BOUNCE UP - A Podcast on Mental Resilience

In this 6th episode of the season the focus is on celebrating women. Our guest speakers for this episode are Ms Nthabiseng Moeketsi, Senior Counselling Psychologist at the SCU and Ms Millicent Hlabangane Intern Counselling Psychologist at the SCU. They will be focusing on exploring the some of the following:

• What does it mean to be a woman?
• What are the roles of women and how have these roles evolved?
• How do we redefine womanhood in modern society?
• What is feminism and healthy feminism vs toxic feminism.
• What can women do to support fellow women and what can men do to support women.

This is the 5th episode of this season and the guest speaker for this episode is Mr Pierre Brouard, Clinical Psychologist and Acting Director at the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria. This episode is focused on exploring the LGBTQ+ community and mental health. The following will be expanded upon:

What is sexuality?

What is gender?

What are common myths that need to be dispelled regarding sexuality and gender?

What common challenges do the LGBTQI community face in terms of mental health and how can they be better supported?

This episode is focused on unpacking anxiety and procrastination and exploring strategies to lower levels of anxiety for the exam season. Our guest speakers for this episode are Ms Nthabiseng Moeketsi, Senior Counselling Psychologist and Ms Emma Porter, Intern Counselling Psychologist, both from the Student Counselling Unit at UP.

This episode will focus on unpacking holistic wellbeing. Our guest speakers for this episode are Ms Mallissa Mariens, Registered Counsellor and Ms Millicent Hlabangane, Intern Counselling Psychologist, both from the Student Counselling Unit at UP.

In this episode, our guest speakers, Ms Bontle Sibuyi (Intern Counselling Psychologist) & Mr Masilo Mafokoane (registered Counsellor) will be focusing on unpacking important information regarding healthy romantic relationships. The following questions will be explored: 1. What does a healthy relationship look like?

2.  How can we define romantic relationships?

3.  What ‘good’ relationship etiquette entails?

4. Practical tip/s to maintain healthy relationships.

In this episode, our guest speakers, Ms Mosna Khaile (Registered Counsellor) and Ms Faith Maluleke (Intern Counselling Psychologist) explore the topic of dealing with change. The following questions will be unpacked:

1.  How do I “wrap my head around change”?

2.  What can we do to navigate change in relationships?

3.  How can we deal with self-doubt or Imposter Syndrome?

4. Practical tips to deal well with change.

Our guest speakers for this episode are Ms Shela Tlamama (Registered Counsellor) and Ms Ruqayya Seedat (Senior Counselling Psychologist). In this episode we will explore the following:

• what mindset is essential for coping well with exams?
• dealing with procrastination,
• #conquering the semester versus #saving the semester ,
• valuable tips to help you 'conquering the semester'.

Our guest speakers for this episode are Dr Hanle Kirkcaldy (Head of the SCU), Clinical Psychologist and Ms Ruqayya Seedat, Senior Counselling Psychologist (SCU). In this episode we explore the following:

• the difference between self-harm and suicidal thoughts,
• possible reasons for people engaging in self-harm and examples of self-harm,

• main reasons why people may experience suicidal thoughts,
• Valuable tips on how self-harm and suicidal thoughts can be managed.

The guest speakers for this episode are Ms Nthabiseng Moeketsi (Senior Counselling Psychologist) and Ms Anisa Dlamini (Intern Counselling Psychologist), In this episode we unpack issues related to familial relationships and gaslighting.

The guest speakers for this episode are Ms Nthabiseng Moeketsi (Senior Counselling Psychologist) and Ms Shoki Mokaba (Intern Counselling Psychologist), In this episode we unpack issues related to dating, romantic relationships and mental health as well as gaslighting in romantic relationships.

The guest speakers for this episode are Dr Hanle Kirkcaldy (Head of the SCU), Clinical Psychologist and Ms Ruqayya Seedat, Senior Counselling Psychologist (SCU). In this episode we explore what resilience entails and how we can enhance our resiliency levels by connecting with external resources and utilizing internal resources/skills to cope well in the face of challenges and adversity.

This season the SCU (student Counselling Unit) is excited to have joined forces with our university Radio Station, TuksFM to co-host this podcast series. The first episode in this series is an introductory episode that explores what is mental health and mental illness and when to seek professional help regarding one's mental health concerns.

#Your Mental Health Matters

#Your feelings are valid

This podcast episode is proudly brought to you by the Student Counselling Unit at the University of Pretoria. The expert guest speaker for this podcast episode is Ms Vanishaa Gordan, the Operations Manager from Sadag (South African Depression and Anxiety Group). Ms Gordan will be sharing valuable information with our listeners on what signs to look out for in loved one's who may be suicidal and how to assist them to get the necessary help timeously. She will also share important suicide prevention resources with you on this episode.

