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
213
Sept. 17, 2026
Working well with couples who stonewall, withdraw, and shut down (with Marie Vakakis)
Bron is joined by Marie Vakakis (Mental Health Social Worker and couples therapist) to chat about working with couples who stonewall, withdraw, and shut down. Marie unpacks the Gottman Method's "Four Horsemen" and shares exactly what to say and do when a couple's session starts to unravel. I found the episode really helpful for individual work, too! They chat about: 👉🏽 The Four Horsemen: Criticism, Defensiveness, Contempt and Stonewalling 👉🏻 The specific antidotes to each pattern, including the
212
Sept. 10, 2026
Understanding and identifying coercive control (with Krasi Kirova)
Bron is joined by Krasi Kirova (Clinical Psychologist) about identifying coercive control in therapy. Krasi shares her own '3Ds' framework, built from years of clinical work, to help clinicians name abuse that doesn't always look obvious. They chat about: 👉🏽 Krasi's '3Ds' framework: Disrespect, Disempowerment and Distortion 👉🏻 Why coercive control is so often missed by psychologists 👉 The concept of "perspecticide" and how abusers distort reality 👉🏿 Practical questions to ask clients who might
211
Sept. 3, 2026
Decolonising your practice: Small steps toward anti-oppressive therapy (with Mish Kumar-Jonson)
Bron is joined by Mish Kumar-Jonson (Mental Health Social Worker and Chair of the Iceberg Foundation) about bringing anti-oppressive and anti-colonial practice into therapy. Mish shares how their own experience of migration and community shaped a lifelong commitment to supporting LGBTIQASBP+, neurodivergent, and BIPOC communities, and supporting mental health practitioners to unlearn colonial norms in their work. They chat about: 👉🏽 How pathologising language and power imbalances show up in eve
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