Inked Psycho

What happens when Te Ao Māori and Western clinical psychology meet in some of the country’s highest-risk environments?

In this episode of Inked Psycho, cultural consultant and therapist Mate Webb shares his remarkable journey—from carver to postgraduate CBT practitioner working in a specialized child sex offender treatment unit.

Mate explains how holding indigenous wisdom and clinical practice side by side creates a powerful framework for real rehabilitation.

We dive into what Western clinical frameworks often overlook—from wairua and matakite to collective identity—and why his approach centers on "leaving the taiaha at the door and bringing a feather."

Whether you are a psychologist, counsellor, social worker, student, or curious about the intersection of culture, faith, and healing, Mate’s insights offer profound lessons for practice in Aotearoa and beyond.

In this conversation:

• From woodcarver to forensic treatment unit: 18 years at Te Piriti

• Learning CBT and being told to "park the Māori stuff"

• Te Whare Tapa Whā & the double-hulled waka (tikanga takirua)

• "Leave the taiaha at the door, bring a feather": Leading from humility

• Wairua, makutu, and matakite: Why seeing a spirit isn't necessarily schizophrenia

• Utu, muru, and understanding collective identity

• Mentoring the next generation of psychologists in Aotearoa

• Walking between Catholic faith, Māori worldview, and clinical ethics

• What genuine rehabilitation requires after prison release

#Psychology #IndigenousPsychology #MentalHealth #Aotearoa #Counselling

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What if the problem isn't who you are?

Narrative therapist Dr Donald McMenamin has spent 30 years and thousands of conversations helping people separate themselves from their problems and step into more nourishing stories about who they can be.

In this episode, we talk about his "two islands and a boat" metaphor, a kid at risk of expulsion who went from E's to A's, and why Donald believes problems are like bullies: they want all the air time.

We also get into restorative practice in schools, what people actually come to therapy for, why he cut his caseload from 30 clients a week to about 6, and how his faith, his family and optimistic worldview help shape the way he works and lives.

If you're a counsellor, therapist, student or just curious about how stories shape identity, this one is for you.

In this conversation:

💎 The person isn't the problem. Externalising problems, "two islands and a boat," and identity as a library of stories.

💎Identity needs an audience. Communities that notice and witness a new story.

💎Assuming an ethical self. People move toward the good. This is a gift you can give as a therapist.

💎Restorative over punitive. The school examples, from expulsion hearings to the undercover teams.

💎Maturing as a practitioner. Learn the scales, then play the jazz. Be yourself but not naively. Relax into the work and trust that something will turn up.

💎What people come for: Listening, skills of living, identity, restoring relationships.

💎Suffering and hope. Difficulty doesn't get to define you, and we can be present with each other in pain.

💎Sustainability and the arc of a career. Caseload, fees, portfolio work, and retiring into "play" (woodturning, singing, tramping, possibly priesthood).

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Dr. Rebecca Sargisson is a behavior analyst whose career in research has taken her from chicken labs to war zones to climate psychology in the Netherlands.

A candid, surprising conversation about risk, behaviour change, and why humans are a lot more like dogs (and pigeons) than we'd like to admit.

In this conversation:

🔹 Why an entire UN landmine-detection program had to be shut down

🔹 Bees, elephants, and giant rats: the strange animals being trained to detect landmines and disease

🔹 Why playgrounds have gotten "too safe", and what kids lose because of it

🔹 The behaviourist case that your attitudes don't shape your behaviour- your behaviour shapes your attitudes

🔹 Why demographics barely predict who cares about the environment

🔹 How AI is quietly eroding critical thinking in university students

A wide-ranging conversation about risk, behavior change, and what actually drives human (and animal) decision-making.

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Dr. Nick Wilson is one of New Zealand's foremost forensic and clinical psychologists- a former police officer and nightclub bouncer who went on to conduct the largest long-term study of its kind: tracking psychopathic offenders after release.

He has created numerous assessment tools used around the world, and is a sought after keynote speaker at conferences.

In this episode, Dr Nick shares:

🔹 Inside look at psychopathy research and behaviour change

🔹 Why "psychopath" doesn't mean "untreatable", why avoidance can sometimes be a helpful strategy, and what actually changes risk

🔹 The truth about why self-help books end up in the bargain bin

🔹 Viktor Frankl, logotherapy, and finding meaning in suffering

🔹 Why everyone wants an ADHD or autism diagnosis- and nobody wants a personality disorder one

🔹 How he manages his mental health and the emotional weight of 30 years in this field

🔹 What the future of psychology looks like in the age of disruption and AI

A masterclass in psychology, criminal justice, and what it really means to help people change.

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For more than 30 years, Dr. Peter Stanley worked as a child psychologist, teacher, academic, police officer, and probation officer.

In this conversation, he reflects on the biggest lessons from a lifetime of helping children and families with their behaviours and mental health challenges. We explore why he believes psychologists should always be "working for the child," why he moved away from an expert-driven model of psychology, and why he holds differing views about diagnosis and labels.

Whether you're a psychologist, teacher, parent, or simply interested in mental health, this conversation will challenge many assumptions about how we understand children's behaviour and how meaningful change actually happens.

In this episode we discuss:

• Dr. Stanley's journey into psychology
• Why psychologists should always work for the child
• The evolution of educational psychology Inclusion vs exclusion in schools
• Diagnosis
• The importance of parenting and relationships
• Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)
• Incredible Years parenting programmes
• Lessons from over three decades in psychology

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What does 40+ years as a psychologist teach you about being human and mental health? Paul Prangley began his career as a teacher before training as one of the country's earliest registered psychologists.

In this wide-ranging conversation, he shares with Inked Psycho what he's learned from working with thousands of clients and systems: street kids in Auckland, complex family court cases, supporting schools through suicide clusters, and helping his own daughters navigate adolescence- with a rum-and-coke bottle and a taxi account that asked no questions.

Paul reflects on the neuroscience of stress, why diagnosis can be both liberating and a trap, what it really costs to sit with other people's pain, and why the most useful thing psychology ever gave him was the ability to look for what's going right.

Whether you're in the helping professions, curious about mental health, or just want to raise resilient kids, this episode is full of hard-won wisdom.

Trigger warning: some discussion around topic of suicide

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