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Talking Child Development

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The Talking Child Development podcast unpacks important topics and conversations related to child and family development. Every episode aims to provide mental health professionals with insights into family life based on theory and experience in the field.

Join Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven as she interviews experts including paediatricians, early childhood educators, child psychotherapists and infant-parent therapists. From communication to attachment, we dive into the ‘why’ behind relationships and behaviour.

This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development and Psychodynamic Counselling.

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20 episodes
Avg 52 min
English

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#40
August 18 · 50 min
#40 Children ‘speak’ their family: Therapeutic Work with Parents Helps Therapy with Children
----more----In this podcast based on her presentation to The Therapeutic Consultants in the UK, Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven child psychotherapist and clinical psychologist brings her longstanding expertise as a clinician, author and trainer to elaborate on the importance of therapeutic work with parents when addressing children’s problems.
#38
July 28 · 1 hr
#39 Chorus: Children and Parents Together with Dr. Eva Crasnow and Dr. Sarah Peter
In this podcast, Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven child and adolescent psychotherapist and clinical psychologist talks with Dr. Eva Crasnow and Dr. Sarah Peter, UK based child and adolescent psychotherapists and co-founders of the social enterprise Chorus, which provides therapeutic group work to young children and their parents. Chorus was the winner of the 2024 Association of Infant Mental Health best practice award for their Zero to Toddler group for adopted toddlers and their parents.
#37
May 12 · 44 min
#38 Understanding Trauma in Children and Young People with Tracy Christophi
In this episode of Talking Child Development, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Tracy Christophi. Tracy is a child and adolescent psychotherapist originally from the UK but now based in Western Australia. In her earlier career as a mental health nurse specialist, Tracy has firsthand experience of the devastating impact of traumatic early experience on later childhood and adolescence. Tracy is passionate about helping children and young people who have experienced relational and developmental trauma. She has written a brief guide for parents and carers to help them understand complex trauma and its effects on children. https://childpsychotherapyperth.com.au/2025/06/02/supporting-children-after-trauma/
#36
March 24 · 45 min
#37 Helping Boys and Men to Flourish – A Call to Action with Matt Tyler
In this podcast Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Matt Tyler. Matt is the executive director of the Men’s Project at Jesuit Social Services in Melbourne. He works with a team committed to reducing violence, preventing sexual abuse and supporting men and boys to flourish. Through leading research, including the Man Box Project, these findings are translated into practice in the community.
#35
March 17 · 45 min
#36 Music as the Food of Life with Vannie Ip-Winfield
In this episode, Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Vannie Ip-Winfield, a Registered Music Therapist and Vice-President of the Music and Imagery Association of Australia. Originally trained in classical piano, Vannie has used her skills in music therapy and psychotherapy for over 20 years in a wide range of settings, including an Early Parenting Unit, part of an Allied Health Team, in adult psychiatry and in aged care. Ip-Winfield, V, Grocke, D. (2021). Virtual Group Music and Imagery (Grp MI) with healthcare staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in Melbourne. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 32 (1), 97-111 Shoemark, Helen. (2017). Time Together: A Feasible Program to Promote parent-infant Interaction in the NICU. Music Therapy Perspectives. 36. 10.1093/mtp/mix004.
#34
March 17 · 1 hr 5 min
#35 Working with Adolescents at High Risk and their Families with Dr. Maria Papadima and Catherine Campbell
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Maria Papadima and Catherine Campbell. Maria and Catherine are both UK-based child and adolescent psychotherapists who have developed a successful time-limited model of working with adolescents and their parents in an NHS adolescent crisis team. Their time-limited model considers a crisis as a developmental opportunity that underlies the centrality of parent involvement as part of the therapeutic endeavour. Their paper in the Journal of Child Psychotherapy describing their pilot study is listed as one of the top ten read papers in the Journal and gives hope to professionals working in this challenging field. Papadima, M. Campbell C. et al. Brief Psychodynamic psychotherapy for adolescents and their families in crisis: A pilot study. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0075417X.2024.2414736 Psychoanalytic Crisis Work with Adolescents: An Independent Approach (In Press) https://www.routledge.com/Adolescence-in-Crisis-An-Independent-Psychoanalytic-Approach-to-Adolescent-Mental-Health/Papadima-Acheson-Tzikas/p/book/9781032972237 Acheson, R. & Papadima, M. (2023). The search for identity: Working therapeutically with adolescents in crisis. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 49(1), 95-119.
#33
March 17 · 58 min
#34 Citizens in the Community: Creating a new vision for disability with Rhonda Galbally
