Episodes

  • 30. Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama

    30. Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama
    Mar 11 2026
    'Apple Cider Vinegar' is an Australian TV series that was released in 2025. It presents a dramatised version of the real world story of Belle Gibson, an Australian social media wellness influencer. In the series, Belle posts publicly about her experience of brain cancer and promotes alternative approaches to treatment to her millions of Instagram followers. And through a recipe app that was promoted by Apple called 'The Whole Pantry'. The primary conflict of the series being that Belle never had brain cancer.This episode of Psych Attack is a panel discussion between myself (Dr Jaz MacDonald), Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges. Each of us brings a unique lens to our viewing of the series, informed by our own life experiences and professional expertise. The panelDr Jaz MacDonald: my area of expertise is trauma exposure and reactions, as well as mental health. I have a PhD in psychology and am a trained social worker with experience in mental health assessment. I mostly spend my time doing this podcast and working at an Australian research agency, creating practice resources for practitioners supporting children and families. Dr Erica McIntyre is a psychology and public health researcher and educator, now working as an ADHD Coach and Career and Leadership Coach. Erica has a PhD in psychology and has also practiced as a herbalist. Her research focuses on health and wellbeing, specifically health care decision making. Dr Suzie Gibson (PhD in literature and philosophy) is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Charles Sturt University. Trained in close textual analysis, Suzie surveys texts across fields and disciplines — literature, film, television and philosophy. She is interested in the ideological underpinnings of texts as well as with their aesthetic import and how it impacts upon their social and cultural meaning. Associate Professor Donna Bridges is a sociologist and a gender theorist at Charles Sturt University. Donna's research focuses primarily on gender inequality and work – specifically women integrating into male dominated fields and the barriers they encounter. This led her to an interest in sexual harassment and violence. Donna is also a creator and host for the podcast 'Conversations for a Brave New World' produced by the Gender Network at CSU. Each month, the podcast shares knowledge, scholarship and research about gender from the diverse perspectives of experts and scholars. The episode I have linked to is one where Donna interviews me (Jaz) about my team's coercive control research and practice resources.Sensitive content warningThis episode refers to cancer, mental illness, and intimate partner violence. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.Content mentioned in this episodeApple Cider Vinegar, NetflixThe Search for Instagram's Worst Con-Artist, NetflixDederer, C. (2023). Monsters: What do we do with great art by bad people? Sceptre.Schur, M. (2022). This sandwich is morally problematic. But it's also delicious. Can I still eat it? In How to be perfect: The correct answer to every moral question (pp. 185-208). Quercus.Research articles on parasocial relationshipsBaek, Y. M., Bae, Y., & Jang, H. (2013). Social and parasocial relationships on social network sites and their differential relationships with users’ psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 512-517.Balaban, D. C., Szambolics, J., & Chirică, M. (2022). Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement. Acta Psychologica, 230. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103731.Bennett, L. L. (2024). Understanding parasocial relationships and the mental health impact. [Master's thesis, Louisiana Tech University].Hoffner, C. A., & Bond, B. J. (2022). Parasocial relationships, social media, & well-being. Current Opinions in Psychology, 45. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101306.Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2019). Parasocial interactions and relationships with media characters–An inventory of 60 years of research. Communication Research Trends, 38(2).Madison, C., & Adam, A. (2023). Perceived marginalization, social support, and mental health: The role of parasocial relationships. Modern Psychological Studies, 28(2).Su, B.-C., Wu, L.-W., Chang, Y.-Y.-C., & Hong, R.-H. (2021). Influencers on social media as references: Understanding the importance of parasocial relationships. Sustainability, 13. DOI: 10.3390/su131910919Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B., McIntyre, E., Gibson, S., & Bridges, D. (2026, March 12). Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama (No. 30) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as ...
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • 29. Organised / disorganised typology of serial killers: A statistics deep dive on the 1986 study

