Mental Work is the podcast about working in mental health for early-career psychologists.
Hosted by psychologist Dr Bronwyn Milkins.
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Why not get started with some of our favourite episodes and guests?
About the Host
Dr Bronwyn Milkins
Mental Work Host / Psychologist / Mental Health Researcher
Mental Work is hosted by Dr Bronwyn Milkins (PhD, MPsych), an Australian Psychologist and Mental Health Researcher on a mission to help early-career psychologists have sustainable and enjoyable careers from the get-go. Since 2021, Bron has loved hosting Mental Work across 200+ episodes with 100+ guests. She's a bubbly ADHDer who loves dogs, music, and sci-fi.
Recent Episodes
Burnout & self-care Career Complex clinical practice Cultural responsiveness Diverse areas of practice For provisional psychologists Imposter syndrome Listener story Modern therapist dilemmas Neurodiversity-affirming practice Politics Private practice & finances Supervision Therapy skills Therapy with young people
219
Oct. 29, 2026
Working with affairs and betrayal in therapy (with Marie Vakakis)
Bron is joined by Marie Vakakis (Mental Health Social Worker, Couple and Family Therapist) to unpack how to work with affairs and betrayal in therapy. Using hypothetical cases, Marie walks through what to do when an individual client discloses an affair, and how to support couples after an affair is discovered. They chat about: 👉🏽 Affairs as “turning away” from a relationship, and how to discuss affairs in individual therapy without judgement or shame 👉🏻 The Gottman Therapy model of "Atone, Att
218
Oct. 22, 2026
Compassionate to clients, harsh on ourselves: Exploring the therapist double-standard (with Matthew Jackson)
Bron is joined by Matthew Jackson (Psychologist and Board-Approved Supervisor) to unpack why so many psychologists can be deeply compassionate towards clients but harshly critical towards themselves. Matt reflects openly on how his upbringing, attachment and his own therapy have shaped his relationship with self-compassion, and Bron discusses how she is is at the start of her own self-compassion journey. They explore how psychology training often teaches us to turn compassion outward, but not so
217
Oct. 15, 2026
Beyond the DSM: Intro to the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (with Claire Trevitt)
Bron is joined by Claire Trevitt (Psychologist) to explore the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM), which is one diagnostic alternative to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (the DSM). Claire explains how the PDM uses the same diagnostic categories as the DSM but adds depth around personality and subjective experience, which can give mental health workers a different perspectives on their clients' experiences. They chat about: 👉🏽 Personality styles versus personality disorders, and the PDM
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