Authenticity in mental health services

On Thursday 16th May, I presented to a group of peer-workers and other clinicians at The Alfred, Melbourne. The conversation and subsequent discussion was focused on what it means to have authenticity and what implications that has for our work in mental health services. The talk focused on an idea from Charles Guignon that in … Continue reading Authenticity in mental health services →

No more ideas, thank you

A friend recently told me that she stopped listening to podcasts from a number of self-help gurus because she was fed up of 'being told what I should do'. As someone who reads, listens to podcasts and consumes information from a range of people, I can appreciate the value of a good idea. However, perhaps like my friend, I’m often overwhelmed by … Continue reading No more ideas, thank you →

Café Psych: Who’s bad? Can we separate art from the artist?

The recent 'Leaving Neverland' documentary shared the experiences of two men who were claim they were befriended and then abused by Michael Jackson when they were boys. Following this, a number of radio stations removed Jackson's back-catalog from their playlists and The Simpsons withdrew their episode featuring the now deceased pop star. This raises many … Continue reading Café Psych: Who’s bad? Can we separate art from the artist? →

Alternatives to psychiatric diagnosis

On Monday 25th Feb, I attended the Power Threat Meaning (PTM) Framework workshop in Sydney, which was hosted by the Blue Knot Foundation. The workshop was presented by Lucy Johnstone and John Cromby, two of the authors that produced the document. The PTM Framework provides an alternative to psychiatric diagnosis (typically found in the DSM-IV and ICD-11). The first part … Continue reading Alternatives to psychiatric diagnosis →

Systemic Practice in Inpatient Psychiatry

Working with ideas from systemic psychotherapy can be challenging in medicalised contexts where the emphasis is on 'illnesses' which are said to exist within an individual. Such systems can often obscure the power dynamics which impact on an individuals experience of distress. During my work in an inpatient psychiatry service I was able to consider … Continue reading Systemic Practice in Inpatient Psychiatry →