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Rhonda Galbally. They discuss her hugely distinguished career as a tireless advocate for disability reform, starting from her own personal experience and including her roles as a disability Royal Commissioner and on the Board of the Disability Insurance Scheme. Rhonda has also been at the forefront of reform with respect to health, welfare and mental health through the development of the Health Issues Centre, as the inaugural chief executive of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and as a Ministerial Adviser. The official DRC website DRC Volume 7 online: https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report-volume-7-inclusive-education-employment-and-housing Recommendations and summary PDF link: https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-09/Final%20Report%20-%20Volume%207%2C%20Inclusive%20education%2C%20employment%20and%20housing%20-%20Summary%20and%20recommendations.pdf Education: https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-09/Final%20Report%20-%20Volume%207%2C%20Inclusive%20education%2C%20employment%20and%20housing%20-%20Part%20A.pdf All Means All website: https://allmeansall.org.au/
March 17 · 1 hr 28 min
#33 Who Happened to You with Dr. Matthew Roberts
In this episode Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Dr. Matthew Roberts. Dr. Roberts is a Melbourne based psychiatrist and psychotherapist clinical teacher and writer, and in this episode, he dives deeper into his extensive experience in perinatal mental health, his trauma informed clinical practice, and his father-inclusive work as one of the founders of the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium. Dr. Roberts has distilled his learning and clinical experience into a model called CRESTING that stands for Collaborative, Relational, Evolutionary, Somatic, Trauma-Informed Narrative Growth. Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium: http://mappresearch.org/fatherhood-consortium Richard Fletcher, The Dad Factor: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=buVOYgEACAAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions Bruce Ecker et al, Unlocking The Emotional Brain: https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Unlocking_the_Emotional_Brain/wSxcEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Bessel van der Kolk The Body Keeps The Score: https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Body_Keeps_the_Score.html?id=NKOOEAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y Daniel Stern The Interpersonal World of the Infant: https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Interpersonal_World_of_the_Infant/MUtWDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Donald Winnicott Playing and Reality: https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Playing_and_Reality/JHMdZC08HhcC?hl=en&gbpv=0 For Bowlby, Jeremy Holmes John Bowlby and Attachment Theory: https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/John_Bowlby_and_Attachment_Theory/30HFBQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Dr. Roberts’ clinical science communication and social commentary blog: www.mydoctorshandwriting.com Dr. Roberts’ psychotherapy, arts and culture blog: www.thenormalgrownup.com Dr. Roberts’ solitary original sole author paper: https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2016/august/there-from-the-start-men-and-pregnancy
#32
March 17 · 1 hr 3 min
#32 It’s not Just Child’s Play with Dr. Jenifer Wakelyn
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Jenifer Wakelyn child and adolescent psychotherapist, author and researcher in the UK. She is the founder of the innovative program Watch me Play! This is an intervention for caregivers and their babies and young children that with the support of a practitioner aims to enhance child development and caregiver relationships by promoting thoughtful individual attention and age-appropriate stimulation. The Watch me Play approach has been manualised and is disseminated across the UK and internationally. References: watchmeplay.info Book chapter: Wakelyn, J. (2019) ‘Developing an intervention for infants and young children in care: Watch Me Play!’ In: Supporting Vulnerable Babies and Young Children, edited by Wendy Bunston and Sarah Jones (Jessica Kingsley). Book: Wakelyn, J. (2020) Therapeutic Approaches with Babies and Young Children in Care: Observation and Attention (Karnac/Routledge). ISBN 978-1-782-20438-1 Recent paper: Wakelyn, J. (2025) Psychoanalytic aspects of the Watch Me Play! approach: the psychic energy of attention, Infant Observation, DOI:10.1080/13698036.2025.2471778
#31
Jun 19, 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
#31 Hearing the Voices of Aboriginal Children and Young People with Meena Singh
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Meena Singh, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People in Victoria. Meena is a Yorta Yorta and Indian woman, born, raised and living on the land of the Kulin Nations. Meena commenced her legal career with Victoria Legal Aid where she practiced in human rights and criminal law and was the inaugural Asssociate Director Aboriginal Services. She has led legal services and programs at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and the Human Rights Law Centre as well as consulting in training and organisational development. www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#30
May 6, 2025 · 37 min
#30 Supporting Emotional Regulation in Children with Dr. Fiona Zandt
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Fiona Zandt. Dr. Zandt is a clinical psychologist and play therapist who works with children with a wide range of emotional, social and behavioural challenges and their families. Fiona has authored the acclaimed Creative Way series for therapists and runs creative child therapy workshops for professionals. www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#29
