Just a Minute with Dr Kumari

Protecting Psychology and the Public: The Threat to Evidence-Based Practice

I had planned to talk about this at a later point, but recent events have caused me alarm. The Minister for Mental Health (NZ) revealed on Tuesday that the government is developing Associate Psychologist Scopes of practice, with the help of the Psychologists Board in NZ. The proposed pathway means that people with a basic undergraduate degree (where there is no clinical or hands on training) would do a one year training and then be registered health professionals, Associate Psychologists. Amongst the many issues of harm to the public, including that the vulnerable public might not know what an Associate vs Clinical or Registered Psychologist is, is the erosion of one of our foundations of practice - the Scientist Practitioner Model. In this podcast, I talk about the importance of the Scientist Practitioner Model to Psychology.

Eating for a Stress Less and more Healthy Christmas with Bridget Foliaki Davis

Can the way we eat affect how stressed we feel? The Christmas or holiday season is typically associated with a variety of stressors. In this episode with award winning chef and author, Bridget Foliaki Davis, we talk about gut health, stress, and eating. Bridget has some amazing tips to eat better this season in order to really nourish you and manage stress better. 
Bridget has TONS of free resources. She also has a transformative 28 day boost camp: https://bridgets.shop/
Free resource from me about 5 strategies to soothe the nervous system and proactively manage stress? Here is a PDF with audio guide I put together.
Want to do a deeper psychological dive into a Stress Less Christmas? https://payhip.com/b/Ixcvg
 

Mood Boosting Strategies Backed by Science

Low or depressed mood affects EVERYTHING. I am a clinical psychologist with almost two decades of clinical experience as well as previously having been a researcher and lecturer in psychological science. In this episode, I share some evidence based tips for lifting low mood or maintaining mood. The awful thing when you feel low is that it feels like "this is it"! It isn't! You can improve your mood.
Stress also affects mood. Would you like some additional quick strategies to help soothe the nervous system, decrease stress, and feel better? download at: https://drkumari.ck.page

Mindfulness and Relational Trauma

Mindfulness has many benefits but can also be misunderstood. I talk about what mindfulness is and how it can be useful when we are dealing with relational trauma. 

The Gut Brain Axis and Polyvagal Theory in a Nutshell

Episode 47: There is so much to the Gut Brain Axis but I give you a very quick overview and briefly cover Polyvagal theory. 

People Pleasing and Fawning in Response to Relational Trauma

Do you struggle with people pleasing and perhaps even identifying your own needs? In this episode I talk about the "fawn" response to relational trauma. 
My deeper self care course is available here:
https://kumari.gumroad.com/l/deeperselfcare

The Body in Stress and Six Things I did during an Extra Stressful Week

I often talk about the nervous system and soothing it for dealing with stress and trauma. Here I talk about what I mean by the nervous system. A couple of weeks ago, I had an extra stressful week and was pleased with a few things I put into place - I'm always learning! I hope these tips are useful to you too! 
Here is a download to the handout I talk about: 5 strategies to soothe the nervous system and cope with stress:
https://drkumari.ck.page

Some Reflections on Waitangi Day 2024

Waitangi Day is pretty important in New Zealand and a day I have mixed feelings about. One the one hand, it is really important, I feel, to honour our known guardians of the land and the special history and culture. On the other hand, there has been so much wrong doing, bias, racism, and disadvantage to the indigenous people of this country. 

New Year Goals Driven by VALUES

Best wishes for the holiday season! This is often a time of year when we start thinking about "resolutions" and "goals". These are more likely to succeed when they are driven by values. In this podcast, I talk about how we might discover or re-discover our values and some tips. 
 
Goal setting and values clarification are always easier when coming from a place of a more soothed nervous system. Here are 5 strategies I commonly teach, as a clinical psychologist, to help soothe and reset the nervous system: https://drkumari.ck.page/9f339e3e2b

Intergenerational Trauma

I'm Dr Kumari Valentine, Clinical Psychologist. I'm interested in trauma, including relational trauma. I'm an EMDR therapist amongst other things. I'm talking about intergenerational trauma and intergenerational resourcing on this podcast.
 
I talk about soothing the nervous system and talk about 5 strategies I commonly teach and use. Here is the link for that download (on signing up to emails from me; unsubscribe when you would like):
https://drkumari.ck.page/9f339e3e2b
 
Take care everyone!