Mental Health in Practice

Working in health – and especially in mental health – can often mean encountering trauma at work. Over time, that can affect us, whether we consciously notice or not. Recognising and responding to vicarious trauma early supports practitioner wellbeing and the ability to sustain ourselves over the course of our careers.

In this episode, clinical psychologist Dominica Dorning and senior policy officer Dr Neeraja Sanmuhanathan share how vicarious trauma has shown up for them at different stages throughout their careers, and what has helped. They also explore how we can look out for each other in the workplace, and the role that teams and broader systems play in creating safe and supportive working environments. 

Explore resources on vicarious trauma on the MHPN website.

Featured presenters: Dominica Dorning and Dr Neeraja Sanmuhanathan 

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Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/.

With mental health care and drug and alcohol support closely related areas of practice, we might expect professionals in these spaces to be well acquainted with one another’s work. 

But like all of us, health practitioners are susceptible to bias or misconception – about alcohol and drug use, and about mental ill-health.

In this episode, guests Lisa Fyfield and Lee Ann Jemson explore how a practitioner’s own views can create barriers between mental health and alcohol and other drug services, seeing people turned away because of their substance use history. 

Lee Ann shares her experience of mental ill-health and alcohol use disorder, and together they look at why integrated person-centred care matters, exploring practical ways to recognise and challenge practitioner stigma in mental health practice. 

Explore resources on challenging stigma on the MHPN website.

Featured presenters: Lisa Fyfield, Quality Improvement Lead at Hamilton Centre, and Lee Ann Jemson, Peer Worker and Peer Educator at Hamilton Centre.

Liked this episode? Stay tuned for future episodes by following Mental Health in Practice.

Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/.

This episode looks at mental health practice from a different angle, and explores how stronger, more supportive workplaces can result in better outcomes for clients. 

In this episode, Carla Jones and Den Abreu share how trauma-informed principles such as safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment, choice, and an understanding of cultural and historical impacts can shape workplaces. Drawing on their experiences as both employer and employee, they explore how these principles can be applied to everyday work and leadership. 

Tune in to hear their practical ideas for creating workplaces where people feel safe, supported and able to contribute. 

Explore resources on trauma-informed approaches on the MHPN website. 

Featured presenters: Carla Jones, psychologist and psychosexual therapist and Den Abreu, psychologist and psychosexual therapist 

Liked this episode? Share with others and subscribe to Mental Health in Practice for more practice insights. 

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/. 

Bias and assumptions shape the quality and safety of health care, sometimes without practitioners realising it.  

Drawing on extensive experience working alongside LGBTQ+ communities, Georgina Bell and Glenn Noble explore how to notice, name and reflect on our assumptions in a way that helps to build genuine trust with clients, particularly those who have experienced stigma or marginalisation elsewhere. 

Explore resources on bias and cultural safety on the MHPN website. 

Featured presenters: Georgina Bell (Social Worker) and Glenn Noble (Counsellor). 

Liked this episode? Share with others and subscribe to Mental Health in Practice for more practice insights. 

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/. 

What distinguishes trauma-responsive care from trauma-informed care, and how can it be applied in practice to support children and families affected by disaster?

In this episode, Michelle Roberts (Psychologist) and Sarah Eagland (Social Worker) explore what it looks like to account for and effectively respond to trauma in the context of disaster. Highlighting the important role of trauma-responsive care in translating knowledge and awareness into action and adaptation, they discuss how practitioners can contribute to positive outcomes for children, families and communities.  

Equally prioritising practitioner wellbeing, they explore how a culture of psychological safety can support multidisciplinary teams working in disaster recovery and resilience.

Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/

How can practitioners work safely and collaboratively to support children and families impacted by disaster?

Michelle Roberts (Psychologist) and Sarah Eagland (Social Worker) unpack the role of trauma-informed care in addressing the diverse and often-overlooked needs of children in the context of disaster. Focusing on strengths-based approaches, they explore opportunities to build skills that promote feelings of safety, calm, control and agency for children and families.

The episode encourages practitioners across health, mental health and community settings to nurture their own wellbeing when working in challenging contexts.

Liked this episode? Stay tuned for future episodes by following Mental Health in Practice.

Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/

This episode was originally released in 2024 as part of MHPN's three-part series, Health in all its Complexity.

This three-part series features academic General Practitioners, Dr Wei-May Su and Professor Louise Stone, in conversation with various GPs about the complexities of providing meaningful primary health care.

In the final episode, they chat with GP and addiction medicine specialist, Dr Hester Wilson, about the challenges they face when patients talk or behave in ways that don’t align with their personal and professional values. Throughout their discussion, they share stories and strategies about how they balance their ‘rational’ and ‘emotional’ selves in clinical settings where patients may ‘push their buttons’.

Liked this episode? Stay tuned for future episodes by following Mental Health in Practice.

Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/

This episode was originally released in 2024 as part of MHPN's three-part series, Health in all its Complexity.

This three-part series features academic General Practitioners, Dr Wei-May Su and Professor Louise Stone, in conversation about the complexities of providing meaningful primary health care.

In episode two, they explore the challenges of providing primary health care when treating the rare, the unknown, the complex, the not learned about, and the different.

They reflect on the changes to the health system over the years and that currently primary care is dealing with more uncertainty than ever. They touch on issues of patient representation in medical research, accessibility and equity of care, the oversimplification of diagnostic processes, and how multidisciplinary care and collaboration can support practitioners.

Liked this episode? Stay tuned for future episodes by following Mental Health in Practice.

Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/

This episode was originally released in 2024 as part of MHPN's three-part series, Health in all its Complexity.

This three-part series features academic General Practitioners, Dr Wei-May Su and Professor Louise Stone, in conversation with various GPs about the complexities of providing meaningful primary health care. 

In episode one, May and Louise sit down with General Practitioner and researcher Professor Michael Kidd to explore the complexities of providing mental health care in a range of settings, from top-down health systems to working directly with patients. 

They discuss the challenges GPs face in providing mental health care within restricted systems and how they deal with moral injury in their work. They speak to the importance of showing humanness in person-centred care and the benefits of multidisciplinary support and collaboration.   

Liked this episode? Stay tuned for future episodes by following Mental Health in Practice.

Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form. 

Share your comments, questions and feedback about Mental Health in Practice: https://mhpn.org.au/podcast-feedback/

Unsure what to listen to next?

We've got you covered. Over the next six weeks, we'll be re-releasing three episodes from our archive and invite you to revisit them with us.

Whether you're new to Mental Health in Practice or have been listening for a while, these episodes provide an opportunity to reflect on some of the realities of practice: from recognising when care requires more than diagnosis and treatment, to why uncertainty exists in practice, and how we continue providing compassionate care while looking after ourselves.

Episode 1 will be re-released on Wednesday 8 July.

Stay tuned for new episodes of Mental Health in Practice, returning from 19 August.