The Peregrine Rural Mental Health Podcast

 Birth trauma has been getting a lot of attention lately, with a recent NSW Parliament report  being released last year, highlighting the high prevalence of parents who experienced birth trauma. But what is birth trauma, and what do mental health practitioners need to know about working with people who have experienced it? Join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate, as she talks with Dr Cassandra Sundaraja, clinical psychologist and researcher in birth trauma. They’ll talk the perinatal period, what makes it such a unique time, what can make birthing traumatic, and what practitioners can keep in mind when working with people in a perinatal space.November 23rd to 29 is Perinatal Mental Health Week - you can visit the Peregrine Portal to find a whole range of resources on working with people in the perinatal space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW.In this episode, Dayle is joined by Desley McKellar, an Aboriginal Mental Health Clinical Leader in Far West NSW. It is well recognised that Western models of mental health are not always a good fit for First Nations peoples. Aboriginal Mental Health Clinicians are uniquely positioned to support First Nations people with mental health difficulties in culturally responsive and appropriate ways, while also advocating within the Western mental health system.  Desley discusses the importance of knowing and working with the community, balancing the personal and professional, and the privilege she experiences in getting to do this work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW. In this episode, Dayle is joined by Alice Kenny, an occupational therapist working across Western NSW. Mental health involves our bodies and regulatory systems meaning our day to day functions can be strongly impacted by poor mental health. Alice talks about how occupational therapists consider these daily activities, the ways in which mental ill health can make these activities difficult, and discusses how OTs work with clients on their goals to get back to functioning in the way they want.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW. In this episode, Dayle is joined by Esther Joliffe, a speech pathologist working across Western NSW. When a lot of mental health work is based in talking, having someone who knows about communication can be a real support to the work. Esther speaks about the ways in which speech pathologists can work within a mental health field and why you might consider this profession in your work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW. In this episode, Dayle is joined by Basia Radlinska, a clinical psychologist working in the Mid North Coast region. Basia shares her knowledge of the biopsychosocial model, and how psychologists work with this model in mind.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW. In this episode, Dayle is joined by Spencer McGill, a peer worker based in the Murrumbidgee region. Spencer shares his passion about peer work, and discusses how to work best with peer workers in the care of people experiencing mental health difficulties. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW. In this episode, Dayle is joined by Alice Kelly, a social worker practicing across the Nepean Blue Mountains region. Alice has been a social worker for 15 years across a range of areas and shares her insights in where social work sits within Mental Health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rural mental health practitioners, there is a need to be a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes however it can be helpful to collaborate with other professionals in the care of our consumers. Through this series join Dr Dayle Raftery, clinical psychologist and research associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks to eight different practitioners working in mental health across rural NSW. In this episode, Dayle is joined by Kudzai Mutenzwa, a transitional nurse practitioner working across Western NSW. Kudzai brings a wealth of knowledge and information about the varied profession of nursing, and discusses how best to work with nurses in mental health care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Dr Rebecca Sng talks with two guests about how a team leader or manager might support their team through a serious unexpected incident, such as a death by suicide. Christine Carey is the Director of the Clinical Psychology Clinic at University of Wollongong and has experience both managing teams and supporting trainees. Pat Blacker works for StandBy, the organisation tasked with suicide postvention throughout NSW. Listen as they discuss some practical strategies for managing the unpredictable incidents that are often part of mental health practice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

