Emerging Minds Podcast

In the second episode of this two-part series, Mark Hoppe and Roger Currie from Family Support Newcastle continue to share their practice wisdom of working with dads in the early years of parenting.

In this episode, Professor Helen Milroy guides us through the transformative power of Indigenous storytelling and the profound impact it can have on mental health and wellbeing. Drawing on her extensive experience and rich cultural background, Prof. Milroy discusses the ancient knowledge system of Aboriginal culture, emphasising the importance of intertwining it with modern science for the benefit of all. Her wisdom echoes throughout the episode, inviting us to embrace the strengths-based approach, cultural understanding, and a united journey towards the wellbeing of all children in Australia, intertwining Indigenous and Western knowledge for a brighter future.

In this two-part series, Mark Hoppe and Roger Currie from Family Support Newcastle share their practice wisdom of working with dads in the early years of parenting.

This episode is the second in our two-part series on supporting the mental health of children who stutter. We are again joined by Rich Stephens, President of the Stuttering Association for the Young Australia (SAY:Australia), and Mitchell, who has been involved with SAY:Australia for the past four years, first as a participant and now as a mentor to other children and young people who stutter. In this episode, Rich and Mitchell talk about some of the unhelpful things that people can say or do around those with a stutter and how these things can impact their mental health and wellbeing. They discuss what the current therapy options are and their experiences with them, what advice they would give to practitioners, and what support SAY:Australia provides to children, particularly in terms of their mental health and wellbeing.

In the second episode of this series, Professor Pat Dudgeon AM, Belle Selkirk and Dr Joanna Alexi delve into the essence of decolonising psychology. The conversation explores hopes for a robust Indigenous psychology workforce and culturally safe mental health spaces; a future where diverse programs cater to universal wellbeing, fostering deep respect. Gain insights into the inspiring efforts reshaping psychology with Indigenous knowledge.

In part one of this series, Professor Pat Dudgeon AM, Belle Selkirk and Dr Joanna Alexi, key figures from the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing research program, share their journey in decolonising psychology. With a focus on the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP), they discuss the historical challenges faced by Indigenous people and their persistent efforts to integrate Indigenous world knowledge into the curriculum. Through personal experiences and project milestones, this episode explores the transformative impact of AIPEP: how it’s shaping the future of psychology education in Australia and beyond.

This episode is part one of our two-part series on supporting the mental health of children who stutter. We are joined by Rich Stephens, President of the Stuttering Association for the Young Australia (SAY:Australia), and Mitchell, who has been involved with SAY:Australia for the past four years, first as a participant and now as a mentor to other children and young people who stutter. In this episode, Rich and Mitchell talk about the activities of SAY:Australia, how common stuttering is and what it can look like, along with the impacts that having a stutter can have on children’s mental health and wellbeing.

In this episode, practitioners and parents share ideas and practices for supporting parents to understand and respond to their child’s experience of separation.

This episode explores what is meant by collaboration and a team-based approach to the management of children’s mental health in general practice.

In this episode, Nancy Jeffrey reflects on her own lived experience and wisdom, gained through many years working in and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, families and children in metro, rural and remote communities throughout Australia.

This episode comes from the Emerging Minds Families podcast. Host Alicia Ranford talks with Dan Moss, who has a long history of working in support services with children who have experienced trauma. Dan helps us understand what relational trauma is and how it can affect the mental health and wellbeing of the children in our lives.

This episode is part one of a four-part series developed in partnership with and led by the University of Western Australia’s Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing research program and the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention. In this conversation, Zaccariah Cox and Emma Carlin from Kimberley Aboriginal Medial Services share profound insights into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB). They discuss historical, political and cultural determinants impacting these communities, emphasising the transformative power of the SEWB framework in practical settings. The conversation highlights the importance of relationships, a strengths-based approach, and integrating Aboriginal leadership into healthcare services for meaningful change.

In this episode, our guests Michael Hogan (ARACY – Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth), Sally Staton (Queensland Brain Institute) and Vanya (lived experience advisor) describe the contributions that neuroscience can make to practice with children and families. They discuss how common understandings about children’s brain development can be applied to every aspect of a child’s life, and how this can support the work of mental health professionals.

