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COVID-19; secondary wave of anxiety could cripple health systems
A number of my GP colleagues have reached out to me in the past few days asking what they can do to manage the waves of anxious people experiencing Coronavirus related anxiety and panic. This anxiety is stretching already-precious staff resources as well as producing...
read moreAtlas Shrugged revisited
“If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the...
read moreClimate Crisis
This little blue ball contains all of the known life in the universe We don't yet know how rare life is on other planets, but for now, at least every living thing that we as a species are aware of exists in this photo. Millions of years of evolution have...
read morePost modern questions are winning over scientific facts
Why do anti-vaxxers have any traction in the modern world? Their opinions fly in the face of all common sense and scientific fact. For that matter, let's apply the same question to climate change deniers, anti-gun control advocates or people who believe the moon...
read moreWhere Australia’s Better Access scheme has had an impact on mental health: A commentary on Jorm
Published: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Authors: Professor Christopher W Lee & Dr Aaron DJ Frost In a recent paper, Professor Jorm (2018) concluded that there was no discernible impact of the Better Access Scheme on the mental health of the...
read moreHow a new car and an electric razor taught me about feedback
What does an Electric Razor and a new car have to do with Psychotherapy? In the last week, I have made two major purchases; a new car and a new electric razor. “Hooray for you” you might think, but I check out your website for insights into psychotherapy, not for you...
read moreTherapy Myths
I was recently asked to respond to the question of whether or not it has been “proven” than “General Psychologists” get the same outcomes as “Clinical Psychologists” and that there is in fact no value to Master’s training. I have been of the opinion for some time...
read morePsychotherapy: Waiting for a paradigm shift
What is a paradigm shift? The idea of a paradigm shift has been hijacked by advertising agencies and used to describe everything from a new smartphone, to a lower fat cheese. But in science, the idea of a paradigm shift has a slightly more nuanced meaning. ...
read moreIs it ok to write a report for a client you are treating?
Is it ok to write a report for a client you are treating? As a supervisor and practice owner, these requests come in pretty frequently, and I often find myself helping my supervisees work through their decision-making process to ensure an ethically and...
read moreThe Psychology of Shooting Back
You hear the rush of footsteps outside your classroom door, bodies jostling, crying and shouting. The sound you had been trying to dismiss as a car engine misfiring has gotten closer and is now unmistakable as small arms fire. It is at that moment you realise this...
read moreMusical Suicides
I have been a clinical psychologist for almost 20 years, but I’ve been a fan of metal music for closer to 30. I grew up on a diet rich in double-kick bass drums, shredding guitar solos, and a mix of growled and screeched vocals. When I was at uni and struggling to...
read moreBuying more stuff won’t make you happier
As national psychology week unfolds, most of us will have already been bombarded with plenty of feel good stories about mental health awareness and how a psychologist can help. However, the story we don't hear so often is the one about how psychologist contributed to...
read moreInsurance companies line up for the data honeypot of Medicare
What protection will be offered to the general public from the commercial exploitation of Medicare data when this service is privatised.
read moreMental Health Changes – Who are the winners and losers?
The proposed changes to the Mental Health care system have been launched to much acclaim from both the media and certain sections of the mental health community. However, the announcement is light on details and demands scrutiny from the media and the general public....
read moreHow to become an evidence based therapist
Across healthcare there has been a move toward greater accountability. Funding bodies are no longer interested in funding activity, and are demanding outcomes. The recent review of mental health services by the National Mental Health Commission was explicit in saying...
read moreInternet Therapy: A Hollow Revolution ?
oOne of the major barriers to effective service delivery in Australia is distance. It costs more to connect a telephone wire to a house in Biloela than it does in Brisbane. Unsuprisingly, rural Australians are often at the short end of what governments like to refer...
read moreBetter Access to Psychologists – Is it Value for Money ?
I have grown weary of being lectured by politicians and professional health advocates about how expensive the ‘Better Access’ program has become. I am especially sick of the entire discussion being framed in terms of cost. This critique is naïve; as any economist will...
read moreThe Mental Health Dividend
As budget time looms, the horse trading gets more furious. Once again, the mental health sector is facing uncertainty, cuts or restructure. Mental health typically fares poorly in these negotiations at least in part due to the fact that the government views mental...
read moreWhen is it ok to write a report for a client?
Supervision Question - I have been asked to write a report to my clients employer saying they are psychologically fit for work. Is it ok to do it ? This is a really common dilemma for psychologists. Whether it is insurance companies, schools, centrelink, or a host...
read moreReport Card 2014
How effective is your psychologist ? In 1956 an English psychology professor named Hans Eysenck threw the cat amongst the pigeons amongst psychology circles by publishing an article that effectively stated “there is no evidence that psychological therapy works”....
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