Cultural Responsiveness Episodes

Bron is joined by Dr George Loram (Psychologist working in Mparntwe/Alice Springs) to explore what it’s like to work as a psychologist in very remote Australia and with Aboriginal mob. George shares how a placement during lockdown led him to stay long-term, and what surprised him most about working with Aboriginal communities. They chat about: 👉🏽 What a typical week looks like across remote clinics and private practice 👉🏻 How being a “person first and psychologist second” can transform your w...

Bron is joined by Vi-An Nguyen (Organisational Psychologist and Founder of An Tâm Psychology) to talk about how culture shapes both our own experiences and those of our clients, and why conversations about culture and work matter for the clients we support. They chat about: 👉🏽 Why discussions about culture and work can feel uncomfortable but necessary 👉🏾 The common workplace tensions faced by people from culturally diverse backgrounds 👉🏻 The pressure to assimilate versus staying authentic at ...

Bron is joined by Dr Trisnasari Fraser (Community Psychologist and researcher) to explore how sharing music across cultures can foster connection, build community resilience, and deepen cultural humility in mental health work. We chat about: 👉🏽 Trisnasari's music-filled pathway from running a multicultural performing arts school to completing a PhD on intercultural music engagement. 👉🏻 Musicking as a social, community act that fosters belonging. 👉🏿 How music can help us hold both cultural dif...

Bron is joined by Beatrice Ng-Kesler (Clinical Psychologist, Schema Therapy Trainer) about working therapeutically with clients from collectivist cultures, and why Western, individualistic models don’t always translate as cleanly as we expect. They chat about: 👉🏽 How collectivist and individualist values shape therapy 👉🏻 Filial piety, family hierarchy, and unmet needs 👉🏿 Cultural safety, humility, and therapist authority 👉🏾 Working with emotional suppression in schema therapy 👉🏼 Practical way...

Bron speaks with Dr Chrissy Antonopoulos (psychologist and founder of Beyond Bias Consulting) about her PhD research on implicit bias towards people with disability in Australia. Chrissy shares how her lived experience of blindness led her to investigate the subtle and often invisible attitudes shaping workplace decisions, clinical interactions, and public policy. They chat about: 👉🏽 The difference between explicit and implicit bias 👉🏻 The Stereotype Content Model 👉 Participant's views of peo...

Bron is joined by Karen Knight and Courtney McKee, two experienced psychologists with lived experience of blindness. We dive into 👉 their personal journey with psychology, including their passions, the challenges, and the opportunities for psychologists living with disability 👉🏽 accessibility, technology, and advocacy 👉🏿 the strengths and unique perspectives they bring to their work. The episode offers valuable advice for aspiring and early career mental health workers living with disability and...

Bron and Daniela talk about how to ensure that therapy is culturally responsive, particularly for clients of Asian heritage. They chat about 👉🏽 Daniela's lived experience as a person of the Asian diaspora 👉🏻 How culture shows up in therapy (even if we're not aware of it) 👉 Strategies for building rapport and retaining clients who are culturally-diverse 👉🏿 Daniela's passion project, Project Horizon, in which she strives to make culture part of the therapy conversation. Guest: Daniela Ho Tan, C...

Did you know: Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) countries in the world. Yep! 3 in 10 were born overseas, and 1 in 5 speak a language other than English at home. People from CALD backgrounds are at risk of poorer health outcomes compared to other Aussies, so it's real important that us psychs know the ins and outs of working with this population. Today on Mental Work, Bron is joined by Neeraja Shankar (Clinical Psychology Trainee/PhD Candidate) to unpack wh...

Bron is joined by Dr Averil Cook (Clinical Psychologist) to unpack the dilemma of how to actually be culturally competent in the therapy space. They talk about 👉🏽 What cultural competence is and why it's essential for early career psychs 👉🏻 How to go about gaining competence in this area, especially with Indigenous Australians 👉 'Decolonising' psychology 👉🏿 Do's and don'ts for cultural competence. Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins, an Australian-based early career psychologist. T...