In this episode, we explore ideas and practices for supporting parents to be child-focused in their approach to post-separation parenting.

In this episode, we’re joined by Natalie Papps, Alice Morgan and Sally Groom, creators of ‘One of a Kind’: a storybook for children who are in foster or kinship care due to their parent (or parents) experiencing mental illness. Natalie, Alice and Sally discuss the process of collaborating on the book with services as well as parents and young people with lived experience of parental mental illness and out-of-home care. They highlight some of the challenges children in care face, including being unaware of why they are in care, and how ‘One of a Kind’ supports practitioners and carers to open up these essential conversations.

One of the most effective ways to support children’s wellbeing during parental separation is to support their parents. In this episode, we talk with practitioners and parents about the importance of supporting parents’ wellbeing during relationship separation, and some ways to do this.

In this episode, cultural consultants Dana Shen and Shirley Young explore practices that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants and families’ wellbeing during the first 2,000 days.

In this episode, practitioners from various backgrounds discuss the impact of racism on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) children's mental health. They explore concepts such as white privilege, white fragility and decolonising practice, emphasising the need for cultural awareness, humility and active steps to address racism. The practitioners highlight the importance of recognising and challenging biases, promoting equity, and engaging in open conversations to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for children and families.

In this episode, we’re joined by Jackie Amos, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with Centacare Catholic Family Services. Jackie shares her wealth of experience in using parallel parent child narrative (PPCN) with children and parents. PPCN is an approach that can be used by practitioners in many different settings to support the parent-child relationship. In this conversation, Jackie explains what PPCN is, its key principles, and the benefits it has for children’s mental health and wellbeing.

In this second episode of our two-part series, our guests from The Bouverie Centre – Hanna Jewell, Banu Maloney, Julia Oxley, Nicholas Barrington and Angie Nyland – share supervision strategies that focus on the wellbeing of children. They discuss how supervision can help practitioners to find motivation, avoid judgement, and improve their contextual understandings of the families they’re work with.

In this episode, our guests from The Bouverie Centre – Hanna Jewell, Banu Maloney, Julia Oxley, Nicholas Barrington and Angie Nyland – share supervision strategies that focus on the wellbeing of children. They describe their reflective practice with practitioners and how supervision can improve practitioners’ skill and confidence in supporting children.

This episode comes from the Emerging Minds Families podcast. Host Alicia Ranford talks with Flick, a mother of four about how she learnt to parent when she wasn’t parented well herself.

In this episode, Dr Melinda Goodyear and Claire Marsh discuss the results of the Emerging Minds National Workforce Survey of Parent, Family and Child Mental Health 2020–21. They discuss the growing commitment among professionals to support child and family mental health, and the themes and challenges that stood out to them among survey responses. In particular, they explore the ways that organisations can help practitioners to support the mental health and wellbeing of infants in their work with parents and families.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kerryn Roberts, coordinator of infant massage at Relationships Australia South Australia (RASA). Kerryn shares her knowledge and experience in delivering cue-based infant massage to families in various settings. She explains the value of cue-based infant massage for infant mental health and the emphasis this program places on relationship development, encouraging parents to follow the infants’ lead. She also explores the importance of working alongside the parent-infant relationship and how this contrasts to intervening in the relationship.

In episode two of this two-part series, Dana Shen, Mel Lambert and Yasmin Sinclair share practical tips to support effective co-design with lived experience families.

In episode one of this two-part series, Dana Shen, Mel Lambert and Yasmin Sinclair share what establishing the Department of Human Services’ Lived Experience Network has taught them about co-design.

In this episode, psychologist Lauren Keegan explores how genograms provide a structure for collaborative and relational assessment conversations with parents. Lauren discusses how the development of a genogram provides a visual map of a family’s generational relationships, and how genograms can be useful in infant mental health assessments.

