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Victorian Psychologists' Networking Group

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25.01.2022 Self-care is not optional in times like these. It is ESSENTIAL to manage chronic stress. I know how hard it can be to fit self-care into your life. To downl...oad your free cheat sheet which contains 7 micro moments of self care - click https://bit.ly/3cbMQuA . If you are seriously struggling right now please reach out for help via your GP, regular therapist, or Lifeline 131114.

25.01.2022 There is so much more to surviving (and thriving) as a psychologist than good client skills. We all work within a culture, and sometimes that culture can be toxic. Whether you are a psychologist, a government employee, a gardener, nurse, police officer, teacher, architect, lawyer, etc..... It can take time to find people you trust. Sometimes you don't know until you are blindsided that you have put your trust in the wrong person. Discovering this is painful. When you find someone you trust, treat them like the treasure they are . Together you can amplify each other's inner magic.

24.01.2022 Excited to say that there is now an easier way to find psychologists to refer to and to share with others information such as who you work with, what modality you use, and your availability. A new database now available for members of the VPNG.

19.01.2022 Are you like me and have had books on your bookshelf that made you feel guilty, inadequate or some version of bad? Maybe you can relate to this episode then. https://anchor.fm///Do-your-books-make-you-feel-bad-emk3r2

19.01.2022 Day Four Over the course of this week I am going to share my top five things you need to know to have a long career in psychology. WHY I KICK MYSELF FOR GIVING UP MY GOVERNMENT POSITION TO BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST....... and what you can do to protect yourself from regret about choosing to be a psychologist.... TRUST IN YOURSELF To have a long career in psychology not only do you need to have people around you whom you can trust. You need to develop trust in yourself. To work with Imposter Syndrome. To trust in yourself, your abilities and your inner voice. To make time for stillness and contemplation. To follow your dreams and desires. For after all you chose this profession. You worked hard and probably sacrificed a lot so become a psychologist. Now that you are here you get to choose what to do next. Like it or not as a psychologist you are a leader. Just like Harry Potter, you may not have sought leadership. But. People will see you as an expert in mental health and look to you for guidance. How far do you want to take that leadership? What legacy do you want to leave? How are you using your magic (gifts) to improve your community or your profession? Take the time to reflect and to embrace your professional position. Whether this be through writing, researching, podcast, lecturing, giving talks, creating courses or through other ways. Make sure to allow yourself time to dream, create and step into your gifts.

17.01.2022 Number Three. Over the course of this week I am going to share my top five things you need to know to have a long career in psychology. WHY I KICK MYSELF FOR GIVING UP MY GOVERNMENT POSITION TO BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST....... and what you can do to protect yourself from regret about choosing to be a psychologist.... Today is all about the third thing you need to know, why you need to look after yourself. It's easy to think that you've got self-care covered. You're a psychologist, you know about good mental health. And maybe you do. But maybe you don't. Psychologists face stress from a multitude of sources: Let’s have a look at some normal common stressors for psychologists. How many of the below are you experiencing? And what is missing from the list? Vicarious trauma Imposter Syndrome Personalising eg clients not turning up, client ghosting you Bullying in the workplace Dealing with grey ethical issues/areas Admin overload reports, letters, file notes, pd All the unpaid work the above admin plus preparation, phone calls etc. Client who say they can’t afford your services Sudden changes to room availability Clients who don’t accept the session is over Getting clients Finishing with clients Isolation Fear of looking incompetent. You are expected to know it all, to have all the answers, this makes asking for help difficult A never ending to do list and our brain doesn't switch off unless we help it. Many of your tasks are not time based they are open ended, or truly never ending there really is always more to do. Compassion Fatigue Countertransference Learning new technology The amount of ethical decisions you need to make when situations fall into the grey zone, eg do I see continue to see vulnerable clients face to face and potentially put myself and family at risk? Do I bulk bill and take a reduced income that is economically unviable? What will be clients/family/peers think of me? Then let’s add on managing increasing anxiety, depression and trauma in the environment due to a global pandemic. And so it goes on. SO WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM? BURNOUT Burnout has been defined as a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from long-term involvement in work situations that are emotionally demanding (Schaufeli & Greenglass, 2001, p. 501). Common features of burnout include: emotional exhaustion depersonalisation (i.e., reduced empathy) reduced sense of accomplishment (Bearse, et al., 2013). These factors in isolation, or combined, can significantly interfere with psychologists’ ability to function effectively. Furthermore, burnout can decrease your motivation to engage in self-care activities, and minimise the protective value such activities can have when they are undertaken. So, where are you on the burnout scale? What is the biggest contributor to potential burnout for you? And how is your self-care?

13.01.2022 We know that if you are looking to increase the happiness in your life that putting time and energy into experiences rather than things is the way to go. Howev...er, things have a way of accumulating. Whether you have bought them with good intentions or whether they have come to you as gifts or through other means. And before you know it even things you love can just become part of ‘stuff everywhere’! Curating your stuff can be a great way of reconnecting with what is important to you and creating an uplifting environment. Let’s start by looking at books.

11.01.2022 I'm currently uploading course modules into MemberVault today, and have just read this instruction : "Try implementing the strategies you have chosen that are congruent with your identity goal, your why (from Module Two) and the self-care clues that are strongest / loudest". This really reminded me of the depth of self-care, and how actively choosing to prioritise it is such an act of self-love and respect. ... If you're looking for some CPD (I suggest a minimum of 4 hours applies for this course - but it may end up more for you) and haven't done anything on self-care for a while, you might want to give this a go. https://www.positiveyoungminds.com.au/essential-self-care-f.

