Episodes

Bron is joined by psychologist and AAPi director Carly Dober to unpack the challenge of workplace exploitation. They discuss 👉🏽 How to recognise exploitation using Carly's experiences 👉🏻 Characteristics that increase early career psychs' vulnerability to exploitation 👉 What to do if you are unsure about an offer or workplace. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an Australian-based early career psychologist. THE END BITS Thanks for listening. Mental Work is the podcast unpacking th...

Bron is joined again by Sahra O'Doherty, psychologist and director for the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPI), to unpack the issues facing the psychology profession in Australia with a special focus (as always) on the ones facing early-career psychologists that need to be talked about. We unpack 👉🏽 the two-tier system and its consequences for the profession and our clients 👉🏻 the shitty-ness of unpaid internships and necessity of a liveable wage for early-career psychs 👉 Our hope...

Bron is joined by Provisional Psychologist Betty to unpack her psychologist journey: the highs, the lows, what's helped, what hasn't helped, and how she's getting by in this challenging phase in one piece amidst some significant life upheavals. Betty is an insightful and inspiring individual who I reckon you will love listening to! Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. Do you have an early-career story 🤩? Are you an Australian early-career psychologist ...

Psychology has traditionally focused on diagnosing mental distress in individuals, but with issues like climate change, racial injustice, and inequitable access to healthcare having an undeniable impact on the mental wellbeing of communities, how can early-career psychs update our professional identities? Today, Bron is joined by Sahra O'Doherty, psychologist and director for the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi) to unpack developing a professional identity around social justice...

Bron is joined by Psychologist Belinda Radnidge to unpack what to do when you've worked your butt off to get qualified only to discover that doing therapy all day isn't actually your jam. In this reassuring ep Belinda and Bron discuss 👉🏽 signs that client-facing work really isn't for you vs you're experiencing a confidence dip 👉🏻 career alternatives in psychology (there's heaps!) 👉 how to get started down a different career pathway. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career p...

Bron is joined by Clinical Psychologist Dr Catherine Hart to unpack contracting work. Our popular Season 1 ep with Catherine focused on what contractors can expect salary-wise, and this time around we are focusing on how to work out whether your contracting arrangement is more like an employee relationship, why this matters, and what to do if you suspect your working arrangement isn't all that fair to you at all. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. LI...

Bron is joined by Psychologist Ceara Rickard to unpack how to manage sudden illness when you also have an active therapy caseload. We talk about 👉🏽 Ceara's personal experiences with illness 👉🏻 How Ceara navigated disclosure with her clients 👉 What helped Ceara the most during the early stages of diagnosis and treatment 👉🏿 What her job looks like now. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. Learn more about Ceara and connect with her here: https://www.linkedin...

Bron unpacks how ADHD shows up in her work as an early-career psychologist. She talks about 👉🏽 Challenges that ADHDers can face at work 💪 Strengths that ADHD practitioners bring to their work 👉 Ways ADHDers can modify their work environment to suit their neurotype. Even if you do not have ADHD yourself, listen in to better understand your ADHD colleagues and your own executive strengths and weaknesses. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. LINKS The timer ...

Bron is joined by Clinical Psychologist Dr Emma DeCicco to unpack what goes into building a workplace that ACTUALLY works for early career psychologists. They talk about 👉🏽 the challenging landscape that early-career psychs are currently facing 👉 core emotional needs of early-career psychs 👉🏿 ways that workplaces can reduce burnout 👉🏾 finding a workplace that works for you! Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. Find our more about Emma and her psycholog...

Bron is joined by Clinical and Forensic Psychologist Kirstin Bouse to unpack the needs of early career therapists. We talk about 👉🏽 "Maslow's hierarchy of early-career needs" 👉🏻 the basics of business that early career therapists need to understand 👉 signs you're in a crappy workplace and how to get out 👉🏿 why personal development is essential for early career therapists. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. You can learn more about Kirstin at the Psycholo...

Hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, Mental Work is the Australian podcast unpacking the challenges faced by early-career psychologists, so they don't have to go it alone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IT'S THE END OF SEASON 1! 🎉 Bron reflects on the season, gives a sneak peek into what's coming up in Season 2, and does a deep-dive into her motivation for starting the podcast. Thanks so much to everyone who has listened, shared, reviewed, joined the Patreon, bought me a virtual coffee (links below), and sent me a kind message or email. Your time and generosity is valued and appreciated 💖 Mental Work will be back better than ever in 4 weeks! Stay tuned in hit 'subscribe' in your podcast app s...

Bron unpacks the dilemma of setting limits with clients, especially in relation to charging cancellation fees! She talks about 👉🏽 why we find it hard to set limits with clients 👉🏻 tips for setting limits, especially with cancellation fees 👉 how to have a helpful mindset to help you set limits. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. THE END BITS Thanks so much for listening. Mental Work is the Australian podcast for early career therapists that unpacks the ev...