Mar 18, 2025 · 53 min
#29 Protecting our children with Liana Buchanan
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Liana Buchanan, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People for the State of Victoria. Liana is also part-time Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission. She has a background in oversight and system reform for people experiencing disadvantage and those affected by family and sexual violence and abuse. www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#28
Feb 18, 2025 · 53 min
#28 Parenting in the digital age with Dr. Catherine Jeffery
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, lecturer in Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. Her current research addresses digital media and families with a particular focus on parenting in the digital age and its accompanying anxieties. She is the author of a new book Parenting in a Digital World Beyond Media Panics: Towards a new theory of parental mediation, published by Routledge. www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#27
Sep 24, 2024 · 50 min
#27 Trauma informed preventive care with Dr. Catherine Olweny
In this podcast, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Catherine Olweny. Catherine is a specialist paediatric anaesthetist who in the course of her work, is aware of the high levels of stress and anxiety experienced by children having surgery and other medical interventions. She has taken the unusual path in addition to her specialist medical work, of training in clinical hypnosis and therapeutic child play. Dr. Olweny is also the key area lead in promoting trauma-informed preventive care in the tertiary hospital setting, which includes both practitioners and patients. www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#26
Aug 6, 2024 · 32 min
#26 Grandmotherland: exploring the myths and realities with Dr. Judith Edwards
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Judith Edwards about her recently published book Grandmotherland. A far cry from conventional ideas of how to be a grandmother, Judith explores the challenges and risks of this important phase of the family life cycle. Judith has published extensively in the field, and she has a particular interest in the links between psychoanalysis, culture and the arts and making these ideas accessible to a wider audience. References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#25
Jun 25, 2024 · 1 hr 1 min
#25 Motherhood and mothering: the value of caring to create more holistic support for families with Virginia Tapscott
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Journalist Virginia Tapscott who has written extensively about the undervaluing of mothering and the devaluation of caregiving in general. Virginia is based in country New South Wales. She has four children, and her writing and reporting have ranged from agricultural issues to gender equality, what children need for healthy development and the impact of sexual abuse. References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#24
May 7, 2024 · 50 min
#24 Being good with feelings is more important than feeling good with Dr. Jon Jureidini
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Jon Jureidini, Child Psychiatrist and Head of Psychological Medicine at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. Dr. Jureidini also heads the Critical and Ethical Mental Health Research Group at the University of Adelaide. He explains the problems associated with pathologising all things emotional in our world, and how we need to attend to the social determinants of mental health in the community. Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development. References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#23
Mar 26, 2024 · 37 min
#23 School refusal, or school can’t – what schools and parents can do with Brydie Huggins
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with School Psychologist Brydie Huggins about the current problem of school refusal or ‘school can’t’. Brydie has worked across the developmental spectrum from kindergarten to year 12 in public and private school settings. Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development. References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#22
Feb 20, 2024 · 33 min
#22 Making dadding a team sport again with Ryan Carters
In this podcast episode, Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven speaks with Ryan Carters, father of three, a former professional cricketer and founder of Dadfit. This non-profit organization aims to ‘make dadding a team sport again’ and support dads’ mental and physical health and promote their relationship skills. Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development. References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com
#21
Nov 28, 2023 · 52 min
#21 How a psychodynamic approach contributes to our mental health wth Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven
In this episode Amanda Stone, educationalist and committee member of the Association of Child and Family Development talks to Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven, child and adolescent psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, author, and trainer. They discuss the unique contribution of psychodynamic thinking to the promotion of child, adolescent, adult, and family mental health. Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development. References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com

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