In this episode of Inside Social Work, I am joined by psychologist and researcher Dr Bronwyn Milkins for an honest, reflective conversation about the professional and emotional impact of client suicide.

We discuss the emotional aftermath, ethical concerns, and the invisible weight carried by clinicians, social workers, and mental health practitioners.

Whether you've experienced this personally or are supporting someone who has, this episode offers insight, validation and guidance.

Key takeaways

• Why suicide loss can feel isolating for professionals

• The unspoken guilt, shame and fear that often accompany a client death

• How organisations and colleagues can support impacted staff

• The importance of reflective practice and clinical supervision

• Balancing professional responsibility with human vulnerability

• Navigating coronial investigations and confidentiality concerns

• Reframing grief and finding space to heal

About the Guest:

Dr Bronwyn Milkins (PhD, MPsych) is a psychologist and researcher whose passions are working therapeutically with neurodivergent and LGBTIQA+ clients with trauma, advocacy on equitable and accessible mental health care, and supporting diversity in the mental health workforce. Bronwyn’s current research aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people who experience trauma-related dissociation. She also hosts the popular 'Mental Work' podcast which exists to support Australian mental health workers.

Contact Dr Bronwyn Milkins @ mentalworkpodcast@gmail.com

Resources

• Royal College of Psychiatrists – If a Patient Dies by Suicide (PDF)
• APA – Coping with Patient Suicide
• IASP – Guidelines to Assist Clinical Staff After Suicide

🎙️ If this topic resonates with you, or if you’re navigating the loss of a client, this episode might offer some comfort or perspective.

Got something you'd like to hear on the podcast?

🎙️ Got a question or something on your mind? Send it through. You can write it or email a voice memo to contact@marievakakis.com.au, and it might be featured in a future episode of Inside Social Work.

Your curiosity could help shape a conversation that resonates with the wider community.

Want to be a guest? Submit a speaker request here

http://marievakakis.com.au/be-a-podcast-guest/

Got an anonymous question? Submit it here:

https://forms.gle/wg7Lk61xde9Lge976

What does it really mean to work in this space? To support others, hold complex stories, and still show up with care?

In this new season of Inside Social Work, I’m having real, honest, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations about life as a social worker and allied health professional. Whether you’re just starting, mid-career, or wondering what’s next, this season is for you.

We’ll explore supervision, burnout, grief, identity shifts, cultural safety, politics, money, and the things that impact our work but rarely get talked about in training.

I'll be sharing reflections, research, and stories from the field, with a mix of expert voices and everyday practitioners.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Am I doing enough?” or “Does anyone else feel like this?”, you’re not alone.

🎙️ Got a question or something on your mind? Send it through. You can write it or email a voice memo to contact@marievakakis.com.au, and it might be featured in a future episode of Inside Social Work.

Your curiosity could help shape a conversation that resonates with the wider community.

Want to be a guest? Submit a speaker request here

http://marievakakis.com.au/be-a-podcast-guest/

Got an anonymous question? Submit it here:

https://forms.gle/wg7Lk61xde9Lge976

Workplace bullying, burnout, and work-related stress are significant issues that can have detrimental effects on individuals in various professions. It's essential to recognise the signs of workplace bullying, take action early, and prioritise self-care to prevent long-term negative effects on mental and physical health.

In this episode, our guest, Frances Caile shares her experiences and insights on workplace bullying, burnout, and work-related stress. She explains how she was drawn to social work and her transition to private practice to have more time to do good work without the politics of organisations and paperwork. She discusses her motivation for setting up her private practice and her specialisations in workplace bullying, burnout, and workplace stress.

• Key Takeaways:
• 
  
• Workplace bullying is defined as repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety
• 
  
• Examples of workplace bullying include spreading rumours, excluding or isolating someone socially, intimidation, threatening a person's role or performance, undermining or impeding a person's work, and withholding necessary information
• 
  
• Workplace bullying can have serious consequences on the mental and physical health of the victims, and it's important to seek assistance and support early to prevent long-term negative effects
• 
  
• Work-related stress and burnout are common in high-stress roles such as social work, teaching, and healthcare, as well as in resource-constrained environments with high turnover and competition for promotion
• 
  
• It's crucial to prioritise self-care, set boundaries, and seek support when experiencing work-related stress and burnout to prevent long-term physical and mental health issues.

Contact details for Frances

https://www.stresssupport.com.au/

Promo code for working ISW2023 for 20% off

https://marievakakis.com.au/

https://marievakakis.com.au/connected-teens/

Helping women recover from interpersonal trauma and violence

Liz is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker who runs her own private practice called Breathe therapy. She's a mindful trauma therapist and is really passionate about supporting women to heal from childhood and adult experiences of interpersonal violence and abuse.