Bron is joined by Clinical Psychologist Rebecca Cuskelly to unpack the unique feeling of isolation among mental health professionals. Rebecca and Bron chat about 👉🏽 What professional isolation feels like and the impact on our work 👉🏻 Ways to reduce professional isolation 👉 Ways that your employer should be helping you with reducing professional isolation 👉🏾 The benefits of working in a multidisciplinary team 👉🏿 How to communicate with professionals that early-career folk tend to feel scared of (...

Ever thought about how much you could make in private practice? Then this is the episode for you. Bron is joined by finance nerd Michael to unpack the reality of earnings in private practice, using Bron's first year as the case study. Bron and Michael discuss 👉🏽 My earnings (actual $$ amounts!) and ways to increase earnings in private practice 👉🏻 My expenses and what cost the most 👉 Ways to reduce expenses 👉🏿 Tips to help you become more aware of your finances. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronw...

Bron is joined by Clinical Psychologist Dr Catherine Hart to unpack salary expectations and contracting in private practice. Bron & Catherine talk about 👉🏽 Getting realistic with earnings in private practice 👉 The difference between an employee vs contractor 👉🏻 Things to think about if you're considering contracting. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. LINKS Are you an employee or a contractor? Take the ATO questionnaire! Fair Work Australia - Info f...

If you're a Helping Professional you're supposed to be helping people, right? So what happens when you feel like you're not helping anyone. Bron unpacks what to do when you're struggling with self-doubt. She talks about 👉🏽 What the research says about professional self-doubt and client outcomes 👉🏻 How to get a reality check on your self-doubt 👉 Using progress measures 👉🏿 Getting feedback from clients 👉🏾 Recognising the value of the therapeutic relationship 👉🏼 Her own experiences with feelings of...

Bron is joined by Clinical Psychologist Nicole Withers to unpack all things group private practice. Bron & Nicole talk about 👉🏽 Different ways to work for a group private practice - employee, contractor, or room hire arrangement 👉🏻 Points of negotiation with practice owners 👉🏾 Ways group practices can reduce isolation and burnout 👉 How to work out if a group practice is a good fit for *you* 👉🏿 Your responsibilities vs practice owner's responsibilities. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkin...

Bron unpacks what to do when all the clients cancel. She talks about 👉🏽 what it feels like when clients cancel 👉🏻 therapy and non-therapy reasons why clients cancel 👉 practical ways to minimise client cancellations. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. THE END BITS Thanks so much for listening. Mental Work is the podcast for early-career mental health professionals that unpacks the everyday challenges they face, so they don’t have to go it alone. Love the...

You're a newly minted, fully qualified mental health professional. You set off to get a job in the field... except employers don't want your qualification, they want a different one. Bron unpacks the dilemma of what to do if you're faced with this situation. She talks about 👉🏽 asking yourself what you really want in your mental health career 👉🏻 reasons to go back to uni 👉 reasons to create your own space 👉🏿 valuing your qualification, even if an employer doesn't. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bro...

Bron unpacks the dilemma of when your client wants to be friends with you (their therapist) and vice versa. She talks about 👉🏽 what a therapeutic relationship is vs a friendship 👉🏻 signs that a client wants to be your friend 👉 what to do if you want to be friends with your client 👉🏿 ways to think about why it's important to maintain a professional relationship. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. THE END BITS Thanks so much for listening. Mental Work is t...

Many trainees are required to undertake intensive internships to get qualified. Bron unpacks the dilemma of making an internship work when it's not going so well. She talks about 👉🏽 what an ideal internship looks like for a trainee 👉🏻 what to do when you're not getting enough support in the internship 👉 internship Red Flags including doing too much unpaid preparation, lengthy and complex reports, and exploitation 👉🏿 what to do if there's a conflict between you and your internship supervisor/empl...

Do you hate notes? Me too. This episode unpacks the dilemma of keeping up with notes. Bron unpacks about 👉🏽 what goes into clinical notes 👉🏻 practical strategies for keeping up with notes 👉 how to get more efficient at taking notes (electronic vs paper). Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psychologist. LINKS Taking notes on iPad tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I2MWtwDgTk My notes template: Template - Progress Notes.pdf THE END BITS Thanks so much for liste...

Trying to get qualified but don't have cash to splash? Bron unpacks the dilemma of paying for tuition, supervision, and everything else on the journey to becoming a mental health professional. She talks about 👉🏽 her experience of managing the unanticipated costs of training 👉🏻 why working for free is a no-go zone 👉 how training privileges the wealthy and able, which reduces diversity in our field 👉🏿 practical ways to reduce costs. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an early-career psy...