Ask the psychologist - how do we process grief?

For the last two weeks we’ve been hearing stories from some incredible humans. And while we will continue to tell these stories, I want to  make sure we look deeper into how experiences like these impact us as humans, and our sense of self. 

So in today’s episode, I talk with Psychologist Amy Kate Isaacs, as we unpack some of the key themes from these stories. Amy Kate and her team will be back every few weeks to help explain the psychology behind these experiences, and what happens in our brains and our behaviours when we’re processing the world around us.

This isn’t about a diagnosis of any of our podcast guests! I want to make that clear. What it is about is using these stories as examples of what so many of us go through, and using a professional view to help us understand these themes and what that looks like for us humans. 

As the owner of The Mindful Collective, Amy Kate practices as a Developmental Psychologist from The Mindful Collective Studio in Paddington, inspiring mindful and compassionate change alongside the TMC team and women’s-health focused businesses. 

In her not-so-spare time Amy Kate also supervises budding psychologists from the University of Queensland as an Adjunct Lecturer, is a Board Director for ALLKND (also known as GRLKND) and is the Co-Founder of Brain Pilot with Milly Bannister. 

As a curious human, Amy Kate is also studying her second Masters, this time in the Science of Medicine (Sexual and Reproductive Health) to become a Sexologist. She invites people to join her collective in whatever capacity nourishes your soul – whether that be through your socials, events, workshops or one-on-one therapy. You can find out more about them at themindfulcollective.co and you can find them on Instagram at @themindfulcollective. 

In today’s episode, we talk about we process grief, and the best way to support people in a really meaningful way who are experiencing grief. We also look at the different types of grief and what we know about how our brains work during a grief experience.

During the episode, Amy Kate references understanding how values play a part in processing grief, and supporting those who are grieving. She’s kindly shared her values finder, which you can access here.

Please note - this episode does mention not only grief, but an experience of sexual assault. If any of these discussions impact you in any way, please consider seeking support. 

You can contact 1800 RESPECT for support for sexual assault, or contact Griefline to talk to someone about your experience of grief.