Road To Recovery

20/07/2025

In this compelling episode of Science of the Soul, I sit down with Dan Davis—counsellor, private practice owner of MetaMinds Therapy, group facilitator, podcaster, and Australia’s #1 drone YouTuber—to explore how creativity, emotional intelligence, and ethical alignment shape powerful therapeutic work.
Dan shares how his clinical journey evolved from traditional counselling roles into a thriving private practice focused on men’s mental health, group facilitation, and emotionally attuned therapy. We discuss his upcoming men’s group program, the role of community and connection in healing, and the powerful impact of giving men safe spaces to explore vulnerability.
You’ll also hear about Dan’s unique integration of mental health and technology—using his drone channel as a way to support confidence-building and presence—and how his podcasting work became a springboard for his personal and professional growth.
🎧 Whether you're a counsellor, coach, therapist, psychologist, or social worker, this episode offers real-world insights on building a practice rooted in purpose, personal truth, and creativity.

For Therapy & Supervision, check out Dan's website at www.metamindstherapy.com
For tech gadgets & drone related information, find Dan on DansTube.TV | Brutally Honest Technology Reviews - Home

24/06/2025

💬 Old But Gold – Virtues, Growth & The Therapist’s Presence

This is an episode from 7 months ago, and I wanted to reshare it because I was just listening to it again - and it remotivated and reinspired me all over again. Just brought me back to the reason I became a therapist, philosophically, and the nuances of the profession.

Questions like: Who are you in the room? Does that matter more? Or are you just a program of tools you bring?

In this episode of Science of the Soul, I sat down with therapist and lecturer Jim Schirmer (my master's lecturer from back in the day), to explore how virtues like honesty, compassion, and courage can quietly shape the way we work, connect, and hold space in therapy.

🌱 Whether you're a counsellor, therapist, psychologist, or mental health practitioner— at whichever stage of your career, this one’s for you if you're reflecting on how your presence impacts the healing process.

🎧 Listen here (audio only): https://youtu.be/jloumwZEBos?si=wt8F_9eMCFRTO3oj
🎙 Full episode on Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-t658m-172397a

✨ We explore:

Why virtues matter in therapy

How our presence shapes client outcomes

Supporting clients who feel stuck

Courage, honesty, and ethical decision-making in practice

👂 Curious? Give it a listen and let me know what stands out for you.
And please👍 Like, 💬 comment, or 🔄 share with someone who would love this conversation.

Join me as I delve into the intricacies of mental health, therapy, and the human psyche. In this episode, I welcome Jim Schirmer, a therapist, lecturer, and ...

10/06/2025

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE
“Healing, Culture & the Stuck Client” — A Conversation with Brodie Read
Are you a therapist who’s ever felt stuck with a client? Or unsure how to hold space for someone from a background different from your own?

This episode is for you. 👇

I joined Brodie Read—fellow counsellor and host of The Best Approach Podcast—to unpack what really happens in therapy when the story goes quiet… when the client feels disconnected… when trauma is woven into culture, identity, and silence.

💡 For therapists, counsellors, social workers, and mental health practitioners:
We dive into how transcultural therapy, meaning-making, and body-based work can unlock something profound in clients who feel hopeless, heavy, or unheard.

🌿 Inside the Episode:
🧠 What it means to truly be “trauma-informed” across cultural contexts
👣 Why starting with the body (not the brain) matters more than you think
💬 How to work with resistant clients who say “nothing works”
📚 Philosophy meets practice: “Thrownness,” grief, and growth
🧭 Why supervision should include cultural awareness & existential nuance

▶️ Listen on YouTube (Audio-Only Format):
🎧 No video—just a rich, reflective conversation to listen while walking, working, or relaxing.
📺 Watch/Listen Here: https://youtu.be/V5BvTSZdy2k?si=qNld1VxfwuCy81m-

25/05/2025

🎙️ Hello everyone! It's been a little while since I released a podcast episode. Life got the better of me... However, I am back on track, and I am so excited to share this podcast because I ABSOLUTELY enjoyed recording this New Podcast Episode:

“What If You Haven’t Been Traumatized?”
A conversation with Dr. Daryl Sparkes

Can therapists and counsellors "truly" understand trauma without having lived it?

👉 That’s the question at the heart of this conversation with Dr. Daryl Sparkes—a media studies academic who’s spent his life observing trauma from behind the camera. From filming exorcisms to unpacking intergenerational silence, his outsider perspective offers something many of us don’t talk about enough in the therapeutic space.

✨ Teaching Insight for Practitioners:
Being trauma-informed doesn’t require personal trauma.
What it DOES require is curiosity, empathy, and the ability to listen without needing to relate.

Observing trauma—as Daryl has—can foster a form of psychological attunement that’s rooted in analysis, not lived experience.

💡 For my fellow therapists, this can be a reminder:
You DON'T need to have “been there” to offer real, grounded support.
You DO need to stay attuned to the nuance of trauma expressed through silence, indirectness, or culture-bound experiences.

