Penny Sih is a clinical psychologist at Developing Minds. Over the past 17 years, she has developed engagement processes to help children and teens understand and move towards their ‘best life’. In episode one of this two-part series, Penny shares how the ‘best life’ approach can help practitioners to better understand the ‘whole child’ and the problems that affect them; and enable children and parents to be active participants in the therapeutic process. Penny describes how practice with children who experience mental health difficulties has evolved from a focus on mother-child attachment, towards broader explorations of the systems and connections that shape a child’s life. She discusses the need to engage families from the outset, so that therapy is seen as a place where children’s ideas, values, knowledge and preferences are brought to the fore. Penny shares her strategies for providing children with choice early in therapy sessions, so that they are supported to have control throughout the process. These strategies also show children that therapy can be fun. Penny also describes how she helps parents to understand their role in supporting the child’s best life. In this episode you will learn: what the ‘best life’ approach means and what it can help the therapist to focus on in their engagements with children (6:04) effective engagement practices that can help children to feel less anxious or reluctant to talk with a therapist, and that set the scene for collaborative and child-focused practices (7:50) how Penny describes the ‘best life’ approach in her work with children and parents (8:57) how therapists can give children control or choice during the initial engagement phase of therapy, so that they can become more confident and energised (11:55) how the ‘best life’ model can be used to enhance a clinical assessment with a child (17:12) 

Emerging Minds Podcast

Helping children to live their ‘best life’ – part 1

Penny Sih is a clinical psychologist at Developing Minds. Over the past 17 years, she has developed engagement processes to help children and teens understand and move towards their ‘best life’. In episode one of this two-part series, Penny shares how the ‘best life’ approach can help practitioners to better understand the ‘whole child’ and the problems that affect them; and enable children and parents to be active participants in the therapeutic process. Penny describes how practice with children who experience mental health difficulties has evolved from a focus on mother-child attachment, towards broader explorations of the systems and connections that shape a child’s life. She discusses the need to engage families from the outset, so that therapy is seen as a place where children’s ideas, values, knowledge and preferences are brought to the fore. Penny shares her strategies for providing children with choice early in therapy sessions, so that they are supported to have control throughout the process. These strategies also show children that therapy can be fun. Penny also describes how she helps parents to understand their role in supporting the child’s best life. In this episode you will learn: what the ‘best life’ approach means and what it can help the therapist to focus on in their engagements with children (06:04) effective engagement practices that can help children to feel less anxious or reluctant to talk with a therapist, and that set the scene for collaborative and child-focused practices (07:50) how Penny describes the ‘best life’ approach in her work with children and parents (08:57) how therapists can give children control or choice during the initial engagement phase of therapy, so that they can become more confident and energised (11:55) how the ‘best life’ model can be used to enhance a clinical assessment with a child (17:12). 

Dr Gill Murphy is a lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Western Sydney University. She has worked as a mental health nurse for twenty years, with experience in forensic, in-patient, community and emergency mental health services.  Her engagement with mental health research led her to found the Childhood Parental Death Ambassador Program. As founder of the Childhood Parental Death Ambassador Program, Gill hopes to raise awareness around the needs and experiences of children when a parent is dying or has died, and to really make children visible within that process. As part of this, the program has delivered the Childhood Death Study, in which they interviewed adults who’d experienced the death of a parent during their childhood. The study found that a lack of information provided to children during and after their parent’s death meant that they often thought about it in distressing or unhelpful ways. Additionally, it found that children were often not supported to celebrate or remember their parent’s legacy, causing them to lose touch with the supporting and nurturing rituals they had enjoyed with that parent. In this episode of the Emerging Minds podcast, Gill discusses the need for practitioners to develop preparedness in their work with children who have lost a parent, and to be able to have conversations with them that are supportive and reconnecting. In this episode you will learn: Learning 1 (01:30) the key objectives of the Childhood Parental Death Ambassador Program. Learning 2 (02:36) the key findings of the Childhood Death Study, and what these mean for any practitioner working with a child whose parent is dying or has died. Learning 3 (04:17) the effects of secrecy or a lack of information on children’s ability to positively think about their deceased parent, and to stay connected with their legacy. Learning 4 (09:53) what some services are doing to actively involve children in memory making when a parent is dying or has recently died. Learning 5 (17:44) how practitioners can overcome anxiety to talk to children in ways that are supportive and attentive, and to ensure they are listening to what the child needs at the time.