This is the 8th podcast episode in the Student Counselling Unit's Mental Health and Wellbeing podcast series. In this episode we will unpack an extremely important topic, namely Gender Based Violence. We will explore some of the following questions, (1) what constitutes GBV? (2) How should we speak about and raise awareness about GBV? (3) What are some of the possible reasons for the high rates of GBV in South Africa? (4) How can we assist a friend or family member who may be a victim of GBV? (5) What supportive services regarding GBV are available to our University of Pretoria (UP) students? The expert speaker for this episode is my colleague, Mr Sikander Kalla, a Clinical Psychologist who has a strong compassion for mental health advocacy and awareness particularly with regard to unpacking topics such as masculinity, gender based violence and navigating through identity. He currently works at our Student Counselling Unit at UP assisting students at the Medical campus, he is in private practice in Johannesburg and he also assists community members at the Folateng clinic.

This episode is on “thinking traps” and has been inspired by Aron Beck’s cognitive model, which explains that at times our thoughts can become distorted and influence our view of ourselves, others, the world and the future. Everyone experiences thinking traps to some degree. As such, our students may also unknowingly experience thinking traps which may negatively impact their academic performance, social interactions and mental health. 

During the course of this podcast episode we will share with you how thinking traps are defined, we will explore the different types of thinking traps, discussing the possible consequences of certain thinking traps and most importantly we will provide practical skills and techniques that one can use to start modifying his/her thinking patterns for the benefit of their mental health and well-being.

Our expert speaker for this episode is Dr Linda Eskell-Blokland, the current Acting Head of the Student Counselling Unit (SCU) at the University of Pretoria. She is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in treating psychological and psychiatric disorders with cognitive behaviour therapy and a systemic approach. She has taken a keen interest and involvement with community mental health and providing disadvantaged communities with relevant mental health services. 

This is our 6th podcast episode. For this episode, we will unpack what anxiety is, what are common symptoms of anxiety, what can contribute to anxiety and how anxiety is treated.  Practical tips and advice on how to manage anxiety will also be explored.

Our expert speaker for this episode is Mr Quintin Ludick, a registered Clinical Psychologist with 11 years experience who works at the Student Counselling Unit at UP. He has worked in both public and private settings and he has a special interest in assisting people with trauma, depression, anxiety and addiction. Having to live with an anxiety disorder himself, he agreed to do this podcast episode to send a message of hope to listeners that anxiety does not have to rule your life!

This podcast episode is on “Self-Compassion: the Ultimate Health Guide. The inner voice as the supportive friend”. Research shows that self-compassion can lower levels of anxiety and depression. People who are self-compassionate tend to recognize their suffering and are kinder to themselves at these times, which can reduce anxiety and related depressive symptoms. Other benefits of self-compassion include an increase in motivation, happiness, improvement in body image, enhanced self-worth and greater levels of resilience. Furthermore, it is emphasized that self-compassion is a healthier alternative than self-esteem, as it fosters a type of self-worth that doesn’t require people to evaluate themselves based on social comparisons. For this podcast episode, we will explore some of the following: what self-compassion is, common self-compassion skills, how self-compassion can help us with our mental health and how we can practically implement self-compassion in our daily lives. Our expert speaker for this podcast episode is Mr Mark Joseph. He first started to practice mindfulness 20 years ago in order to cope with panic and anxiety. Mark travelled to the east to study mindfulness and consulted various masters on the subject including the Dalai Lama. He also lived at a Buddhist temple for 3 years to further his studies and meditation practice.  He thereafter returned to mainstream society to pursue a career in advertising, film and photography. He was the managing director of his own agency for 5 years before joining Mindful Revolution 3 years ago.

This podcast episode aims to provide valuable information on how our university students can create and maintain a workable routine with Online Learning. What to include in one's routine, productivity, motivation, boundaries, communication and self care are some of the important aspects which will be explored in this episode. Ms Alexandra Norton, a Counselling Psychologist from the SCU who has a passion for working with university students is the expert speaker for this podcast episode.

For this podcast episode, the aim is to share valuable information about depression with our UP students. Clinical Psychologist, Dr Hanlé Kirkcaldy is our expert speaker for this episode. This podcast episode will focus on the following: 

• what is depression, 
• what are common symptoms of depression, 
• which professionals can help with screening for depression,
• the prevalence of depression, 
• what can cause or contribute to depression, 
• treatment of depression, 
• self help tips/advice on how to better manage depression (once you have already accessed formal mental health services),
• how to assist a friend or family member with depression.

This episode explores relational well-being, focusing on what it is, why it's important and how our UP students can enhance their relational. Our expert speaker for this episode is Ms Ronel du Toit, a Counselling Psychologist from the Student Counselling Unit at the University of Pretoria with a special interest in interpersonal relationships and published author of the book titled "Relationships under pressure".

This is the very first podcast episode in the Mental Health & Well-being Podcast Series especially designed for our UP students proudly brought to you by the Student Counselling Unit (SCU) at UP. The topic for this episode is Resilience and our expert speaker is Prof Linda Theron, an esteemed and leading researcher/practitioner in the field of child and youth resilience. Listen further if you would like to learn about how you can develop or enhance your resilience.