Liz has done some really incredible work and we talk about some of her social work journey, and how she incorporates various techniques such as act DBT, and mindfulness into working with women to recover from some of those experiences and diagnosis such as PTSD, anxiety, OCD, and other sorts of things that can really stem from those early experiences that women face. I hope you enjoy this episode with Liz.

Contact Liz

BreatheTherapy.com.au

Ashton talks us through some steps you can take to work towards your accreditation.

She shares some of the resources that she's developed, including her accredited Mental Health Social Worker roadmap, which is part of an ebook series, private Facebook group that she has, as well as her consultation and training

We talk about supervision and what we wish we knew when we were first starting out and the importance of that.

Guest bio

Ashton is a an accredited mental health social worker with a background of working in human services and mental health settings.

She has over a decade of experience in child protection, housing, forensic and mental health settings. She currently provides supervision to human services and mental health professionals across Australia. She is also the owner and director of Willowtree Wellbeing, a counselling clinic in Western Sydney, NSW.

Ashton is passionate about providing a safe and collaborative environment for supervision for social workers, caseworkers, team leaders and anyone who works in human services.

Contact guest

https://ashtonhayesconsulting.com.au/

Previous episode with Ashton

Episode 26 : From Paralegal to Social Worker. Working with children and trauma all while staying passionate about the work you do with Ashton Hayes

Supervision series

Part 1 Supervision

Part 2 - The benefits of Group Supervision

Part 3 Supervision - Understanding learning preferences

Inside Social Work Podcast

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Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

This is the second episode of a multi-part series examining gender and sexuality. In this episode we look at implicit bias.

About your guest Lachlan Slade

Lachlan, (he/they) is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. He has worked in the space for about 12 years now in various spaces with LGBTIQA+ and trauma work.

Lachlan Slade grew up in Shepparton studying in Albury Wodonga, and Bendigo to complete their Social Work degree. Lachlan cofounded the Out in the Open Festival, Shepparton's first LGBTIQ+ Community Festival. Lachlan has dabbled in Community Radio, and Politics.

Work with Lachlan

Upcoming events Neutralising Queerphobia workshop, in Kannygoopna (Shepparton) as part of Out in the Open Festival, tix at outintheopen.org.au. The workshop explores implicit bias, ambient trauma and Allyship.

Lachlan's LGBTIQA+ focused Group Supervision sessions: https://events.humanitix.com/group-supe#organiserInfoBox

https://sladeconsulting.services

Email: slade.consulting@protonmail.com

Instagram: @lachlan_listens

Inside Social Work Podcast: Website / Facebook/ Be on the Podcast/ Support the show

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

This is the first episode of a multi-part series examining gender and sexuality. How we as social workers can be more inclusive in our language and how we can work more emphatically with individuals and families.

About your guest Lachlan Slade

Lachlan, (he/they) is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. He has worked in the space for about 12 years now in various spaces with LGBTIQA+ and trauma work.

Lachlan Slade grew up in Shepparton studying in Albury Wodonga, and Bendigo to complete their Social Work degree. Lachlan cofounded the Out in the Open Festival, Shepparton's first LGBTIQ+ Community Festival. Lachlan has dabbled in Community Radio, and Politics.

Work with Lachlan

Upcoming events Neutralising Queerphobia workshop, in Kannygoopna (Shepparton) as part of Out in the Open Festival, tix at outintheopen.org.au. The workshop explores implicit bias, ambient trauma and Allyship.

Lachlan's LGBTIQA+ focused Group Supervision sessions: https://events.humanitix.com/group-supe#organiserInfoBox

https://sladeconsulting.services

Email: slade.consulting@protonmail.com

Instagram: @lachlan_listens

Inside Social Work Podcast: Website / Facebook/ Be on the Podcast/ Support the show

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

I hate baths. Reimagining self care with Yasmine McKee-Wright

Yasmine McKee- Wright is a social worker and podcaster.

She has learned a lot from some of the guests on her podcast, Social Work Spotlight. We talk about her journey, having students on placement and a bit of time on self-care. Jasmine shares some of the things that she does for self-care and some of the things that sustain social workers in their careers.

Connect with Yasmine

swspotlightpodcast@gmail

https://anchor.fm/socialworkspotlight

https://www.facebook.com/socialworkspotlight

https://twitter.com/SWSpotlightPod

https://www.instagram.com/socialworkspotlight_podcast/