Supporting children who have lost a parent

Children and young people have historically been seen as passive and incapable of participating in the decisions that affect their lives. But as society has become more aware of child’s rights and the importance of inclusive citizenship, opportunities have arisen for children to become involved and considered in decision-making processes.  Dr Ben Lohmeyer is a writer, researcher and lecturer in social policy at Flinders University. Much of his work has focused on children and young people, and popular discourse which has minimised or disqualified their potential contributions to social policy. In this episode of the Emerging Minds podcast, he discusses society’s ‘exclusionary’ attitudes towards children and young people, and looks at the ways in which practitioners, organisations and institutions can collaborate with children to make their views, preferences, hopes and concerns a central part of decision-making and problem-solving approaches. Ben is interested in the ways that children and young people have become increasingly involved in activism – around climate change, for example. He believes there are still many ways that children’s voices get minimised or disqualified by society but is deeply interested in the ways that children have persevered and been able to make protest, despite these obstacles.  In his work as a social policy lecturer, Ben is committed to the ethic of inclusion. This moves away from the traditional, ‘banking’ notion of teaching, where wisdom and truth are owned by the teacher (or the most powerful), towards learning strategies that focus on the student’s own know-how, reflections and preferences. In this way, Ben hopes that these future social workers will themselves favor practices with children and young people that are based on principles of co-creation and privileging the child’s voice.   In this episode you will learn:   Learning 1 (5:59): the dangers of excluding children’s voices from important decisions like social policy, overcoming problems, or creating safe and nurturing spaces.   Learning 2 (10:49): how moving towards more participatory teaching and service intervention models can benefit children and enhance your engagements with them 

Including children and young people in practice and policy decisions

In this episode of the Emerging Minds podcast, Bill Wilson and Chris Dolman discuss how working within a narrative therapy framework can support connections and resilience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.  Bill Wilson is a narratively trained Social and Emotional Wellbeing Worker, while Chris Dolman is a narrative therapist and Senior Workforce Development Officer at Emerging Minds. In this conversation, they reflect on their experiences of using narrative therapy with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to facilitate a two-way learning discussion.   Bill discusses his work with Aboriginal men in the prison system, and how a curious, strengths-based approach has helped him to understand the values, skills and knowledge that can at times be overshadowed by problem stories. Chris speaks about his work as a non-Indigenous practitioner, and how important it is to position himself not as an expert in the lives of his clients, but as someone wanting to understand that person, beyond the reach of the problem story.   In this episode you will learn:  how people are ‘double-storied’, and how focusing only on the problem story misses the strengths and knowledge people come with the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connections and kinship for healing how the concept of ‘family’ can look very different in different places and communities how when families have the chance to discuss and identify their practices of strength and resilience, it becomes more possible to replicate them in the f

Narrative therapy with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

This episode is the second in a two-part series exploring work with women and children who have experienced trauma and disadvantage throughout their lives (you can find the first episode here). In this episode, we speak with Lisa Hofman and Gaby Munro, who work with mothers and their children (under the age of eight) while they undergo treatment for substance use.   Many of the children who attend the Jarrah House residential treatment service have experienced child protection involvement and past trauma, and are affected by developmental or behavioural issues. In this conversation, Lisa and Gaby explore the impacts of significant adversity and child removal on mothers and their children, and share examples of ways children may behave following experiences of trauma.  Lisa and Gaby also share how they strengthen and rebuild the mother-child relationship and reduce child protection risk by:  increasing the mother’s emotional availability to her child  transforming how mothers think about and understand their children  helping mothers

