A Sceptic’s Guide To Gratitude

Does being grateful make a difference? Melissa Cowan reflects on the art of saying thanks....

08 December, 2020

Being grateful this Christmas benefits you, even when your family’s driving you bananas

It’s easy to get hot and bothered during a family Christmas. But the science of gratitude can help you not only cope, but enjoy, the festive season, writes Aaron Jarden. Christmas can be a stressful time of year. You will blow your budget, your relatives will...

02 December, 2020

We asked kids who their favourite teacher is, and why. Here’s what they said

Research by Penny Van Bergen, Linda J. Graham  and Naomi Sweller looked at who students remember as their favourite and least favourite teachers, and why. Most of us can remember a favourite teacher. Some of us can also remember a teacher we didn’t get on with...

27 November, 2020

The isolation of domestic violence

Professor of Social Work, Cathy Humphreys discusses the risks of family violence during COVID-19 isolation and which support services are working well.Listen to the podcast Link here“Isolation is bad for a lot of people,” says Cathy Humphreys, Professor of Social Work at the University of...

24 November, 2020

Festive Family Trees

It’s nice to sit on a beach and watch my girls play with their team of cousins, knowing that they will all share the same fond memories of Christmas, writes Joseph Kelly’s who finds his large family holidays at Christmas have come full circle. Having emigrated...

18 November, 2020

annabel crabb in the kitchen

Friends since their toddler days, Annabel Crabb and Wendy Sharpe grew up on the Adelaide Plains, in a small town called Two Wells. They shared a love of cooking, especially baking cakes that could be suitable for gala days or trading tables in country South Australia. The two mates that loved having adventures...

14 November, 2020

Transition from primary to high school – parents can be the key to this life challenge

Clinical Psychologist, Prof Amanda Gordon, looks how parents can support this milestone School is the most important social network for children there is.  As children move from infants to primary to high school, the importance of their friendships increases, almost proportionally to their independence.  Children need...

04 November, 2020

What can we do to support our children in their friendships?

Dana Kerford, Canadian born teacher and founder of the URSTRONG friendship programs, shares her insights on friendships, with Natalie Richie How are girls' relationships different to boys’? Little conflicts may not faze boys. Girls, however, can turn the tiniest rift into a major issue by avoiding...

28 October, 2020

How do I help my child to extract themselves from a ‘toxic’ friendship at school?

by Nigel Latta, Clinical psychologist, author of  The Modern Family Survival Guide On the face of it, this is a pretty simple issue, right? Except, there’s a bit more to this than simply figuring out how to ditch someone who’s not good for you. Rather than...

28 October, 2020

A Girl’s Best Friend: true or toxic?

Gossip, the silent treatment, social exclusion…how can girls learn to create healthier female friendships? asks Natalie Richie. “Hands up if you have arrived at school and your friend is not talking to you” – seven of the 10 girls aged six to eight raise their hands....

28 October, 2020