In this episode, Belynda Smith shares her considerable experience in practicing deep, unhurried and supportive listening with parents, and how this process helps to build safe, healing and reflective environments. Belynda Smith is a parenting facilitator at Meerilinga Young Children's Foundation in Western Australia, as well as a certified Hand in Hand parenting instructor. Belynda has listened to many thousands of parents in her work at Meerilinga, helping them to provide their children with rich, safe and supported experiences. Belynda is committed to creating time and space for parents to consider their relationships with their children, their preferences, challenges and stories of success. It is through this reflective process that parents begin to understand more about their relationship with their children, growing their confidence and allowing them to move beyond challenges.

In this episode, we talk with Nikki Taranis, a social worker and therapeutic specialist, about working with children and caregivers to explore children’s relationship with video gaming.

In part two of this two-part series on bullying, we’re joined again by Jessica Staniland, clinical psychologist and Director of Counselling and Psychological Services at Trinity Grammar School, who shares some of the key considerations for supporting the mental health of children who engage in bullying behaviour. She discusses how practitioners can work through children’s protests and support them to engage in conversation. Jessica talks about the importance of recognising children’s preferences and values, and how practitioners can help children to draw these out.

In part one of this two-part series on bullying, we’re joined by Jessica Staniland, clinical psychologist and Director of Counselling and Psychological Services at Trinity Grammar School, who shares some key considerations for supporting the mental health of children who experience bullying behaviour. She discusses how practitioners can open up conversations with children to explore their experiences of bullying sensitively. Jessica talks about the importance of moving away from self-blame and how practitioners can support children to do this.

The period from pregnancy to the infant’s first birthday brings major life changes for parents, as they navigate the emotional and practical tasks of parenting. In this episode, Emerging Minds Child and Family Partners, Sarah and Claudius share an honest account of navigating the first year of parenting. They discuss the parenting joys and hopes they discovered and the challenges they faced in the first twelve months of parenting their son.

In this episode, we speak with two social work students, Rachael and Megan about their career aspirations and discoveries about infant mental health. Rachael and Megan (who have since graduated) reflect on their placement experiences and how peer learning has increased their knowledge and confidence in working with infants and families.

For the past five years, Emerging Minds has worked in partnership with Flinders University’s Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) to develop a range of resources for health and social services workers. This includes a series of practice papers which support child-focused practices where children and families face disadvantage, trauma or adversity. In episode two of this two-part series, Professor Sarah Wendt and the SWIRLS team describe child-focused approaches to working with children and families affected by family violence and trauma. They describe the specialist knowledge about trauma that all practitioners should hold, so they can help children and families to maintain safety and wellbeing.

For the past five years, Emerging Minds has worked in partnership with Flinders University’s Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) to develop a range of resources for health and social services workers. This includes a series of practice papers which support child-focused practices where children and families face disadvantage, trauma or adversity. In episode one of this two-part series, you will hear from Professor Sarah Wendt, Director of SWIRLS, and her team including Dr Kate Seymour, Kirsty Lowe and Nicola Trenorden. They describe their structural approach to child-focused practice and how they work to support emerging practitioners to engage with families facing complex problems.

In this re-release episode, Dr Priscilla Dunk-West joins the series again to discuss what separation and divorce look like when it goes well for children.

This re-release episode provides an insight into what culturally competent practice with children and families looks like from the perspective of Mthobeli Ncganga, a practitioner who works with families from migrant and refugee communities with experiences of torture and trauma.

Lou Turner is a proud Anangu father with Pitjantjatjara connections to Docker River and Mutitjulu communities. In this episode, Lou shares his journey of ‘walking in two worlds’, and the hopes and challenges he faces as an Aboriginal father in contemporary Australia. He provides insights into his experience as a descendant of the Stolen Generation and shares the hopes that he has for his children and community. This conversation will help to develop your understandings of and ability to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fathers in your work.

Emerging Minds has recently launched the 'Supporting the mental health of children with higher weight' online training course. In this episode, Bec Edser speaks with child and family partner Annie Crowe, a proud Autistic ADHD-er who is a strong advocate for body diversity and neurodivergent inclusion. They discuss Annie’s own lived experience of childhood higher weight and neurodivergence, along with the expertise she has gained through her advocacy work in this space.