Overcoming adversity in work with mothers and children - part 2

How do you engage children when working with them remotely via video? In this episode, Tayla Iellamo, an occupational therapist who works for Royal Far West, shares her experience of delivering telehealth services to children in rural and remote areas. Tayla has worked as an OT for five years and has been delivering telehealth services through the Windmill and Telecare programs at Royal Far West for the past year. She has a passion for working with children and families in remote areas and finds telehealth a valuable and dynamic approach to delivering therapy. Tayla shares her experience of what helps families prepare for a telehealth service, what to consider when engaging children through a video platform, and troubleshooting tips and tricks for when things don’t go as planned. In this episode you will learn: What a family can expect from the first telehealth session (07:15) Helping families become comfortable with technology (10:38) Keeping the child’s context in mind in telehealth service delivery (18:19) Suggestions for practitioners new to telehealth (24:22)   Further information and resources: A practical guide to working with children and families through telehealth: https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/a-practical-guide-to-working-with-children-and-families-through-telehealth/

Re-release: Supporting children and families through telehealth

How might children’s social and emotional wellbeing be affected by the changes brought about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? In this bonus episode, Brad Morgan, Director of Emerging Minds, discusses some challenges that might be coming up for families at this time as they navigate spending more time at home together. Tune in to this discussion to hear about what infants, toddlers, and children are needing from their parents right now and some suggestions on how parents can have child-centred conversations about coronavirus

Re-release: Children's mental health during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Women who have experienced trauma and disadvantage throughout their lives are much more likely to develop mental health difficulties and substance use issues. This can seriously affect their ability to parent in safe and consistent ways, and can have significant negative impacts on children.   In the first episode of this two-part podcast series, Christine Watson, Clinical Director at Kamira Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services, talks about Kamira’s rehabilitation work with women experiencing substance use, and their children.   At Kamira, practitioners are interested in the contextual reasons that have made it more difficult for women to parent in safe and nurturing ways. Kamira’s residents are generally affected by their own experiences of trauma, as well as cultural, institutional and social discrimination. Many have also had children removed from their custody. Christine discusses how she and her staff work with these women on ways to provide safe and consistent care for their child. She also explores their strategies for helping women overcome historical issues which have prevented them from providing this care.   At the same time, Kamira’s programs focus on children’s mental health and wellbeing needs, in ways that can help enhance the lives of both mothers and children. Christine discusses the importance of therapeutic interventions that encourage women to see their children’s needs as a motivation for change. She considers how this focus can reduce the negative effects of stigma, and allow women to develop practical strategies for safe and secure parenting.  In this episode you will learn:   about the background of trauma, institutional and social discrimination experienced by many of the women in substance use programs, and the impact intergenerational disadvantage has on the lives of these women and their children [1:06] how to talk with women about their parenting in ways which avoid stigma, build trust and joy in the parent-child relationship, and help women to recognise the possibilities for change [8:32] how to help mothers understand their children’s experience, focusing on what the child might be feeling, thinking, or observing, and offering practical examples of how to s

Overcoming adversity in work with mothers and children - part 1

Women who have experienced trauma and disadvantage throughout their lives are much more likely to develop mental health difficulties and substance use issues. This can seriously affect their ability to parent in safe and consistent ways, and can have significant negative impacts on children.   In the first episode of this two-part podcast series, Christine Watson, Clinical Director at Kamira Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services, talks about Kamira’s rehabilitation work with women experiencing substance use, and their children.   At Kamira, practitioners are interested in the contextual reasons that have made it more difficult for women to parent in safe and nurturing ways. Kamira’s residents are generally affected by their own experiences of trauma, as well as cultural, institutional and social discrimination. Many have also had children removed from their custody. Christine discusses how she and her staff work with these women on ways to provide safe and consistent care for their child. She also explores their strategies for helping women overcome historical issues which have prevented them from providing this care.   At the same time, Kamira’s programs focus on children’s mental health and wellbeing needs, in ways that can help enhance the lives of both mothers and children. Christine discusses the importance of therapeutic interventions that encourage women to see their children’s needs as a motivation for change. She considers how this focus can reduce the negative effects of stigma, and allow women to develop practical strategies for safe and secure parenting.  In this episode you will learn:   about the background of trauma, institutional and social discrimination experienced by many of the women in substance use programs, and the impact intergenerational disadvantage has on the lives of these women and their children [1:06] how to talk with women about their parenting in ways which avoid stigma, build trust and joy in the parent-child relationship, and help women to recognise the possibilities for change [8:32] how to help mothers understand their children’s experience, focusing on what the child might be feeling, thinking, or observing, and offering practical examples of how to support the communicat

