Dr Amanda Ferguson Videos

During January, I’ll be sharing my 2024 Summer Series - a replay of some of our most popular Psych for Life podcast episodes. I hope you enjoy them as much as my other listeners have. What better way to kick off the Summer Series and a brand new year, but a quick check in with our inner critic - tune in to find out how to keep it in check. You know that negative - often damning - voice inside your head? The one that says...you’re not good enough, you don’t deserve that, you’ll never get there! It’s often referred to as our negative ego or inner critic. So where does it come from? What’s it all about? Is it ever a good thing? How do we know? What do we do if it’s clearly holding us back? In this power ep you’ll learn answers to these questions and tips for keeping your inner critic in check. If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you’re listening now 🎙️click the link in bio to listen now

As we quickly head towards the turn of the year, it is a natural time to take stock and reassess. Our unconscious mind naturally starts to do this most years, however, this year – more than many others - staying happy and empowered in these times of volatility and disruption – is a big challenge! So in the last Psych for Life episode for 2023, we look at how to seize more control of our lives, simply by improving our physical and mental health, mindset, expanding our knowledge or belief systems, taking stock of our lives and making a conscious decision to be in charge – where we can be. In this podcast you’ll learn: ▫️Expert findings about the new time we live in ▫️Ways to let go of the old things not serving you and how you can focus on and bring in things to improve your new year ▫️The importance of finding a new sense of meaning and focus to get the most out of 2024 🎙️click the link in bio to listen

In this episode, I welcome back Australia’s leading FInancial and Trauma Informed Financial Wellbeing Specialist, @janemonicajones . She is the co-founder of the Financial Wellbeing Company and author of The Billionaire Buddha and the Money Mental Health Card series. Jane has a passion for this sometimes challenging subject and works compassionately with clients and employees of organisations to repair this - often problematic - relationship people have with money. Listen in to hear our discussion on: ▫️When the best time to start teaching children about money is ▫️Important elements to teach children about money: needs vs. wants, budgeting and saving ▫️Why modelling can be more important than teaching ▫️Research shows we all learn better when it’s fun – so some ways to make this fun? 🎙️click the link in bio to listen

People often ask me - how can I know whether it is fear or my intuition talking to me? We would all like to be better equipped to tune into our intuition and let it drive our choices without being held back by fear. So tune in to this episode as I discuss all things intuition and fear. In this podcast you’ll learn: ▫️What is fear and the difference between irrational and rational fear ▫️How to know what intuition is and recognise it when it is activated ▫️Strategies to weigh up fear and intuition and which to choose and when 🎙️click the link in bio to listen

In the latest Psych for Life episode, I welcome psychologist, Carl Nelms. Carl is the founder of @blokespsychology and has a passion for assisting men to overcome the stigma of reaching out for support. His vision is that by creating a service targeted towards males, more men can improve their psychological health and well-being, stop suffering in silence, and receive the support they desperately need, so they and their families can start living a more fulfilling and meaningful life. Listen in to hear our discussion on - ▫️What the barriers are for men seeking support and why men often don’t reach out ▫️Why there is a crisis of masculinity, both in identity and role of men, and what can be done about it ▫️Breaking down the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and providing accessible support and resources …and lots more! Click the link in bio to listen 🎙️

In this must listen episode of Psych for Life, I chat with psychologist, author and parenting and adolescent specialist, Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg, about the impact on adolescent mental health post pandemic and how we can best support teens to not only survive, but thrive. Listen in to hear - ▫️why teen mental health needs to be prioritised now more than ever ▫️the one conversation you should have on high rotation with your teens to remain connected ▫️the importance of "mental health first aid" If you're in need of insightful tips and resources on how to best support your teens from one of Australia's most well-respected psychologists, this episode is for you. Link in bio to listen 🎙

As the saying goes, laughter really is the best medicine and in this episode of Psych for Life I delve into why laughter and humour are important to our health, happiness, learning and relationships. Staying physically and socially connected is critical for our resilience, however in recent years this has been severely restricted – and so too our opportunities to share a joke and a good laugh with friends. Laughter and humour can smooth the way back into normal life at work, play, friendships and home life. The research is clear, laughter is good for us, so listen in to find out - ▫️the short and long term effects of laughter for our mental health ▫️how laughter has a positive effect on our relationships ▫️why laughter is good therapy If you're in need of a rapid endorphin boost with positive benefits for your mental and physical health, dive in to replenish your spirit - with tips to add more laughter to your life. 🎙Link in bio to listen