    29. Organised / disorganised typology of serial killers: A statistics deep dive on the 1986 study
    Dec 28 2025
    Are you a true crime enthusiast but an even bigger research methods nerd? I see you. If you have watched Mindhunters, read Silence of the Lambs, or are an old school Criminal Minds fan then you already know this study and this team of researchers. In the 1980s a team of FBI agents and researchers teamed up to advance what we knew about serial sexual offenders (serial killers).In this episode, Dr Monsurul Hoq and I nerd out on the research methods and statistical analysis used in the first peer-reviewed research article that compared crime scene characteristics for organised and disorganised serial killers.The beauty of this episode is the practical application of statistical methods. We talk about statistical power, alpha inflation, p-hacking, the obsession with p = .05 (conventions in determining statistical significance), and the importance of subject matter expertise and clinical / practical significance.The paper this episode focuses onRessler, R.K., Burgess, A.W., Douglas, J.E., Hartman, C.R., & D’Agostino, R.B. (1986). Sexual Killers and Their Victims: Identifying patterns through crime scene analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1(3), 288-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626086001003003 [not open access]About Dr Monsurul HoqDr Monsurul Hoq has 10 years’ experience as a Biostatistician in medical and health research (in prevention and cure of common childhood illness, transgender health, vaccine uptake, paediatric reference intervals, disability, and mental health), leading, consulting, and performing statistical analysis of data, interpreting findings and reporting results. Prior to working in academia, Monsurul Hoq worked in non-government organisations in Bangladesh and South Sudan, monitoring and evaluating integrated community-based projects in education and child health sector.Monsurul completed his PhD in Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne. His research established continuous age-specific reference intervals for blood biomarkers in children using a novel statistical method. You can find a list of Monsurul's publications here.Jaz is writing a bookThis interview was conducted in preparation for a book I am writing. If you'd like to be notified when the book is finished, please email me and I will store your email and only contact you when the book is ready for you to read. [hello@jasminebmacdonald.com.au]Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Hoq, M. (2025, December 29). Organised / disorganised typology of serial killers: A statistics deep dive of the 1986 study (No. 29) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Monsurul Hoq for sharing your time and expertise.Serial killer related blog postsSerial killers of ‘Mindhunter’: Childhood experiencesThe original research report behind ‘Mindhunter’Comparing the brains of successful and unsuccessful psychopathsThe Crime Classification ManualThe first offender profileForensic psychology related episodesMacDonald, J. B. & Ashton, S. (2024, June 5). Sex therapy, kink and paraphilias (No. 18) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comMacDonald, J. B. & Malloy, L. (2024, March 2). Developmental insights for investigative interviewing about maltreatment (No. 17) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comMacDonald, J. B. & March, E. (2022, June 5). An evolutionary perspective of online behaviour (Part 2: Cyber dating abuse)(No. 11) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comResearch methods related episodesMacDonald, J. B. & Braund, T. A. (2024, Oct 1). Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms (No. 22) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comMacDonald, J. B. & Sugden, N. (2021, September 30). Psychometrics and psychological assessment tools (No. 6) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comMacDonald, J. B. & Tillman, G. (2021, June 22). Mathematical models of how people make decisions (No. 2) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. https://www.psychattack.comResearch methods related blog postsThe pragmatic researcherWhat international literature is useful in the Australian context?Interpretivism in qualitative researchExperiences are socially constructed, but by whom? Constructivism vs constructionismInterested in going deeper of p-values?Amrhein, V., Greenland, S., & McShane, B. (2019). Retire statistical significance. Nature, 567, 305-307.Gelman, A. & Stern, H. (2006). The Difference Between “Significant” and “Not Significant” is not Itself Statistically Significant. The American Statistician, 60(4), 328-331.Greenland, S., Senn, S.J.,...
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    59 mins
  • 28. In the minds of ancient Romans

    28. In the minds of ancient Romans
    Jun 22 2025

    Professor Emeritus Gregory S. Aldrete explains some of the hallmarks of Ancient Roman psychology (i.e., their values and motivations). Greg shares rich context and examples, weaving together a story of similarities and differences between life in Ancient Rome and life now. We discuss a wide range of topics, from hand gestures used to compensate for lack of microphones in large arenas, tombstone engravings and graffiti messages, common pets, and sources that historians draw on to find the lesser heard voices of ancient Rome.

