Mental Work

Bron is joined by Amy Howell (Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Co-Founder of Centre Self Collective) to unpack what our core psychological needs actually are and why they matter so much in clinical work. Amy shares how unmet needs in childhood shape attachment styles, coping patterns, and the schemas we carry into adulthood, and why acknowledging this isn't about parent-blaming.
They chat about:
👉 The difference between a core need and a want
👉 How unmet needs shape attachment styles and adult behaviour
👉 How to explore unmet needs with clients without slipping into parent-blaming
👉 Practical ways to help clients identify and meet their core needs
Guest: Amy Howell, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Co-Founder of Centre Self Collective
LINKS
Amy's private practice - Centre Self Collective: https://centreself.com.au/
Download Amy's core needs self-assessment checklist here: https://centreself.com.au/blog
Reinventing Your Life by Jeffrey Young
Schema therapy training in Australia
THE END BITS
Mental Work is the podcast for psychologists about the realities of working in mental health, with an early-career focus. Hosted by psychologist/researcher Dr Bronwyn Milkins.
Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕🍵
Have a question, episode idea or just want to say hi? DM Bron on Instagram, leave a comment on the Spotify episode, or email mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com
Apply to be a guest / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website
CREDITS
Producer: Michael English
Music: Home
Commitment: Mental Work believes in an inclusive and diverse mental health workforce. We honour the strength, resilience, and invaluable contributions of mental health workers with lived experiences of mental illness, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTIQA+ identities, and diverse culture and language. We recognise our First Nations colleagues as Traditional Custodians of the land and pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. Mental Work is recorded on unceded Whadjuk Noongar boodja.
Disclaimer: Mental Work provides informational content. Mental Work is not a psychological service and being a listener or guest does not establish a therapeutic relationship. Content should not be considered a replacement for professional consultation or therapy. All views expressed are personal, subject to change, and do not represent those of any affiliated employer, service, or organisation past or present. Efforts are made to ensure accuracy, but opinions may not always align with fact. Listeners are encouraged to thoughtfully assess the information presented and report any inaccuracies or concerns via email. Further information can be found here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron is joined by Anastasia Sagris-Desmond (psychologist and graduate of the Pathways to Politics Program) about advocacy beyond the therapy room. Anastasia shares how three decades working in gambling harm and family violence led her into politics, union leadership, and co-authoring a book on coercive control and financial abuse.
They chat about:
👉🏽 Why early-career psychologists often feel pressure to "stay small" and avoid advocacy
👉🏻 How gambling harm is treated as a mitigating factor in the justice system
👉 What coercive control and financial abuse actually look like
👉🏿 Practical first steps for psychologists who want to get involved in advocacy or policy
Guest: Anastasia Sagris-Desmond, Psychologist and AHPRA-Approved Supervisor
LINKS
Book authored by Tammy Casselson on surviving domestic violence: The Grimmest of Fairy Tales: A Lived Experience Voice That Offers Hope, Exposes Red Flags and Empowers Allies
Pathways to Politics program (active in every Australian state and territory)
Centre for Women's Economic Safety
"Compulsion, convergence or crime?" A report from the Centre for Innovative Justice on contact with the criminal justice system as a form of gambling harm.
Medical Scientists Association of Victoria (MSAV)
The Adolescent Man Box Report
THE END BITS
Mental Work is the podcast for psychologists about the realities of working in mental health, with an early-career focus. Hosted by psychologist/researcher Dr Bronwyn Milkins.
Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕🍵
Have a question, episode idea or just want to say hi? DM Bron on Instagram, leave a comment on the Spotify episode, or email mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com
Apply to be a guest / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website
CREDITS
Producer: Michael English
Music: Home
Commitment: Mental Work believes in an inclusive and diverse mental health workforce. We honour the strength, resilience, and invaluable contributions of mental health workers with lived experiences of mental illness, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTIQA+ identities, and diverse culture and language. We recognise our First Nations colleagues as Traditional Custodians of the land and pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. Mental Work is recorded on unceded Whadjuk Noongar boodja.
Disclaimer: Mental Work provides informational content. Mental Work is not a psychological service and being a listener or guest does not establish a therapeutic relationship. Content should not be considered a replacement for professional consultation or therapy. All views expressed are personal, subject to change, and do not represent those of any affiliated employer, service, or organisation past or present. Efforts are made to ensure accuracy, but opinions may not always align with fact. Listeners are encouraged to thoughtfully assess the information presented and report any inaccuracies or concerns via email. Further information can be found here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron tackles a listener question: how do you actually stay evidence-based once you're out of university, time-poor, and no longer have easy access to academic databases? She walks through the full range of free and low-cost options, from AI search tools to library memberships, so you can keep up-to-date with research without it becoming a second job.
Bron covers:
👉🏽 The AI tools built specifically for searching academic literature, and where general tools like ChatGPT fall short
👉🏻 Free options like Google Scholar alerts, ResearchGate, and alumni library access
👉 How to quickly find the "clinical implications" of any paper
👉🏿 Where to find clinical practice guidelines for the conditions you treat most
LINKS
Bron has put all the links for this episode into a handy blog post. Head here for the full list: https://www.mentalworkpodcast.com/blog/how-do-i-stay-evidence-based-keeping-up-with-research-after-you-graduate-a-guide-for-psychologists/
THE END BITS
Mental Work is the podcast for psychologists about the realities of working in mental health, with an early-career focus. Hosted by psychologist/researcher Dr Bronwyn Milkins.
Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕🍵
Have a question, episode idea or just want to say hi? DM Bron on Instagram, leave a comment on the Spotify episode, or email mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com
Apply to be a guest / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website
CREDITS
Producer: Michael English
Music: Home
Commitment: Mental Work believes in an inclusive and diverse mental health workforce. We honour the strength, resilience, and invaluable contributions of mental health workers with lived experiences of mental illness, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTIQA+ identities, and diverse culture and language. We recognise our First Nations colleagues as Traditional Custodians of the land and pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. Mental Work is recorded on unceded Whadjuk Noongar boodja.
Disclaimer: Mental Work provides informational content. Mental Work is not a psychological service and being a listener or guest does not establish a therapeutic relationship. Content should not be considered a replacement for professional consultation or therapy. All views expressed are personal, subject to change, and do not represent those of any affiliated employer, service, or organisation past or present. Efforts are made to ensure accuracy, but opinions may not always align with fact. Listeners are encouraged to thoughtfully assess the information presented and report any inaccuracies or concerns via email. Further information can be found here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron is joined by Kyle Miller (psychologist working in forensic private practice) about what it's really like to work with people who have committed sexual or violent offences. Kyle shares how he found his way into forensic work almost by accident, and why "I work with people" has become his guiding philosophy.
They chat about:
👉🏽 The biggest misconceptions about people who commit sexual offences
👉🏻 How Kyle manages countertransference and the pressure to "fix" clients
👉 Why learning forensic terminology and skills happens on the job, not at uni
👉🏿 How to build rapport with clients who don't want to be in the room
Guest: Kyle Miller, Psychologist at Melbourne Private Psychology
LINKS
Melbourne Private Psychology
Beyond The Crime podcast
THE END BITS
Mental Work is the podcast for psychologists about the realities of working in mental health, with an early-career focus. Hosted by psychologist/researcher Dr Bronwyn Milkins.
Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕🍵
Have a question, episode idea or just want to say hi? DM Bron on Instagram, leave a comment on the Spotify episode, or email mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com
Apply to be a guest / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website
CREDITS
Producer: Michael English
Music: Home
Commitment: Mental Work believes in an inclusive and diverse mental health workforce. We honour the strength, resilience, and invaluable contributions of mental health workers with lived experiences of mental illness, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTIQA+ identities, and diverse culture and language. We recognise our First Nations colleagues as Traditional Custodians of the land and pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. Mental Work is recorded on unceded Whadjuk Noongar boodja.
Disclaimer: Mental Work provides informational content. Mental Work is not a psychological service and being a listener or guest does not establish a therapeutic relationship. Content should not be considered a replacement for professional consultation or therapy. All views expressed are personal, subject to change, and do not represent those of any affiliated employer, service, or organisation past or present. Efforts are made to ensure accuracy, but opinions may not always align with fact. Listeners are encouraged to thoughtfully assess the information presented and report any inaccuracies or concerns via email. Further information can be found here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bron is joined by returning guest Harriet Isles (psychologist and founder of Restorative Space Psychology) to talk about therapist self-disclosure. Harriet shares her practical, intentional approach to deciding when sharing personal information with a client helps the therapeutic relationship, and when it gets in the way.
They chat about:
👉🏽 How to know when self-disclosure is actually for the client's benefit, not your own
👉🏻 What the AHPRA Code of Conduct says about sharing personal information with clients
👉 Findings from the 2025 "Goldilocks Disclosures" study on when self-disclosure lands well (and when it backfires)
👉🏿 Why speaking "from the scar, not the wound" protects clients from role confusion
Guest: Harriet Isles, Psychologist and Founder of Restorative Space Psychology
LINKS
Research article: "Goldilocks disclosures: A qualitative exploration of when therapist self-disclosure of lived experience is "just right"
Harriet's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restorativespacepsychology/
THE END BITS
Mental Work is the podcast for psychologists about the realities of working in mental health, with an early-career focus. Hosted by psychologist/researcher Dr Bronwyn Milkins.
Support the show by buying me a virtual coffee ☕🍵
Have a question, episode idea or just want to say hi? DM Bron on Instagram, leave a comment on the Spotify episode, or email mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com
Apply to be a guest / YouTube (with captions & transcript) / Website
CREDITS
Producer: Michael English
Music: Home
Commitment: Mental Work believes in an inclusive and diverse mental health workforce. We honour the strength, resilience, and invaluable contributions of mental health workers with lived experiences of mental illness, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTIQA+ identities, and diverse culture and language. We recognise our First Nations colleagues as Traditional Custodians of the land and pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. Mental Work is recorded on unceded Whadjuk Noongar boodja.
Disclaimer: Mental Work provides informational content. Mental Work is not a psychological service and being a listener or guest does not establish a therapeutic relationship. Content should not be considered a replacement for professional consultation or therapy. All views expressed are personal, subject to change, and do not represent those of any affiliated employer, service, or organisation past or present. Efforts are made to ensure accuracy, but opinions may not always align with fact. Listeners are encouraged to thoughtfully assess the information presented and report any inaccuracies or concerns via email. Further information can be found here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.