Is it time to improve your sleep? In the latest episode of Psych for Life, I chat with Dr. Moira Junge, CEO of @sleephealthfoundation and Director of Australian Sleep and Alertness Consortium. As a psychologist specialising in sleeping difficulties, Moira's focus is on education, awareness and prevention. If you're keen to uplevel your sleep or simply get it back on track, listen in to find out: ▫️is 8 hrs a night really a myth? And if so, how much sleep should you be getting ▫️why quality over quantity and attending to individual needs is key ▫️the importance of making sleep a health priority ▫️how screens and devices have caused us to trade sleep for entertainment and why this sacrifice is bad for us ▫️the impact of sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome ▫️simple, yet powerful strategies to improve the quality of your sleep...almost overnight So if recent stressors and the pandemic environment has disrupted your sleep routine and you're feeling the effects, listen in to prioritise restorative sleep methods that may have you feeling more rested than before. Link in bio 🎙

How does our increasingly volatile world impact our individual goal achievement – and why are our goals still so important? Why is it important for us to keep working on our personal goals, and especially ambitious goals? What has the pandemic taught us about this? Why is this personally empowering? Listen to my latest Psych for Life episode to dip into the fascinating history of work engagement, self-regulation, performance, goal setting and achievement. Learn more about the nature of volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) times, the discoveries made about performance and achievement for these times. Gain an understanding of the added complexity it brings. Become up-to-date about how you can navigate your way to achieving your personal goals. Link in bio to listen to the full ep 🎙

I caught up with @chelseapottengerofficial , an international wellbeing speaker, ambassador for mental health charities, and author of “The Mindful High Performer”. Chelsea suffered a life changing mental health crisis, suicidal ideation and was hospitalised for postnatal depression. Since her recovery, Chelsea’s mission is helping busy minds reset, recharge and navigate the challenges of everyday life. She is passionate about educating people to become better at self-care for optimum mental health and high performance. Chelsea advocates for the prevention of mental health problems, particularly postnatal depression. She addresses the need to equip women and their partners with resources and knowledge to minimise the risk of postnatal depression during the major life transition to motherhood. Chelsea hopes her recently released book will become a much-used reference tool as we manage life's daily challenges. Listen in to this Psych for Life ep to find out - ▪️what is EQ and why it deserves more of our attention ▪️why you want to future-proof your mindset and sharpen your performance with science-based tools ▪️the importance of asking for support to prevent stress and overwhelm leading to serious mental health concerns With the uncertainty and stress of recent years, it's the perfect time to reassess our coping ability and explore strategies to help us better manage our lives to provide happier and healthier outcomes and increased resilience. 🎙 Click the link to listen - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/from-postnatal-depression-to-mindful-and-thriving/id1534665246?i=1000568218193

Anger often gets a bad rap and certainly – aggression should! However, anger is an important emotion and when used wisely – it's part of how we empower ourselves and others, achieve amazing things and stay mentally well. In the latest episode of Psych for Life I chat all things anger, so tune in to find out - ▪️the 3 ways we communicate with anger and how to make anger work for us, not against us ▪️how feelings provide us with critical information indicating something internally or externally needs attention ▪️why anger needs to be used constructively and how getting a bit angry, before you get really angry is key A lot of things happening in the world lately are contributing to many of us feeling disempowered – resulting in increased anger and frustration, along with the downsides of these emotions – aggression and despair – these feelings can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and depression. So, if you're feeling this way, listen in to find out how to pay attention to your anger and other emotions and why you may just feel and function better for it. Link in bio

Have you listened to my latest Psych for Life episode with Daisy Turnbull yet? Author of 50 Questions to Ask your Teens, Daisy shares the reasons you should be having these conversations with your teens and not outsourcing them. This episode is a must listen if you want to raise a teen who you will be happy to hang out with. Link in bio 🎙

In this wonderfully engaging yet highly insightful episode of Psych for Life, I chat with Daisy Turnbull, a secondary school teacher of 10 years, published author of two books, Lifeline counsellor and mother of two. We discuss her new book “50 Questions to Ask Your Teens”, raising teens, and some of the most powerful processes parents can adopt. Daisy emphasises that teens are a work in progress and develop predominantly through their lived experiences. She highlights how parents are usually learning many things – like setting and managing boundaries – at the same time as their teens. Daisy encourages parents and teens to “start great conversations” about these things and urges parents to think about the kind of relationship they want with their adult children and how they intend to get there. Click the link to listen to this super important episode with so many practical tips for anyone navigating parenting teens or if you will be in the not too distant future. Don't miss it! https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/teen-mental-health-and-the-enduring-power-of/id1534665246?i=1000566317921