The Looking Back 2020 project invited six young people (aged 20–27) with lived experience of adversity to share an inspiring story about their childhood. The result is a series of powerful short videos, conceived by each young person and produced with the help of artistic mentors and filmmakers. Largely taking place online during the Melbourne lockdown in 2020, the process was co-facilitated by artists Sylvie Meltzer and Melinda Hetzel for Artist Made Productions and Emerging Minds. It followed on from the first Looking Back project in 2019, which invited four young people to share what they wish practitioners had known or understood about their experiences of childhood adversity. The Looking Back videos were created for children and young people who may be experiencing struggles or worries in their lives. They’re designed to be shared by health professionals who work with families and children. These stories aim to give ideas, inspiration and hope to children and young people experiencing adversity. In part two of this series, four of the six young participants discuss the process of developing the Looking Back videos and what they hope they will achieve. In part one, artists Melinda Hetzel and Sylvie Meltzer reflect on what it was like to facilitate the creative process. In this episode you will learn: how the young people managed both the creative process and the challenges of sharing their own personal story [11:07] what it was like for the young people co-creating a video with professional film makers [19:52] what the young people would now want to tell their inner child about their experiences [22:22] the young people’s hopes for the children watching these videos [23:18] Further information and resources: Young people and adversity: The Looking Back project - part two (podcast) Looking Back series (videos)

The Looking Back 2020 project invited six young people (aged 20–27) with lived experience of adversity to share an inspiring story about their childhood. The result is a series of powerful short videos, conceived by each young person and produced with the help of artistic mentors and filmmakers. Largely taking place online during the Melbourne lockdown in 2020, the process was co-facilitated by artists Sylvie Meltzer and Melinda Hetzel for Artist Made Productions and Emerging Minds. It followed on from the first Looking Back project in 2019, which invited four young people to share what they wish practitioners had known or understood about their experiences of childhood adversity. The Looking Back videos were created for children and young people who may be experiencing struggles or worries in their lives. They’re designed to be shared by health professionals who work with families and children. These stories aim to give ideas, inspiration and hope to other children and young people experiencing adversity. In this episode, artists Melinda Hetzel and Sylvie Meltzer reflect on the experience of facilitating this process with the young people. In part two of this series, four of the six young participants discuss the process of developing the Looking Back videos and what they hope they will achieve. In this episode you will learn: why the creative process is a great way to explore deeply personal experiences [03:02] how Melinda and Sylvie created a safe space and supported everyone’s wellbeing during the project [05:33] how partnerships were set up with the young people involved [10:31] the relationship between co-design and collaborative artistic processes [12:05] Further information and resources: Young people and adversity: The Looking Back project - part two (podcast) Looking Back series (videos)

For the past five years, Emerging Minds has been creating podcasts for professionals that explore effective ways to support infant and child mental health. Now, the new Emerging Minds Families podcast aims to do the same for parents and families. Over the past 12 months, Emerging Minds has been working with families across Australia to learn more about the kinds of resources they need to best support their children’s mental health. These conversations, along with insights from practitioners and researchers, have guided the development of Emerging Minds Families: an online resource hub designed to help families better understand and support infant and child mental health. As part of this program, the Emerging Minds Families team will be delivering a fortnightly podcast, starting 22 November 2022. Parents, families and practitioners will discuss infant and child mental health, offer advice, debunk myths and provide understanding for families who are striving to do the best for their children. In this episode, you will meet the hosts of the Emerging Minds Families podcast: Ben Rogers, Alicia Ranford and Nadia Rossi. They will share how they’ve spent the past 12 months working with families to develop this podcast series, what they learned during this process, as well as the important role of co-design in developing resources for families. The team will also describe the ‘knowledgeable best friend’ approach that guides their work, how it evolved, and how it will support both families and practitioners. In this episode: Find out how the Emerging Minds Families podcast came about and what listeners can expect to learn (1:34) Unpack the ‘knowledgeable best friend’ tone and how it was developed as a way to help families consider their child’s mental health support needs (2:49) Hear some examples of the podcasts that will be delivered through the Emerging Minds Families channel (11:23) Discover the importance of helping families to attempt strategies to help their children, but also to seek help from professionals where they need extra support (14:29) Learn why it’s important to create content that benefits all families, including those that are currently facing adversity (27:20) Further links and information: Emerging Minds Families (website) Introducing Emerging Minds Families (video)

