Digital Mental Health Musings is back in 2023 and we are thrilled to once again bring you the latest news and expert opinion in digital mental health.

In each episode clinical psychologist and Digital Mental Health Musings host, Dr Tania McMahon, will be joined by experts from across the mental health profession including nurses, social workers, peer support workers, government and more to shed light on the practical ways digital health can help your patients or clients and their families and carers.

In season three we’ll discuss models of blended care and highlight some of the research, apps and programs currently working to transform the state of mental health care in Australia. We’ll also take a deep dive into the new digital mental health safety standards and what they mean for you in practice, while an episode on digital mental health care and the law will delve into the medico-legal and ethical issues surrounding digital mental health that will help all health professionals protect their patients’ – and their own – privacy and data and understand their obligations and duty of care when engaging in digital health.

A special two-part episode on digital health for children and adolescents featuring conversations with youth workers, adolescents, psychologists and researchers will unpack the evidence behind some of the latest moderated resources now available, how they provide links to positive social networks and how to use them in practice. And a focus on using digital health in regional, rural and remote communities will help mental health workers meet the challenges of providing healthcare to underserviced areas to reduce healthcare gaps.

Dr Tania McMahon, Digital Mental Health Musings host said:

“I’m really looking forward to the conversations this season – I think health practitioners are increasingly eager to utilise digital mental health, but there are still so many issues and barriers getting in the way. Which tools and when to use them, and with whom? What are the ethical issues I need to consider? How do we determine safety and quality? We’ll be chatting to experts in the field about all of these issues and more, so for anyone wanting to keep on top of latest advice in the area, this will be a season you don’t want to miss.”

Our first episode will feature a conversation with Dr Sally Fitzpatrick from EveryMind and MindsTogether. She discusses her teams’ work looking at the mental health burden placed on family and friends as carers of people who have attempted suicide. She’ll also discuss her work looking at the mental health of family and friends supporting paramedics – as one of the country’s most trusted first responders, paramedics experience higher levels of psychological distress, trauma, PTSD and suicidal behaviour.

Two new programs now available aim to reduce these impacts and prevent mental ill-health and suicidal distress in family and friends. Dr Fitzpatrick takes us through how they work and the impact they are already having on carers.

Digital Mental Health Musings will run for nine episodes, with a new episode released every month.

The first episode will be available on April 25th here where you can also catch up on previous episodes where we cover the ins and outs of starting digital mental health with clients and troubleshooting challenges; burnout in clinical practice and how digital mental health can help; and spotlights on digital mental health providers like Hello Sunday Morning – a digital intervention addressing alcohol use problems, MoodMission and much more.

You can also search, subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.