This is the final episode of The Playful Psychologist for 2020, and what a year it has been! Psychologists have been pushed harder this year than ever before and we all know how difficult it has been to maintain boundaries during tele-health sessions and not being able to physically ‘leave work at work’ because let’s face it…work is now your dining room table!

This episode explores common difficulties that psychologists may experience in in setting boundaries. The boundaries this episode will discuss are: 

• Time boundaries: the hours you spend engaging in non-billable client-related activities.
• Email boundaries: when and when not to respond to emails.
• Client boundaries: session time and going overtime, working harder than the client, and transference.

All psychologists, but particularly new psychologists, can really struggle with boundary setting, and this episode definitely speaks from my own personal experiences, so I really hope you find it helpful!

Thank you to all my listeners for your support in 2020. I’ll be back in 2021 with brand new content. For now, if you would like to read up on other topics I have covered, click on this link to be taken to my blog where you can find lots of content and free links for further reading and new resources. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season! https://www.theplayfulpsychologist.com/blog-1

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss friendships and why they are so important. I think we can all agree that friendships are pretty important. Having friends gives us a sense of belonging and security. This episode explores:

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how friendships/a sense of belonging impacts our ability to reach self-actualisation 
• Why it is important for children to develop friendships in their younger years
• The benefits of friendships
• What friendships teach children
• The importance of friendships in regards to social and emotional development
• How you can help your child if they are struggling with friendships 

Season 2 of The Playful Psychologist will consist of just five episodes due to the borders being re-opened and being able to see our family for Christmas! In this time, if you wish to continue learning about child development, head to @theplayfulpsychologist on Instagram or my website: www.theplayfulpsychologist.com where I will continue to share resources, links and blog posts.

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss some of the common misconceptions about routines and why parents try to ‘avoid’ them. I also discuss how routines can actually help with spontaneity and creativity!

Routines are a normal part of life for most people, even those who consider themselves spontaneous. Routines don’t have to be rigid. They don’t have to become boring for you and your child, and they definitely do not have to feel like ground hog day. They can, in fact, inspire us and release us to experience higher levels of creativity and success because they offer us a level of predictability and control.

Daily routines might include:

• The time to get ready in the morning
• Bath times, mealtimes, nap times and bedtimes 
• Housework, cooking and cleaning schedules
• Play time, family time and outdoor play

So, how can routines help children? In this episode, the following points are explored:

• Routines give infants and toddlers a sense of security and stability
• Routines encourage a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development
• Everyday routines can be used as teachable moments
• Routines help increase family bonds
• Routines help develop and establish expectations
• Routines help establish healthy, constructive habits
• Routines offer stability during times of change or stress

In this week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss the different between bribery and reinforcement. When I work with young kids, I often suggest positive reinforcement as a strategy. However, the most common response is ‘isn’t it a bad thing to bribe my child’ or ‘I don’t want to teach my child to rely on bribes!’ This episode is going to explain how bribery and reinforcement are not the same thing. This episode will also discuss

-      Why positive reinforcement is effective 

-      How to choose an appropriate reinforcer

-      How to deliver a reinforcer

-      What to do when a reinforcer stops working

-      Common mistakes made when trying to implement positive reinforcement 

-      Examples of positive reinforcers

-      How to phase out reinforcement

-      Different types of reinforcement schedules 

A great website for more info and downloads: 

https://positivepsychology.com/positive-reinforcement-psychology/#does-it-work

To learn more about positive reinforcement in school settings, check out my Behaviour Bundle: https://www.theplayfulpsychologist.com/shop-1?Collection=Behaviour%20%26%20Sensory%20Difficulties

Welcome to Season 2 of The Playful Psychologist! This season will include some interviews with other health professionals, as well as information requested by you guys via my social media platforms! 

This week’s episode focuses on Imposter Syndrome. Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalised fear of being exposed as a "fraud". in other words, it’s the idea that you've only succeeded in your career/schooling due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications. 

In this episode I explore:

-      What imposter syndrome is

-      Who it affects

-      Why it occurs 

-      How it differs from ‘nervousness’ 

-      Negative automatic thoughts associated with imposter syndrome

-      Ways that you can support yourself if you are experiencing imposter syndrome

-      ‘Real’ Self-Care and how that differs from ‘a face mask in the bath.’

 At the end of the episode, you’ll hear me talk about my new initiative, ‘Boost a Biz,’ which is all about supporting small businesses. To learn more, visit the following link: https://www.theplayfulpsychologist.com/boost-a-biz

This week’s episode of The Playful Psychologist is all about developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are behaviours or physical skills seen in infants and children as they grow and develop. Rolling over, crawling, walking, smiling and talking are all considered milestones. Milestones are different for each age range and offer important clues about child's developmental health. Reaching milestones at the typical ages shows a child is developing as expected. 

