The GLOP Podcast
Come and eavesdrop on the Gorgeous Ladies of Psychology as they wrestle with the demands of the the personal, the professional and the existential. Follow their story, as they and the clients they work with tackle the weighty mighty issues of our time and sit in that uncomfortably comfortable place … the boxing ring for Psychologists, the couch. In the Ancient Greek tradition of achieving cultural Catharsis through Drama and the now lost Theory of Comedy penned by Aristotle, get yourself a ring side seat and listen in to the salacious secret life of our two intrepid Psychologists as they deep dive in to the underworld of the forbidden, face the destruction of entropy and strive against the odds to mend the broken minds of the mentally ill. And let’s face it – we are all a bit wonky, so welcome aboard. In the buttoned up, trimmed, waxed, high and tight, approaching perfection corner we have the reigning Champion - Clinical Psychology driving for outcomes and “using science to help people” whilst smugly waving a wad of sparkling evidence base. Clinical Psychology and their efficient technique and research muscle has risen to prominence and dominance within the profession of Psychology in recent times but … is this force for order missing something? Was this something valued more in bygone days? Are we moving closer and not further away from transformation? In the less tidy, more accepting of the messy mystery of it all, intuitive, pursuing authenticity, approaching unconditional positive regard corner, we have the under dog - Counselling Psychology prioritising the therapeutic relationship, unfolding processes and in a non causal linear pathway, becoming Self Actualised. The story so far … “parted by fate in their final year at the University of Queensland facing the devastation of a career pathway blighted before it started, unable to continue on in the Department of Psychology due to a non fatal brush with malevolence and a general lack of funding, they left in a cloud of confusion and untapped potential. Gerri headed to that notorious major Australian City with a hookless coat hanger for a bridge, that Opera House and into the sharp teeth and square jaw of Clinical Psychology. Imy headed to Paris and romance speedily followed by heart break and something approximating a breakdown, returned home to land in that other Australian City where they have trams, a day off for the Grand Final and that horse race. And in to the alternative yet compelling grasp of Counselling Psychology. The part of the Clinical Psychologist will be played by “Gerri” (not saying if this is her real name), who is a Clinical Psych I.R.L. Similarly the part of the Counselling Psychologist will be played by “Imy” (doesn’t go by this name in professional circles) who is also a Counselling Psych MAPS FCCOUNP I.R.L. The story begins when they meet after … 25+ years for “Peer Supervision”. The cases, concerns and stories are real but details have been de-identified and obscured in such a way to protect the privacy and confidentiality of those concerned while preserving the essence, integrity and meaning of the story for the protagonists. Our podcast seeks to entertain and inspire curiosity, dialogue, bravery in the face of horror, poise when confronting injustice and mindfulness in the presence of transformation. We want to explore the complex issues that face professional Psychologists by giving focus to the personal. We seek to melt the ice of secret keeping and uncover what lies beneath. We invite you to linger in this spirit, listen in sneakily to that which hitherto has never be spoken aloud and hope you enjoy. Look out for new episodes every fortnight on a Friday. Email gloppodcast@gmail.com
Episodes
Imy & Gerri review the year that was with mixed results. Imy is unhappy. Gerri is encouraged. Christmas is a time of exhaustion and aspirational Self Reflection. How did we go? Did we cover everything that was and was not - discussed? Was something important missed? The clashing between Counselling and Clinical Psychology reaches an inevitable climax as Imy identifies the contradictions of primary and secondary processes. There are...
Gerri wants to continue on with GLOP’s investigation of difficult themes and bravely introduces the topic of ‘treatment failures’. This intrepid investigation is introduced with all the crowd pleasing nuance of humility disguised as confidence winked at with a confusing double signal pointing to the protective, reassuring, cloaking presence of a “webinar”. Trouble in the therapeutic relationship complicated by external stresses is ...
GLOP find themselves staring in to a familiar abyss, the doledrums of long haul practice and its concomitant demands. Gerri wants to mess about with the existential angst Psychologists encounter at different stages of their working life, particularly the later stage. She has not broken with tradition and has constructed a model to try and clear up the gloom. Results are mixed and inconclusive. Gerri spends the first quarter introdu...