    Greg is Professor Emeritus of history at the University of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Greg is an ancient historian specialising in the study of civilisations, cultures, and history of the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly Ancient Greece and Rome. Greg is driven to figure out how stuff really worked in antiquity. You can reach out to Greg via email: aldretegs@gmail.com

    Explore other interesting work by Greg
    Books
    The Great Courses
    Website

    I highly recommend subscribing to The Great Courses to access Greg's lecture series The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome. Tim and I spent much of our end of year break in 2024 watching it.


    Cite this episode

    MacDonald, J. B. & Aldrete, G. S. (2025, June 22). In the minds of ancient Romans (No. 28) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

    Transcript
    The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

    Acknowledgements

    Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Professor Emeritus Gregory Aldrete for sharing your time and expertise.
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    36 mins
  • 27. The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys

    27. The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys
    May 12 2025

    In this episode, I catch up with Rahim Thawer about his book The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys, which is currently on presale and is being released 1 June, 2025.

    The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys offers a safe, inclusive space to examine, understand, and heal from systemic and interpersonal threats to your mental well-being. Based on proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this book provides proven-effective tools and exercises to help you reflect on, confront, and manage difficult emotions; improve self-image and self-esteem; and develop healthy coping skills. This guidebook will help you:

    • Cultivate greater self-awareness
    • Move past negative thinking habits
    • Heal emotional wounds and build resilience
    • Challenge heteronormativity and gender role rigidity
    • Care for your sexual health.

    Rahim is a racialized, queer social worker who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He calls Toronto home and currently teaches at The University of Alabama. His work explores the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression. He has a particular interest in examining innovation in queer relationships and exploring how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.

    Pre-order The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys
    Amazon US
    Amazon Australia

    Works mentioned in this episode

    Thawer, R. (2025). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self. Publisher: New Harbinger Publications. [Pre-Order]

    To see more of Rahim's work, check out ladyativan.com


    Cite this episode

    MacDonald, J. B. & Thawer, R. (2025, May 13). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys (No. 27) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

    Transcript
    The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

    Acknowledgements

    Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Rahim Thawer for sharing your time and expertise.
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    30 mins
  • 26. Writing and publishing a non-fiction book

    26. Writing and publishing a non-fiction book
    Apr 11 2025

    Dr Will Dobud shares insights about his experience of writing and publishing a non-fiction book - a lessons learnt kind of a chat. Rather than focusing on insights from the book content, we talk about the mechanics, processes, and experiences behind bringing together a non-fiction and mental health focused book.

    Will Dobud, PhD, MSW, is a Senior Social Work Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and an award-winning practitioner, educator, and researcher. He is recognised as a practitioner with international experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Will’s research focuses on improving young people’s experiences in therapeutic interventions and outdoor therapies and how clinicians can become more evidence-informed in their decision-making. Will also advocates for youth affected by unethical treatments and interventions, highlighted by the Troubled Teen Industry in the United States. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer for youth-serving organisations, travelling internationally to help organisations enhance their services for those they serve. Will and I collaborate on a wide range of topics and create practice resources together.

    Connect with Will on various social media platforms: Facebook, X / Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

    Experiential Practice Symposium
    Will is also the co-convenor for the first Experiential Practice Symposium held from 21-23 November on CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus. This is an affordable and accessible event with the theme of “Conversation as Experiential Learning.” Everyone is welcome to attend and facilitate an experiential workshop on learning, mental health, or the philosophy of experience. Learn more here: https://experientialpractice.csu.domains/

    Other episodes featuring Will
    25. Kids these days: Understanding and supporting youth mental health
    9. Exploring outdoor therapies

    Cite this episode

    MacDonald, J. B. & Dobud, W. (2025, April 12). Writing and publishing a non-fiction book (No. 26) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

    Transcript
    The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

    Acknowledgements

    Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Will Dobud for sharing your time and expertise.

    Related Psych Attack Episodes

    22. Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms
    13. The role of animals in mental health practice
    7. Mental health disorders and child development

    Related practice resources
    Building resilience in children and young people
    Engaging young children (0-5 years) in nature play


    Related blog posts
    Child and adolescent mental health conference 2025
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    45 mins
  • 25. Kids these days: Understanding and supporting youth mental health

    25. Kids these days: Understanding and supporting youth mental health
    Mar 27 2025

    In this episode, I catch up again with Dr Will Dobud about his latest book called 'Kids These Days', which is currently on presale.