But, are developmental milestones important for parents to obsess over? In this episode, I discuss what developmental milestones are and whether they are important to know about. I also explore the following areas:

• Should parents track milestones? 
• What is the difference between developmental screening and developmental monitoring?
• What should you do if you are concerned about your child is not hitting their developmental milestones?

Developmental milestones can be a tricky topic for parents and can seem ov

At the end of this episode, you will be given a discount code for 10% of my Social and Emotional Milestone Cards. Click here to shop and add the discount code at checkout: https://www.theplayfulpsychologist.com/product-page/social-emotional-milestone-cards

And finally, this is the milestone checklist that I spoke about in the episode for ages 0-5. Please remember, I am including this checklist for educators and therapists to refer back to and not for parents to obsess over: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/Checklists-with-Tips_Reader_508.pdf

This episode is the final episode of Season 1! Season 2 will launch in a few weeks with some really great topics and special guests. Thank you all for listening and for your support so far!

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist, I discuss emotional intelligence and why I believe it is SO important to focus more on emotional intelligence over IQ. 

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. Having emotional intelligence helps you build stronger relationships and achieve your school/career goals, as well as your personal goals. It can also help you to connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions in situations.

 While the world has been focused on academic achievement in childhood, emotional self-regulation has been largely ignored. This is concerning, as current research suggests that emotional intelligence is TWICE as strong as a predictor as IQ for success in later life!  What this means is, it’s not always the smartest person who is the most successful! Your IQ isn’t enough on its own to be successful later in life. Yes, your IQ can help you get into a university course, but it’s your emotional intelligence that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing challenges in your degree. IQ and EQ exist together and are most effective when they build off one another.

In this episode, I discuss why emotional intelligence is so important and how it differs from IQ. I also discuss the components that make up emotional intelligence (according to psychologist David Goleman). These include self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship management. 

 Lastly, this episode will discuss ways you can help your child develop their emotional intelligence based on the book ‘Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child’ by Dr John Gottman.

On today’s episode of The Playful Psychologist, I interview my younger brother, Richard, who is on the autism spectrum. Together, we answer listener questions in the hope of shedding more light onto the needs and wants of people on the autism spectrum. We explore the following questions:

-      What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

-      Did you do ABA therapy when you were little and if so, did you enjoy it?

-      What did ABA therapy teach you?

-      How can people support you?

-      Did you enjoy school?

-      What do you wish people knew about you?

-      Do you like to hang out with friends?

-      When you get upset, what helps you calm down?

-      What do you want to do in the future?

To learn more about Richard’s puppet show, click on the following link:

https://www.randahabelrih.com/school-mates/

You can follow more of Richard’s journey by following him on Instagram @richard.habelrih and @autism_mates

In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I chat to Jen Hamilton who is the founder of WOT Baby. I personally used Jen's services with my own son when I was feeling very overwhelmed and her guidance turned my experience of motherhood around! I wanted to get her on the podcast so that she could share some of her knowledge with the rest of you and to also let knew mums know that you are NOT alone!

We discuss why sleep is so important for infants and new mums and talk about 'taboo' topics such as sleep training and self-settling. I reached out to my Instagram followers last week and asked them to give us some specific questions to answer. We chose the most popular ones and so this episode of the podcast will answer the following:

• Why is sleep so important for baby brain development?
• What do you say about the research of heightened cortisol levels in sleep-trained babies?
• What are the differences between cry it out and self-settling and what do you recommend?
• Does the 10 minute wait time start from when they cry or when they go into their cot?
• What are your suggestions around sleep and separation anxiety?
• What are your thoughts on 'never wake a sleeping baby?'
• Do you recommend any books on sleep?
  • WOT Baby by Jen Hamilton
  • The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington
  • The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did by Philippa Perry
  • A Parent’s Guide to Enjoying Your Babies First Year by Dr Christopher Green

You can learn more about Jen and her services by following her on Instagram (@wotbaby) or heading to her website: https://www.wotbaby.com.au

Please note: A lot of people sent in really specific questions about their specific situation, and we won’t be answering those ones today as the podcast would then go on for hours and hours. But if you do have specific questions you still want answered, reach out to Jen and maybe book a phone consult with her! 

In this episode, I answer all the questions that my instagram followers asked me on being a psychology student and early career psychologist. If you are a psychology student or a newly graduated psychologist, this episode will be particularly helpful to you!

This episode will explore and answer the following questions:

How can you prepare for graduate school/a masters program?
What are the requirements for getting into a masters program?
What are some tips on how to handle a masters interview?
What are some ways that students can get experience in the field of psychology?
How do you fight burn out at university and in your job?
Should provisional psychologists expect their supervision to be paid and their professional development to be paid by their employer?
What are the top tips for an early career psychologist?
What is it like being a psychologist and working for yourself?