Clinically Thinking

Lisa Chantler in conversation with Clinical Psychologist Dr Ozgur Yalcin. Oz is Director of the Anima Health Network in Perth, and current Chair of the Clinical College of the APS. Oz finds the commonalities in a range of parts work systems such as IFS, Chair Work and Structural Dissociation, and integrates them in a straightforward way that's easily applied in day to day clinical therapy. LINKS Dr. Yalcin's parts and chairwork training: https://www.anima.com.au/parts-chairwork-training More information about Anima Health Network at: https://www.anima.com.au/ozgur YSQ-R questionnaires at: https://www.anima.com.au/schema Oz and Lisa Chantler also reference: Transformational Chairwork, by Scott Kellogg: https://www.amazon.com.au/Transformational-Chairwork-Psychotherapeutic-Dialogues-Clinical/dp/1442229535 No Bad Parts, by Richard C Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com.au/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681 Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors, by Janina Fisher: https://www.routledge.com/Healing-the-Fragmented-Selves-of-Trauma-Survivors-Overcoming-Internal-Self-Alienation/Fisher/p/book/9780415708234

Ryan Balzan is the Director of the Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Laboratory in the Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing. He and Lisa discuss the latest psychological tools for working with psychosis, and why all Clinical Psychologists can be more confident working with sufferers of psychosis.

Dr Emily O’Leary has built her career on studying and treating OCD and anxiety. In this episode Lisa and Dr O’Leary discuss treatment approaches ranging from the traditional approaches to the new modalities and ideas being trialed. Highlights include: 05:20 What is OCD 07:27 What OCD is not 08:37 Comparing OCD and GAD 12:55 Comparing OCD and OCPD 17:20 Identifying OCD in therapy 20:00 Diagnosis and co-occurring conditions 28:54 Foundational research in OCD 35:00 Do clinicians avoid OCD? 41:39 Emerging new treatments 47:10 Using Schema perspectives 50:12 Prioritising multiple diagnoses 55:00 Imagery rescripting 56:20 Working with POCD 1:02:40 Debunking OCD myths 1:05:20 Future directions. Follow the Clinically Thinking Facebook page to find links to Dr O'Leary's reading list and links to treatment resources

A very practical discussion with Dr Tracey Wade on 10 ways to improve client outcomes in your current clinical practice. Talking points in this packed episode 03:00 What is a competency? 07:12 Firm empathy 13:15 Don’t overestimate a patient’s fragility 18:35 Prioritise early change 25:39 The role of epigenetics 30:44 Measure symptoms at each session.. 35:15 Don’t put your clients into a coma 36:58 Benefits of weekly sessions.. 40:30 Don’t assume more complex therapy is required.. 46:54 Adapting the protocol to the patient 51:08 Cognitive dissonance and motivational enhancement 55:27 Setting goals between sessions 57:29 WOOP and fantasy realisation therapy 58:21 Prioritising training and supervision Lisa and Tracey are discussing the paper "Ten generic competences to improve outcomes of cognitive behaviour therapy: Evidence, postulated processes, and clinical implications" by Tracey D Wade and Glenn Waller Grab a copy and read along at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796725001482?via%3Dihub FACE TO FACE TRAINING Tracey Wade will expand on this material, and then apply it with reference to perfectionism, at a practical one day workshop being held in Adelaide, 19 June 2026. Information and registration at: https://www.bridgepsychologists.com.au/training

Dr Catherine Hynes brings Neuroscience and Neuropsychology underpinnings to her Clinical work with trauma and dissociation. Lisa and Catherine discuss the impact of trauma on memory, the controversies around repressed memories, recovered memories and false memories, and explore best practice guidelines for therapists working in this space. www.catherinehynes.net/training/ to learn more about Catherine's training and workshops. Recommended reading and research in this topic: Callus, E., Gallina, E., & Fernandez, I. (2024).EMDR: dispelling the false memory creation myth in response to Otgaar et al. (2022a). Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1366137. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1366137 Dalenberg, C. J., Brand, B. L., Gleaves, D. H., Dorahy, M. J., Loewenstein, R. J., Cardeña, E., Spiegel, D. (2012). Evaluation of the evidence for the trauma and fantasy models of dissociation. Psychological Bulletin, 138(3), 550-588. Freyd, Jennifer (1996). Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Geraerts, E., Schooler, J. W., Merckelbach, H., Jelicic, M., Hauer, B. J. A.,& Ambadar, Z. (2007). The reality of recovered memories: Corroborating continuous and discontinuous memories of childhood sexual abuse. Psychological Science, 18, 564 –568. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01940.x Goodman-Delahunty, J., Nolan, M. & van Gijn Grosvenor, E. Empirical guidance on the effects of child sexual abuse on memory and complainants’ evidence, Report for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, 2017. Houben, S. T. L., Otgaar, H., Roelofs, J., & Merckelbach, H. (2018). Lateral eye movements increase false memory rates. Clinical Psychological Science, 6, 610–616. doi:10.1177/2167702618757658. Lee, C., de Jongh, A., & Hase, M. (2019). Lateral eye movements,EMDR, and memory changes: A critical commentary on Houben et al. (2018) [Letter]. Clinical Psychological Science, 6, 403–404. doi:10.1177/216770261983039 Loftus, E. (1993) The Reality of Repressed Memories. American Psychologist. 48(5):518-37 Pezdek, K., Finger, K., & Hodge, D. (1997). Planting false childhood memories: The role of event plausibility. Psychological Science, 8(6), 437–441. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00457. Ross CA, Ridgway J, Neighbors Q, Myron T. Reversal of Amnesia for Trauma in a Sample of Psychiatric Inpatients with Dissociative Identity Disorder and Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. J Child Sex Abus. 2022 Jul;31(5):550-561. doi: 10.1080/10538712.2022.2067096. Epub 2022 Apr 19. PMID: 35437119.a van der Hart, O. & Nijenhuis, E.R.S. (1995) Amnesia for traumatic experiences. Hypnosis 1995; 22:73-86 van der Hart, O. & Nijenhuis, E.R.S. (1999) Bearing Witness to Uncorroborated Trauma: The clinician’s development of reflective belief. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice. Vol 30, Number 1, pp 37-44.

