johnson about how she applies Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) to her experience of living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Dawn speaks about her journey toward diagnosis, the impact of that diagnosis upon her, and how she has made use of ACT personally, as well as in her role as a psychologist working with...

In the final episode of Season Two, Rich and Ray discuss a core component of the Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to unwelcome thoughts, known in the trade as 'defusion'. They cover some of the reasons why our unwelcome thoughts seem so convincing and hard to ignore, and some techniques for responding to such thoughts more effectively. Our two old psychologists discuss techniques...

So how are you settling in to 2026? How are you feeling about world events and the future prospects of our societies and our species? Unfortunately, there is a lot of data suggesting that anxiety is on the rise, and that many people are increasingly uneasy about the state of the world. Against a backdrop of polarised opinion, political tension, and rapid technological advances, it can be hard to f...

So, there goes 2025. Was it a vintage year or one we would rather consign to the dustbin of history? In this episode, Rich and Ray round off Season Two by picking over the bones of 2025, selecting their noteworthy moments of the year in terms of their professional lives, the news, wider culture, entertainment, and sport. As always, there is a psychological angle and a sprinkle of good humour over...

It can seem deeply counter-intuitive to work on accepting the discomfort that comes from the presence of unwanted thoughts or feelings. Nevertheless, there is a significant amount of psychological research pointing to the benefits of acceptance, rather than other common responses like avoiding or fighting such experiences. In this episode, Rich and Ray dive into the concept of acceptance, defining...

Rich and Ray are joined by Dr Dawn Johnson, President of the UK and Ireland chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS), to discuss the forthcoming conference in Manchester on 14-16 November 2025. It is the major meeting place for anyone interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and we would love to meet some our listeners there. Please do come and say hello! You can...

Following on from the previous episode, in which Rich and Ray took a theoretical and philosophical look at what is meant by 'the self', this episode is all about how to respond more healthily to the barrage of self-critical thoughts that most of us experience on a regular basis. As ever, our two old psychologists look at this issue through the lens of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), explo...

In this episode, Rich and Ray take on the tricky problem of trying to understand what psychologists mean they talk about 'the self'. Is there really a 'me' in here or is it all just an illusion? In an effort to make such a deep and foundational concept understandable to the audience they provide one example of how 'the self' is made sense of, drawing on the theory and practice of Acceptance and Co...

In this episode, Rich and Ray discuss the concept of values, which is a core component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). They explore how to define personal values, and how they are different from goals, rules, or the kind of 'values' that corporations like to display in their marketing. Our two old psychologists demonstrate a few quick and easy experiential exercises that can help clari...

Rich and Ray, take a psychological angle on what it means to be a fan of something. Where does the word come from? What does it really mean? This episode dives into the function of fan behaviour and the wider context of fandom, exploring a little of our hosts' own history with fanaticism. Listeners should be warned that the episode contains more than the occasional reference to 1970s Doctor Who. N...

Are you interested in understanding why you have no control over what you do and why that might even be a good thing? This episode explores the age old philosophical and scientific question regarding to what extent human beings are able to exercise free will. Are we free agents doing whatever we choose, or are our actions largely determined by biological drives and environmental influences beyond...

Rich and Ray join Podcasthon 2025 , focusing on Winston's Wish , a charity centered on supporting children childhood through grief. Drawing particularly upon Ray's extensive experience of working as a clinical psychologist with people at the end of their life, this episode explores the psychological themes around mortality, dying, and grief. Our hosts discuss why these issues can be so difficult f...

In the first episode of season two, Rich and Ray catch up on recent developments in world politics, most notably, the apparent rise of populism and the re-election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. They explore the psychological conditions that play a role in nurturing these developments and consider some potential consequences. Aside from all of that, you can find out what happened when one o...

After a short break, our two old psychologists are gearing up for a second season. Here's a quick outline of what they've got planned.

It's Christmaaaaaaas! In this bonus episode to round off season one, Rich and Ray are joined by Dr Rachel Black and Dr Dawn Johnson for a discussion of all things Christmassy. This episode discusses the enduring cultural popularity of Christmas as a festival, with reference to both religious and secular traditions. The group discuss all the highs and lows of the festive season, sharing some views...

Our hosts, Rich and Ray, conclude season one, and their journey through the show's title, by exploring an idea that sits deep within the DNA of modern psychotherapy, namely, that humans are not so much distressed by things, but rather, by what we think about things. Human minds have a remarkable ability to construct a version of reality that is so compelling, it can alter our perceptions of the re...

This episode takes the journey through the show's title to a whole new level of tenuous, where Rich and Ray use the word 'about' as a gateway into discussing how humans make sense of the world by relating to ideas and events in terms of other ideas and events. This leads to a discussion about how this ability can be harnessed as a means of promoting insight and behaviour change in a psychotherapy...

This episode further continues the journey through the show's title, focussing on the unique communication abilities of human beings. Using the lens of Relational Frame Theory (RFT), Rich and Ray examine the structure and function of our capacity for language, and how it is that we can communicate so flexibly and at such scale. They also discuss why, at so many levels, we fail to communicate effec...

This episode continues to unpack the contents of the show's title, focussing on the field of psychology and the work of psychologists. Our hosts reflect on the deeper influence of psychology in our lives, why they chose careers in psychology, myths and misconceptions about psychologists, and what makes the field eternally fascinating. Rich also shares his concerns on the increasingly polarized nat...

In this podcast episode, Rich and Ray discuss their recent observations, ranging from sports tournaments to significant political changes in the UK and US. They delve into societal perceptions of ageing, particularly in the context of productivity and respect. The conversation also highlights the age-related controversies in the US presidential election, contrasting the public's perception of Joe...

Join clinical psychologists Rich and Ray as they dive into the importance of human connection. From their serendipitous meeting at a psychology conference to forging a deep friendship, this episode explores why hanging out with others is vital. The duo discuss context in psychology, the cultural stories we tell ourselves about connection, and why solitary confinement is considered a severe punishm...