Parental incarceration can have a significant impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing. In this episode, senior mental health counsellor Linh Nguyen shares how she supports incarcerated fathers to overcome barriers and build strong, lasting relationships with their children.

In the second episode of this two-part series, neonatologist Dr Natalie Duffy explores the key themes expressed by infants and parents with lived experience of being hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This episode considers how this window into the infants’ world can guide practitioners to engage in ways that are lifesaving and nurturing of both physical and mental health development.

In the first episode of this two-part podcast, neonatologist Dr Natalie Duffy provides insight into the impacts of hospitalisation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on infants and parents. Natalie shares how she observed, listened to and was guided by the voices of infants in her research into the lived experience of those in NICU.

In this episode, we speak with family counsellor Carolyn Markey about her work gathering and documenting children’s knowledge, and how this knowledge can then be shared with others, particularly fathers.

In this episode, we are joined by Zaccariah Cox, the Manager for Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health at Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS), and Erica Spry, Senior Aboriginal Research Officer at KAMS and a research fellow at the University of Western Australia. Erica and Zac share what they heard when speaking with expecting and new fathers in rural and remote Western Australia, who often feel overlooked in their journey of fatherhood.

In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Damien Riggs, a professor in psychology at Flinders University and a psychotherapist who specialises in working with transgender young people. In this conversation, Damien talks about gender-affirming practice. He shares how practitioners in general health and social services can use their skills to work with children and young people in gender-affirming ways that support their mental health and wellbeing. He also explores how practitioners can seek learning opportunities to increase their knowledge and confidence in working with gender diverse children and young people.

In this episode, we’re joined by Arianne, a parent of six children between the ages of 8 and 22. Arianne is a strong advocate for her transgender child and the wider transgender community. In this conversation, Arianne shares her family’s experience of supporting their daughter through coming out and transitioning, navigating services, and what practitioners can do to provide gender-affirming support in their practice.

In this podcast episode, we hear from Dr Lyn O’Grady, a community psychologist, and David Newman, a narrative therapist and social worker, as they share their insights on recognising and responding to self-harming behaviour with children.

In this episode, narrative therapist and social worker David Newman shares his approach to working with children and young people who are experiencing suicidal ideation. Through the lens of narrative therapy, David discusses how he negotiates conversations about distress, despair and suicide.

In the second part of this two-episode series, we continue our conversation with Lyndsay Healy, Dr Rickie Elliot and Dr Louise Wightman about collaboration with families and clear communication between professions to promote children’s mental health in the early years.