This podcast discusses experiences of working with mothers who have experienced sexual trauma, have been subjected to child sexual abuse or sexual assault. Please be aware of your own emotional safety as you listen to this podcast, and if at any point you find you are struggling, or if you need to seek other help, please call lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636, or SANE Australia on 1800 187 263. The National Perinatal Mental Health Guidelines recommend that as part of normal care, all pregnant people be asked questions around psychosocial factors as early as practical in pregnancy and 6–12 weeks after birth. One of the questions within this screening process asks if the person has experienced past physical or sexual abuse. It then recommends that support be offered to people who acknowledge this past trauma. In this episode, Vicki Mansfield (Social Worker and Practice Development Officer at Emerging Minds) discusses the importance of trauma-informed pregnancy and post-natal care for people who’ve experienced sexual trauma. Vicki draws on her experience working within antenatal clinics, maternity wards and perinatal infant mental health services. She explores how a safe and empathic relationship with pregnant people can support their agency and choices in preparing for birth and promote emotional wellbeing for both parent and infant as they transition through this major life change. In this episode, you will learn: how past sexual trauma may increase physical and psychological vulnerability during pregnancy, birth and the transition to parenting [05:21] why it is important to explore pregnant people’s feelings and concerns about birth and becoming a parent, and how to establish plans that strengthen their choices, consent and build a safe and collaborative antenatal care team [07:40] how to consider parents’ postnatal needs, including debriefing after birth and being aware of trauma responses that can increase anxiety [09:41] Further information and resources: Keeping the infant and toddler in mind online course Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future online course Intergenerational mental health online course Best practice in perinatal care - COPE

This is the second episode in a two-part series on childhood bullying and mental health. In this episode, we continue our conversation with Dr Lesley-Anne Ey, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Education Futures and the Australian Centre for Child Protection at the University of South Australia. Dr Ey broadens the scope from part one to focus on the common attitudes and myths about childhood bullying that exist in Western society. She explains the significance of a child’s context to their experiences of bullying, the role that health and social service professionals can play in responding to bullying, and the importance of supporting children if they make a disclosure of bullying involvement.

This episode is part one of a two-part series on childhood bullying and mental health. We’re joined by Dr Lesley-Anne Ey, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Education Futures and the Australian Centre for Child Protection at the University of South Australia. In this episode, Dr Ey shares how definitions of childhood bullying vary and the impact this can have on children. She also discusses the influence of bullying on children’s mental health and the role of prevention and early intervention in reducing these effects. She explores the mental health impact of labelling children as ‘bullies’ or ‘victims’ and links these considerations to practice for health and social services professionals.

In this episode, we explore strategies for when children and families experience setbacks in dealing with problems. We also look at ways of future-proofing children’s skills in dealing with problems.

In this episode, we explore ways of working with children that combine their experience and expertise with practitioners’ own wisdom and strategies.

This episode looks at how homelessness impacts upon child mental health. It outlines strategies that services can adopt to improve outcomes for children and families, and explores practical skills to help practitioners better engage and support the mental health of children experiencing homelessness.

In this episode, Dr Lyndal Harborne shares her personal and professional insights into holistic pregnancy care and how it benefits both parent and infant mental health. She discusses the importance of taking the time to understand parents’ psychosocial context, and how providing choices can help parents to navigate through pregnancy and beyond. She also explores how having a team of supportive professionals helps parents to adjust to parenting, and the positive impacts this has on children’s wellbeing across the lifespan.

David Tully is a therapist, supervisor and manager at Relationships Australia, South Australia. In the second episode of this two-part series, David offers ways to help children who have experienced trauma discover new identities built on their stories of protest, resistance and resilience. He also shares some insights from his work with men who perpetrate violence and children who’ve been impacted by men’s violence.