Dr Michael Proeve is a Clinically and Forensically endorsed Australian Psychologist. Dr Lisa Chantler asks Michael why remorse, guilt and shame are common factors in therapeutic issues such as Social Anxiety and Depression, and how clinicians can help.

Dr Vanessa Spiller explains the history of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, offers tools to diagnose FASD and helpful pathways for Clinical Psychologists offering therapy. She explains why it is so easily overlooked in comparison with other commonly co-occurring diagnoses, and reveals FASD's alarmingly high rates of involvement with the criminal justice system.

Our guest today is Prof Tracey Wade. Dr Lisa Chantler speaks to Prof. Wade about the State of the Art and Science of Clinical Perfectionism. They discuss how it is defined, how therapists can identify traits of Clinical Perfectionism in the clinic, the history of the disorder, about the most recent CBT treatments, and what resources are available for clinicians.

Emeritus Professor Don Carveth draws on psychological wisdom from religion, philosophy, literature, as well as from empirical research and clinical practice, to understand how guilt influences our lives. Aaron Neaves explores the themes of Don’s latest book “Guilt: A Contemporary Introduction” in a wide ranging, thoughtful conversation. Together they discuss if there a biological basis for conscience; the distinction between persecutory guilt and reparative guilt; if psychopaths and narcissists have a conscience; if psychoanalysis can claim to be morally neutral; how understanding guilt changes our practice of trauma informed care, and much much more.

World leading neuroscientist, pain researcher and educator, Prof. Lorimer Moseley, discusses the complex relationship between our minds, our bodies and pain.

Professor Robyn Young from Flinders University is our guest discussing the presentation and diagnosis of Autism specifically in female clients. Our wide ranging discussion covered broader issues including Autism and the criminal justice system, changes in Autistic presentation with age, training for Autism assessments, clients who camouflage Autistic characteristics, the impact of Australia's NDIS funding on the diagnosis and assistance for Autism, and much, much more. Follow our Clinically Thinking Facebook page to find links or resources mentioned in the show.

Dr Aaron Frost with a challenge to clinicians: the path to improving client outcomes lies not in learning yet another new therapy, but in improving the way we do therapy, with consistent use of Deliberate Practice and Routine Outcome Measures.

Dr Allen Frances was chair of the task force writing the DSM-IV, but subsequently became an outspoken critic of the rapid expansion of mental health diagnoses in DSM-5, and what he sees as the over medicalisation of behaviours that fall into the normal range of human life. Dr Frances offers a US perspective on issues such as treating ADHD and Autism, the pros and cons of early diagnosis, the appropriate role of drugs in mental health, and strategies to bring public mental health care to the greatest numbers of people.

Assoc Professor Chris Lee tells Dr Sara Quinn about his career researching and treating trauma. They discuss exposure, EMDR, stabilisation, helping clients reach the "ah-hah" moment, and the importance of self-care for professionals working in this space.

This week Lisa Chantler speaks to Rachel Menzies about the impact of death anxiety in clients presenting with broader symptoms of anxiety and depression. They discuss cultural attitudes to death, CBT, Terror Management Theory and the role of Stoic philosophy in developing a healthy acceptance of death.

Cognitive Analytic Therapy integrates Psychodynamic and Cognitive Theory and is a transdiagnostic therapeutic modality that approaches psychological problems from a relational perspective. Matt Cartwright speaks with Dr Louise McCutcheon from Orygen, The Australian Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health in Melbourne. Links and more information about C.A.T. can be found on the Clinically Thinking Facebook page.

New Clinically thinking presenter Aaron Neaves meets Jonathan Shedler; author, consultant, researcher, Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and faculty member at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. Dr Shedler firmly presents the case for the evidence base and effectiveness of Psychoanalytic Therapy.

Dr David Preece studies Alexithymia. He discusses how to use this construct in clinical settings to recognise clients who struggle to understand and process emotions, and how that in turn influences the effectiveness of therapy.

Amanda Garcia Torres and Lisa Chantler introduce us to the basics of Chairwork and discuss why this is such a powerful tool for clients who have experienced trauma. Garcia Torres has further developed her Chairwork practice to give voice to clients from marginalized communities, focusing on what she has identified as the five core problems of oppression.

In this episode Nina Cook asks how a therapist can respond to a client’s climate anxieties, when they may also be feeling the same fears. She speaks to Paul Rhodes who is a collaborative research fellow at the Sydney environment Institute. Paul has helped establish a research project with a group of school age young people to explore ways of responding to climate related distress. We also meet one of the project’s young participants to talk about how she is learning to “stay with the trouble” and reduce her feelings of powerlessness in the face of climate change.