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🎧 Episode Highlights:
🔹 How WWII veterans taught emotional regulation through silence
🔹 When observation becomes a tool for empathy
🔹 Why some clients don’t recognise their own adversity
🔹 Filming faith-based phenomena: exorcism, psychosis, possession
🔹 Finding emotional meaning through purpose—not catharsis

(Also: yes, there’s an unexpected accidental date story… 😂)

🧠 Ideal for:
✔️ Clinical supervisors
✔️ Newer therapists still finding their footing
✔️ Practitioners navigating imposter syndrome around their own trauma histories

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21/05/2025

Hello fellow culturally informed counsellors! It is almost time for the FREE ACA Webinar. I am so excited to share my knowledge and experience with you, and also learn from some of your concerns when working with clients in our increasingly transcultural society.

Hope to see you there☺️

Heterogenous Cultural Competency and Spiritual Sensitivity. By Dr. Amirah Shah. This session invites counsellors to deepen their cultural...

18/05/2025

🌈 FREE WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT! 🌈

I'm thrilled to be presenting a special webinar for the Australian Counselling Association next week!

📣 "Heterogenous Cultural Competency and Spiritual Sensitivity"
📅 Thursday, May 22nd at 2:00 - 3:00pm AEST
✨ Earn 5 OPD points!
💻 Via Zoom

This session is really close to my heart - we'll be diving into how we can better serve clients from diverse cultural and spiritual backgrounds. I'll be sharing insights from my research and years of experience working with multicultural communities.

We'll explore:

Transculturalism and cultural humility in practice

Managing language barriers and power dynamics

Addressing intergenerational trauma with cultural sensitivity

Practical tools you can implement immediately

After spending years researching this area for my thesis and working directly with diverse communities, I'm excited to share frameworks that have made a real difference in therapeutic outcomes.

Feel free to tag any colleagues who might benefit! Registration link in comments ⬇️

Australian Counselling Association

06/05/2025

🌀 In therapy, healing often begins where words fail—through meaning, spirit, and connection.

🌱 For clients from diverse backgrounds, spirituality isn't a side note. It’s woven through culture, grief, identity, and growth.

That’s why I created this 5-point carousel: to offer practical, reflection-based insights that mental health practitioners can use today. 💬

✨ Whether you’re new to this space or deepening your culturally attuned practice, you’ll find something useful here.

💻 And if you’d like to go further, I’ve curated free tools and a comprehensive practitioner resource — the Culturally-Informed Trauma Workbook — to support your integration of spiritual frameworks into trauma work.

📎 Link to Free Tools and Blog in first comment below 👇✨

02/05/2025

02/05/2025

01/05/2025

✨ I had the privilege of attending the Spirituality & Mental Health conference at Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre—led by Martin Park and developed by Dr. Deb Mitchell-Macaulay.

It was an incredibly affirming reminder that holistic mental health practice must include the spiritual dimension of the human experience.

Some key insights I’m walking away with:

✅ Be mindful of confirmation bias in our clinical formulations
✅ Tune into your client’s spiritual worldview—it matters
✅ Not all symptoms are pathology—some are cultural expressions
✅ Prayer, psalms, and mantras can be powerful therapeutic tools
✅ Spirituality is broader than belief—it’s about meaning, connection, and purpose
✅ Practice cultural humility: “Tell me what these experiences mean for you.”

I’m especially grateful to Dragos Ileana for his practice-based insights—and to my former supervisor Prof. Adrian Athique for gifting me The Dhammapada that very evening. It felt like a full-circle moment.

How are you bringing spirituality into your therapeutic or supervisory work? I’d love to hear from you.

10/04/2025

✨Grateful, grounded, and full of heart💖

Last night’s Healing Together: Faith, Resilience & Collective Strength workshop was a powerful reminder of how much we can hold, and how much lighter it becomes when we hold it together.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed their presence, stories, and reflections. It was an honour to co-facilitate this space with Dr. Senem Eren and the support of Centre for Muslim Wellbeing.

We explored grief, resilience, injustice, and healing — all through the lens of faith and collective strength. Our community showed up with openness and care, and we’re so grateful.

May the reflections and tools shared continue to support you beyond this gathering.

📸 (Feel free to tag yourself or share your thoughts in the comments!)

Dr Senem Eren Centre for Muslim Wellbeing

09/04/2025

✨ Tonight’s the night! ✨
Looking for a space to pause, reflect, and feel supported?

Come join us for Healing Together: Faith, Resilience & Collective Strength — a community event focused on emotional wellbeing, grief, and healing through faith. 🕌💖

📍 Preston Mosque Hall
🕕 6:00PM – 9:30PM
💫 FREE event with light refreshments
👥 Open to everyone – no registration needed!

Walk in as you are, leave feeling renewed 🌙

Centre for Muslim Wellbeing Dr Senem Eren Islamic Council of Victoria