Gerri wants to discuss using that loaded question “RUOK?” She is not happy with the insincere form or the “half arsed check in”. Continuing on with GLOP’s ‘Working Girl’ analogy, Gerri compares the variation of RUOK? Check Ins across ‘Multiple Madams’ and agencies where she “turns tricks”. Shadows of declining coping in response to the Lockdowns and Pandemic lurk everywhere. This rising panic and disturbance to an already ruffled e...
Gerri has been to an ‘Eating Disorders Conference’ and is left wondering if the Conference tag line was sincere. Accreditation confirming the skill set requirement to work with ‘eating disorders’ is discussed and examined in terms of its symbolic meaning as a possible antidote to a wobbly personal identity. The current demand in Australia for mental health support is examined together with a discussion about Provisional Psychologis...
Gerri’s alter ego Aidan is discussed through the lens of clinical appraisal. No stone is left unturned. Imy wends her way around to piping up about the benefits of person centered care as opposed to a problem centered approach. Gerri is left unconvinced and presents a welterweight of evidence on MD, which we understand does not mean Major Depression in this instance. Instead it refers to the practice of ‘maladaptive daydreaming’. T...
‘Cliches’ in practice are bothering Gerri and the issue of the sometimes needed and even authentic use of cliché is considered and embedded within the context of safety at work. The much needed but not always considered safety for the practitioner hovers around the edge of the discussion like Banquo’s ghost. Not being exactly on the same page, Imy interprets the business of cliches in a different direction resembling a position of ...
Gerri begins with an impressive middle-of-the-road laundry list of “professional reading”. Or atleast, that is what we are calling it as far as Gerri’s tax accountant is concerned. A visual inspection of the data is suggestive of an immediate fool proof cure for insomnia. However a closer ‘under the hood’ examination revealed, as per usual, deeper more mysterious forces at work. On this occasion, Tiger is cast aside as a transition...
Gerri revisits the delight and self assurance she derives from wearing articles of Uniqlo. Imy insists on a deeper examination of the phenomenon and the issue of group membership as an aspect of identity. Specifically as it relates to the challenges of dealing with colleagues and juggling the role of “Psychologist” with the many other roles vying air time and the opportunity to speak. Imy brushed the dust off the School of Ego Psyc...
Imy discloses a legacy issue from her distant past that is as yet unresolved. GLOP consider the variety of legitimate and otherwise responses to the dilemma of ‘injustice’ when it arrives in the therapy room. The need for therapeutic support being a close colleague of injustice in all its forms. The phenomenon of the abuse of power by those we are bound to through a relationship of dependence, inferiority, necessity or circumstance...
Gerri is troubled by running in to people from her past compromising the comfortable anonymity she enjoys in her Secret City. Imy reveals multiple awkward moments at BBQs in her Secret City and how she invoked vegetarianism and being “weird” as a sort of one size fits all talisman warding off the horror of social situations rendering them harmless. Gerri and Imy deep dive in to the undercurrents of interpersonal violence hidden wit...
Gerri is feeling a bit flat and discusses how her beloved cat Tiger copes with this by eating ‘sometimes’ food. Tiger is temporarily borrowed as a transitional object. Imy has had a big week and reflects on her coping strategies additional to reaching for ‘sometimes’ food. Naughty food available in both Secret Cities is discussed. Gerri reflects on the need for an Escape Plan, in lieu of Self Care since Self Care for Psychologists ...
Gerri is troubled by her ‘Clinical Psychologist’ identity receding when her Baby Boomer parents come to visit and she is compelled to take a Stay-Cation in her Secret City. The intergeneration conflict between perceptual biases of Baby Boomers and Gen X is explored and examined using primarily self report, generalisations and extrapolated viewpoint measures. Particular focus is given to the role of alcohol consumption, specifically...
Gerri & Imy begin by trying to uncover what motivates them to practice psychology and be a Psychologist. They both miss Oprah and ponder what it means do be “doing well” in the field. Themes of “being appreciated or not”, Jordan Peterson and the dominance/competence hierarchy, Psychology as largely a female dominated field, gossip in professional circles, women being ‘allowed’ to be angry now and that this is preferred to being com...
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