Tuesday 09 April: I exit work and enter the lift alone. I reflexively pull out my mobile phone (rarely used for making actual phone calls) and open a news site. Scanning headlines, I see nothing of interest and, in frustration, check a different site before the elevator doors open on the ground floor. As I walk to my car, I...[ read more ]
Toby* doesn’t want to be in therapy. A 42-year-old, currently unemployed, former army captain, Toby has seen people who need therapy and he’s not one. “I’ve got mates who are seriously traumatised, thinking about ending it all. These blokes need help, not me”. It’s true – Toby says that he’s not depressed or anxious, and definitely not suicidal. “I had...[ read more ]
When working out how to improve healthy screen habits in your household, it can help to have a CLEAR Plan. When dealing with technology use (and overuse), most parents don’t think carefully when implementing rules around technology use. Common mistakes include making up rules as you go along, addressing screen overuse only when angry and inconsistent application of the rules....[ read more ]
This is a summary of the first part of my talk at Bowen Library, Maroubra, on 18 September. My part of the talk was aimed at helping parents work out how to deal with technology. The following 5 rules should serve as a guide to talking with your young people: Get informed Know where you stand Take the initiative Don’t...[ read more ]
This is the original (long) version of the article that Luke Vu and I wrote for the Southern Courier (published on 06/08/18): The HSC is a stressful time for students and their families. Sometimes, Year 12 can feel like an endless ordeal. To survive this gruelling war-of-attrition, young people and their families need time to relax and play, as...[ read more ]
Mary is the affable and kindly single mother of Jayden (14), an only child, who suffers from social phobia. Mary: “He’s just so rude when I ask him to come to the dinner table or clean his room. The anger! He spends all night gaming with his friends, which I suppose is good because he is socialising. I just wish...[ read more ]
Please click here for information on the upcoming talk! To register click here!
Tuesday 18th of September, 6:30pm, Maroubra I’ll be presenting a free seminar with Luke Vu PhD, on healthy screen habits. Smart phones, tablets, laptops and other devices are an integral part of the modern world. These devices have made work and leisure tasks more efficient, and have opened up new pathways to social connection and fun. On the other...[ read more ]
Super-advanced neuropsychologists approach you with an offer. Continue to live your life with its pleasures, pains, doubts, anxieties, hopes etc., or, enter the “Experience Machine”. The Experience Machine is a terrifically advanced computer that hooks up to your brain and allows you to live your life the manner you wish. Want to live as a celebrity? The Machine can make...[ read more ]