Every child’s experience of disability will be different, depending on a number of interrelated factors. Many professionals now understand that a child’s ‘level of disability’ depends upon how well their support networks and community can accommodate and respond to them, rather than the child’s physical, medical or emotional condition itself.  While not all challenging behaviours are related to mental health concerns, many are. It is important to recognise that behaviour can be a way (sometimes the only way) that a child can communicate their distress. Children’s wellbeing can be supported by working to understand the unique ways in which each child communicates their inner world, and by recognising that mental health concerns can appear different in many children living with disability.  We would like to acknowledge and thank our child and family partners, Chris, Lisa and Jacqui for taking the time to share their wisdom and expertise with us.       In this episode you will learn:    how taking a family-centred approach will support children’s social and emotional development by recognising and supporting their significant relationships  how taking a communication-focused approach can assist with early recogn

Parent voices: Supporting children with disability – part 2

Every child’s experience of disability will be different, depending on a number of interrelated factors. Many professionals now understand that a child’s ‘level of disability’ depends upon how well their support networks and community can accommodate and respond to them, rather than the child’s physical, medical or emotional condition itself.  While not all challenging behaviours are related to mental health concerns, many are. It is important to recognise that behaviour can be a way (sometimes the only way) that a child can communicate their distress. Children’s wellbeing can be supported by working to understand the unique ways in which each child communicates their inner world, and by recognising that mental health concerns can appear different in many children living with disability.  We would like to acknowledge and thank our child and family partners, Chris, Lisa and Jacqui for taking the time to share their wisdom and expertise with us.       In this episode you will learn:    how taking a family-centred approach will support children’s social and emotional development by recognising

Children are shaped and influenced by a range of individual, social and environmental factors, all of which go into making the ‘whole child’. Children living with disability experience the same range of emotions as every other child; and their mental health and wellbeing are influenced by the same factors as other children’s.    Parents and professionals might see a child’s social and emotional wellbeing, communication, and behaviour as just an outcome of their disability. But children living with disability can experience positive mental health too. It is important to support children living with disability to express their hopes, preferences, and concerns, just like all children.  We would like to acknowledge and thank our child and family partners, Chris, Lisa and Jacqui for taking the time to share their wisdom and expertise with us.     In this episode you will learn:   how deeply parents who have children with disability understand their children’s unique needs, how fiercely they love them, and how by listening to and reflecting on their stories, we can learn a great deal about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children with disability  how a child-focused approach encourages professionals to focus on the ‘whol

Parent voices: Supporting children with disability - part 1

In this podcast, you will hear how Kornar Winmil Yunti (KWY) practitioners – both Aboriginal and non-Indigenous – provide a whole-of-family, holistic approach. Guests Colleen Lovegrove and Diana Uribe describe some of the strategies, practices and tools that form the foundations of support when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children who may be experiencing family and domestic violence. Aunty Colleen is a proud Ngarrindjeri woman who recently retired after 15 years in the field of domestic violence. Her most recent role has been as a case worker at KWY. Diana is an accredited mental health social worker and former Operations Manager at KWY.   In this episode, you will learn:  the importance of building trust when working with families experiencing family violence [17.28] the importance of listening and giving space for silence [14.05] why you need to be flexible in interventions and able to move with the ebbs and flows of the family you’re supporting [17:17] the kinds of practical supports you may need to provide when working with children and families experiencing family violence [16:20] 

Shared practice in the family violence sector

Welcome to the Emerging Minds podcasts. Listen to conversations with experts on a variety of topics related to children&#39;s social and emotional wellbeing. Our episodes offer insightful evidence-informed wisdom from experts in the field and will give you a flavour of the work and values of the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health. Stay tuned for new episodes released every fortnight.

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Emerging Minds Podcast

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