Friendships are strange things. In other relationships the rules are pretty clear to most of us, but friendships can take so many forms and many of the rules are concealed – and often bewildering. When we make a true friend it’s like a magic spell has been cast over us – we feel so lucky! But what do we do when this initial bubble bursts? What does the work of friendship involve? How can we best deal with the changes, hurdles, uncomfortable and painful times? In the latest episode of Psych for Life, I look at some of the problems with friendships. Shockingly – research has found – most friendships WON’T last! I discuss how and why making new friends is part of keeping old friendships. Learn how to ride and manage the magic and mystery of friendships - click the link in bio to listen 🎙

In the latest episode of the Psych for Life podcast, I’m chatting Blended families – problems, pit falls and solutions. In this fascinating chat, I sit down with my friend and peer, Nell, to discuss the highly topical and often deeply fraught business of blending families. Most marriages in the western world end – so the likelihood of finding ourselves creating a blended family is high. There has been a rapid rise in this recently, with nuclear families seeming set to soon become uncommon. 40% of families in the U.S. are now blended. What about when our ex-partner re-partners and our children are facing becoming members of a blended family? Further, when we also partner, and our kids then have two blended families? What’s it like for them to grow up like this? If you’re considering creating a blended family, avoid “The Brady Bunch” mentality and consequent emotional disasters and devastation. Discover the problems to watch out for, the pitfalls you can avoid and how to make sure you create the most successful new family system for every member’s benefit. A family you can be proud of. If you or your children are already in a blended family, gain an understanding of where and why things may not be working as well as they can. Gain insights and tips on how you might correct the dynamics, mend, and heal rifts or power dynamics. Link in bio to listen 🎙

Job crafting is how we shape our jobs to align with our strengths, values, and interests. Scrutiny of job crafting began before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but since then, it is now considered an essential workplace skill for those who want to stay engaged in their work, secure in employment and successful in their careers. But what is it exactly and why should you be onboard? Whether you're an employee or an employer, the latest episode of Psych for Life will speak to you, as it delves into the details of job crafting and why it's essential for workers to increase their sense of agency, adaptability, and engagement. Thriving organisations have job crafting and shaping built into their processes and their increased productivity and results speak for themselves. They foster learning and psychologically safe cultures, where workers feel safe and are encouraged to adapt and grow. So, if you want to stay ahead of the curve and set yourself up for career or organisational success, pop this episode on your playlist. Link in bio 🎙

Snowflake or no flake? Are our youth actually strong in declaring their sensitivity? And are we being too harsh in our judgement of them? As we begin to recover from the last few years of natural disasters and the COVID pandemic, the pressures these volatile and uncertain times have exerted on us all, in many ways have had the strongest repercussions for young people. With a "shadow pandemic" now occurring as mental health issues escalate around the world, the subsequent backlash of labelling this generation "snowflakes" needs serious reconsidering. Is it really a case of these young people lacking resilience, as they have been hastily accused? Or are there more meaningful benefits for us all from this apparent sensitivity? In this episode I discuss the impacts of the label Snowflake, the importance of soft skills to help people perform and why these skills are those that will be most needed into the future. Learn why the sensitivity these youth are being derided for is a major soft skill set we most need to protect and nurture, to enable a stronger world for us all. Link in bio to listen 🎙

In the latest episode of the Psych for Life podcast, I speak with Evelyn M. Field, OAM, a psychologist and international authority on treating school and workplace bullying. With over forty years experience, we discuss what bullying is, contributing factors, short and long term impacts and how to help students and adults develop social survival skills to manage school bullying. Discover how bullying can damage, not only the victim, but also the bully and onlookers. Fascinatingly, find out why knowing about bears teaches us about bullies! Link in bio 🎙

Looking for a podcast to add to your #longweekend listening? My latest Psych for Life ep with Dr Mark Williams has been super popular. If you have children or teens in your care, then this chat, re the fallout for children post pandemic, is not to be missed. Link in bio for the full episode 🎙

Episode 18 of Psych for Life with Dr. Amanda Ferguson is live and ready to download! What is a financial therapist? Find out as I chat with my guest, @janemonicajones financial therapist and trauma informed financial wellbeing specialist. Jane shares with me her insights as we dive into the science behind money, and how we can break free of unhealthy spending habits. Link in bio for full episode