10.01.2022 How many of these have you read? Five for me. Actually I can’t remember whether I read One flew over the cuckoos nest or just watched the movie

09.01.2022 This is the topic of discussion in peer mentoring sessions this week in the VPNG and in the Peer Mentoring Group . Have you ever worked in a toxic environment?

08.01.2022 Any body ‘going’ to this?

07.01.2022 Hands up if you find this hard? Can you think of a time where you challenged a friend? Called them out for doing the wrong thing? Or just quietly questioned them? I value honesty and integrity and when (gently) challenged by a friend I know it's coming from a place of love.

02.01.2022 Day Five Over the course of this week I am going to share my top five things you need to know to have a long career in psychology. WHY I KICK MYSELF FOR GIVING UP MY GOVERNMENT POSITION TO BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST.... and what you can do to protect yourself from regret about choosing to be a psychologist....... So we're up to Day Five. Over the course of the week I have shared my following tips: 1. Be slow to trust 2. Find (independent) people to support you - peers, mentors, supervisors 3. The need for A+ self-care 4. Be true to yourself and grow your gifts 5. Balance a strong sense of self with a beginners mind (think Goldilocks). I deliberately chose a profession where my learning was never finished. Where I had the ability and potential to pivot, to explore new areas and grow my gifts. Just as it is a trap to become stuck in Imposter Syndrome where you can underestimate your competence, it is a trap to be overconfident and to overestimate their own skill levels - a phenomenon knows as the Dunning-Kruger effect. Keep an eye on the currency and depth of your knowledge, respect others knowledge - even when it appears different from yours, but don't be afraid to question. Have support people who will also question you. Challenge yourself. For example writing an article, creating a podcast, presenting a talk, creating a training course, or a resource for your client. These ways and more help test your breadth and width of your knowledge. And don't forget your personal growth. There is considerable room in self-care to practice the strategies you may often recommend to clients. Practices such as visualisations, relaxation, mindfulness, gratitude etc. Have fun, experiment, enjoy. The field of psychology has so much to offer. Go out and carve your way, with your eyes wide open. Own your profession proudly. Until next time, take care Kim Dunn xx

01.01.2022 DAY TWO of WHY I KICK MYSELF FOR GIVING UP MY GOVERNMENT POSITION TO BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST.... and what you can do to protect yourself from regret about choosing to be a psychologist....... Whilst I was working for the government in various positions I made some fierce work friends. Looking back I can see how I took these friendships for granted. And I assumed that when I became a psychologist I would meet more like minded people and that there would be these friendships there too. And they are .now. But it has taken a very long time for this to happen. Because you know what they don’t tell you It can be very lonely being a psychologist. We nearly all experience imposter syndrome. You will have times where you feel you received your invitation to Hogwarts by mistake and are really a muggle. You start to doubt your gift, your calling. and you don’t want to tell other people about how incompetent you feel. This is particularly so when your ‘mentor’, your supervisor, your guide in this brand new world is. Also your boss. Seriously, why would you want to tell your boss about your mistakes and how incompetent you feel. And, perhaps even worse, why would you want to tell your peers who you want to respect you, your fears, your worries that you might have said the wrong thing, or missed something important. So you share the safe things, and keep the others locked away for you to worry about. At night When you’re trying to sleep. Because what if psychology is not your magic, what if you are really a muggle and don’t belong here. So here is tip number two to survive and thrive in this new world. Find a mentor/guide/supervisor who is not your boss, and who straightaway normalises those feelings of incompetence, imposter syndrome and making mistakes. Beware of anyone who cannot admit they made a mistake, that they were less than perfect. You will make mistakes, you don't’ (and can’t) know it all that’s why you have supervision and CPD, and friends whose shoulders you can cry on.... Own up to your mistakes and learn from them. That is where respect comes from.

01.01.2022 If you're anything like me as you're scrolling through Facebook or Instagram sometimes you read something that strikes your heart, and other times posts are so... generic you become exasperated. Your reaction to posts people put up, including posts about self-care, is likely to be based on your current circumstances and your past circumstances. In other words, your reaction is going to be unique to you. Just like your self-care needs. Self-care refers to the activities you engage in to look after YOUR mental and physical health. To work, the self-care you choose needs to flexible and related to your situation. So, have little thinking about the following factors that make you UNIQUE 1. WHAT STAGE OF YOUR LIFE ARE YOU IN? Single Single living at home Single living by yourself Single living with other adults Single with children Coupled without children Coupled with children Living in a multi generational household And for those with children are they: babies, toddlers, primary school aged, secondary school aged, young adults. What are the needs of your children low, medium, high? 2. WHAT SORT OF WORK DO YOU DO? Work from home Travel to work Front line client contact Stay at home mother 3. ARE YOU A Solo practitioner Small business owner with employees and/or subcontractors Partner 4. WHEREABOUTS ARE YOU IN YOUR CAREER? Just starting out In the middle /established Looking to retire soon 5. HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU IDEALLY WANT TO WORK? You have enough hours You have too much You want more 6. HOW IS YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH? Happy, anxious, stressed, not sleeping, putting on weight, losing weight. 7. DO YOU HAVE FINANCIAL STRESS? Income, assets etc. 8. WHAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT DO YOU HAVE? Family, friends, peers, mentor, formal group. 9. ARE YOU IN LOCKDOWN? 10. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER AYTPICAL STRESSES. Eg chronic illness, lifelong disorder, trauma history. 11. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH. Eg. run a marathon, go bike riding with your kids, walk 5km without puffing. And the list could go on. It is the combination of all of these and more, as well as your personality that will impact the Self-Care Plan you make to look after yourself. If you want to get serious about your self-care, I want to help you do it. The Essential Self-Care for Psychologists self-paced course is now up and running, and the Essential Wellbeing Course for Busy Mums is following soon. But if you don't want to wait, you can start working with me right now to create a plan that works for you.