REVISIT: We have had so many requests from rural practitioners for more information on working with trauma, so this month, we're bringing back our first ever episode!Some experience of trauma is incredibly common in those who seek mental health services. However, few practitioners, particularly in rural areas, would call themselves Trauma Specialists.As a result, many people find it hard to find treatment and continue to suffer with the effects of their traumatic experiences. On this episode, Peregrine Research Associate, Dr Dayle Raftery interviews Peregrine Director, Dr Rebecca Sng, a clinical psychologist who has been working in trauma treatment for nearly 20 years.Rebecca discusses the difference between PTSD and Complex Trauma, how to be helpful – even in a small number of sessions, and why she’s always talking about black boxes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 If even family therapists can feel nervous about including kids in therapy, what chance is there for generalists? But including children can supercharge your therapy, and not just for child-focused referrals but for a range of issues that are affecting all members of the family. In this episodes, Dr Rebecca Sng speaks with Catherine Sanders, clinical psychologist, family therapist and Director of Bower Place in Adelaide. Catherine written extensively on how to get children involved in therapy in a powerful and age-appropriate way and this episode is full of practical advice for practitioners of all skill levels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Peregrine Director, Dr Rebecca Sng, speaks with Emily Smith from Kids HQ in Orange, NSW. They discuss some of the tricky things that come up in the final stages of therapy. Together they offer some practical strategies for managing these common circumstances. This is the second last episode in the Speedbumps series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 3 in our Speedbumps series, focusing on common challenges in therapeutic practice. Our guest, Dr Mark Donovan, has been training therapists for many years. Join Peregrine Director, Dr Rebecca Sng, as she presents Mark with the common challenges generated by real mental health practitioners and discusses with him some of the possible solutions. A very practical episode, full of clearly presented, realistic ideas to help you smooth, clarify and speed up your mental health practice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting well can be so important to a successful episode of therapy. With so much to accomplish in the first meeting, how can practitioners best approach this all important first session? In this episode Peregrine Director, Dr Rebecca Sng, speaks with Dr Anna Sidis from the University of Wollongong about how she juggles gathering information, setting the "culture" of therapy and making sure that people walk away with enough that they might want to keep coming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the first in our Speedbumps series, where we focus on common challenges that can come up while working with someone on their mental health. Our guest this week, Dr Suzie Hudson, will talk about the very first contact we make with a person. How do we start off our engagement in the best way possible. Suzie addresses some of the common challenges (as selected by real mental health practitioners) and talks about making the best start possible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mindfulness is a real buzz word at the moment, but what does it actually mean? Join Dr Dayle Raftery, Research Associate at The Peregrine Centre, as she talks all things mindfulness with Dr Judy Pickard, clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at University of Wollongong. They discuss the science behind mindfulness, explore how to apply it for yourself and your clients, and even practice mindfulness during the podcast. Judy also brings some resources to support your mindfulness journey, which can be found at learn.theperegrinecentre.com.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know the most common number of sessions people attend is one? There is no guarantee our clients will return for a full treatment episode. Single session thinking is about treating each session as if it is the last, and making the most of the full session time. Join research associate Dr Caitlin Miller as she speaks with Nick Barrington from The Bouverie Centre, about how to integrate single session thinking into your practice, and how thinking single session can enhance our therapy practicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever wonder how to make the most of brief interactions with consumers? Have you ever thought that focusing on people’s problems might not suit everyone you work with? Join Research Associate Dr Caitlin Miller for this listener requested episode as she sits down with Ian Johnsen to talk all things brief solution focused therapy. Learn how to get started with focusing on ‘where to’ rather than ‘where from’ in treatment and why this modality says there’s nothing wrong with you that what’s right with you can’t fixSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At The Peregrine Centre, we speak with a lot of practioners who want to get into research but just don’t know where, or how, to start. On this month’s episode, join Research Associate and Clinical Psychologist Dr Dayle Raftery as she speaks with Dr Corin Miller, a General Practitioner in Southern NSW. Corin was a recipient of TPCs small grants program, and she speaks about learning how to do research, finding the right people to work with, and how she manages to get research done alongside her busy clinical load.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know that many practitioners take on leadership roles in mental health without having the opportunity to explore leadership or management training, particularly in rural areas. In this episode, Peregrine Research Associate Dr Caitlin Miller interviews Dr Jenny Brown, Director Emeritus and founder of the Family Systems Institute, and Ken Morgan, chair of the Family Systems Institute, give us a taste about their ideas on leadership in mental health. They speak about how family systems thinking can apply to mental health teams, how to notice the way you respond to anxiety as a manager, giving feedback, and why managers can be more helpful when they do a little less problem solving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.