    'Kids These Days' is essentially a protest for protecting the heroism and spirit of youth. Will co-authored 'Kids These Days' with Professor Nevin Harper from the University of Victoria in Canada. This anticipated book offers a frank exploration of the rising rates of youth mental illness and the ways in which increased interference, intervention, and ideology have influenced these trends. To develop the book, Will and Nevin consulted with experts in therapeutic interventions, parenting, education, outdoor play, social media, and environmental toxins. They examined how mainstream media may, in fact, incite heightened moral panic without representing the best available evidence.

    Will Dobud, PhD, MSW, is a Senior Social Work Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and an award-winning practitioner, educator, and researcher. He is recognised as a practitioner with international experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Will’s research focuses on improving young people’s experiences in therapeutic interventions and outdoor therapies and how clinicians can become more evidence-informed in their decision-making. Will also advocates for youth affected by unethical treatments and interventions, highlighted by the Troubled Teen Industry in the United States. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer for youth-serving organisations, travelling internationally to help organisations enhance their services for those they serve. Will and I collaborate on a wide range of topics and create practice resources together.

    Connect with Will Dobud and Nevin Harper on various social media platforms:

    Will: Facebook, X / Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
    Nevin: LinkedIn, Substack, Instagram

    Experiential Practice Symposium
    Will is also the co-convenor for the first Experiential Practice Symposium held from 21-23 November on CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus. This is an affordable and accessible event with the theme of “Conversation as Experiential Learning.” Everyone is welcome to attend and facilitate an experiential workshop on learning, mental health, or the philosophy of experience. Learn more here: https://experientialpractice.csu.domains/

    Cite this episode

    MacDonald, J. B. & Dobud, W. (2025, March 27). Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental (No. 25) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

    Transcript
    The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

    Acknowledgements

    Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Will Dobud for sharing your time and expertise.
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    36 mins
  • 24. Envy in our social and sexual lives

    24. Envy in our social and sexual lives
    Jan 15 2025

    In this episode, I catch up with Rahim Thawer about envy and its impacts in our social and sexual lives.


    Rahim is a racialized, queer social worker who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He calls Toronto home and currently teaches at The University of Alabama. His work explores the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression. He has a particular interest in examining innovation in queer relationships and exploring how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.


    Episode content
    0:00 - Introduction
    1:16 - Rahim's background and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

    6:21 - How Rahim got interested in envy

    11:48 - The difference between envy and jealousy

    17:09 - Queer experiences of envy

    20:07 - Envy and systemic oppression

    20:53 - How to manage envy

    25:49 - Has social media made envy worse?

    29:46 - Online content creators and envy

    31:22 - Can envy be managed through CBT?

    34:39 - Why are some people not impacted by envy?

    40:19 - How to keep up to date with Rahim’s work

    Works mentioned in this episode

    Thawer, R. (2022, June 9). The Matrix of Envy in Our Social and Sexual Lives. Medium.

    Thawer, R. (2025). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self. Publisher: New Harbinger Publications. [Pre-Order]

    To see more of Rahim's work, check out ladyativan.com

    Cite this episode

    MacDonald, J. B. & Thawer, R. (2025, Jan 15). Envy in our social and sexual lives (No. 24) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

    Transcript
    The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

    Acknowledgements

    Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Rahim Thawer for sharing your time and expertise.
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    42 mins
  • 23. Psych Attack highlights 2024

    23. Psych Attack highlights 2024
    Dec 20 2024

    To round out 2024, I have created this highlights episode.

    This year, the 6 guests (from Australia, Finland and the U.S.) and I have covered:

    • investigative interviewing for disclosures of maltreatment (Episode 17)
    • what sex therapy is, kink and paraphilias (Episode 18)
    • academic mental health (Episode 19)
    • self-advocacy and professional development and relationships (Episode 20)
    • human-dog relationships (Episode 21)
    • adolescent mental health and the use of digital phenotyping (Episode 22).

    Cite this episode
    MacDonald, J. B. (2024, December 20). Psych Attack highlights 2024 (No. 23) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

    Transcript
    The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.
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    21 mins