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The Talking Child Development podcast unpacks important topics and conversations related to child and family development. Every episode aims to provide mental health professionals with insights into family life based on theory and experience in the field. Join Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven as she interviews experts including paediatricians, early childhood educators, child psychotherapists and infant-parent therapists. From communication to attachment, we dive into the ‘why’ behind relationships and behaviour. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development and Psychodynamic Counselling.
Episodes

Mar 19, 2025
Mar 19, 2025
53 min
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Liana Buchanan, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People for the State of Victoria. Liana is also part-time Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission. She has a background in oversight and system reform for people experiencing disadvantage and those affected by family and sexual violence and abuse.
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Feb 19, 2025
Feb 19, 2025
53 min
In this episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr Ruth Schmidt Neven talks to Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, lecturer in Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. Her current research addresses digital media and families with a particular focus on parenting in the digital age and its accompanying anxieties.
She is the author of a new book Parenting in a Digital World Beyond Media Panics: Towards a new theory of parental mediation, published by Routledge.
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Sep 25, 2024
Sep 25, 2024
50 min
In this podcast, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Catherine Olweny. Catherine is a specialist paediatric anaesthetist who in the course of her work, is aware of the high levels of stress and anxiety experienced by children having surgery and other medical interventions. She has taken the unusual path in addition to her specialist medical work, of training in clinical hypnosis and therapeutic child play. Dr. Olweny is also the key area lead in promoting trauma-informed preventive care in the tertiary hospital setting, which includes both practitioners and patients.
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Aug 7, 2024
Aug 7, 2024
32 min
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Judith Edwards about her recently published book Grandmotherland. A far cry from conventional ideas of how to be a grandmother, Judith explores the challenges and risks of this important phase of the family life cycle. Judith has published extensively in the field, and she has a particular interest in the links between psychoanalysis, culture and the arts and making these ideas accessible to a wider audience.
References:
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Jun 26, 2024
Jun 26, 2024
1hr 1 min
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Journalist Virginia Tapscott who has written extensively about the undervaluing of mothering and the devaluation of caregiving in general. Virginia is based in country New South Wales. She has four children, and her writing and reporting have ranged from agricultural issues to gender equality, what children need for healthy development and the impact of sexual abuse.
References:
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

May 8, 2024
May 8, 2024
50 min
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with Dr. Jon Jureidini, Child Psychiatrist and Head of Psychological Medicine at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. Dr. Jureidini also heads the Critical and Ethical Mental Health Research Group at the University of Adelaide. He explains the problems associated with pathologising all things emotional in our world, and how we need to attend to the social determinants of mental health in the community.
Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development.
References:
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Mar 27, 2024
Mar 27, 2024
37 min
In this podcast episode, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven talks with School Psychologist Brydie Huggins about the current problem of school refusal or ‘school can’t’. Brydie has worked across the developmental spectrum from kindergarten to year 12 in public and private school settings.
Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development.
References:
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Feb 21, 2024
Feb 21, 2024
33 min
In this podcast episode, Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven speaks with Ryan Carters, father of three, a former professional cricketer and founder of Dadfit. This non-profit organization aims to ‘make dadding a team sport again’ and support dads’ mental and physical health and promote their relationship skills.
Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development.
References:
www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Nov 29, 2023
Nov 29, 2023
52 min
In this episode Amanda Stone, educationalist and committee member of the Association of Child and Family Development talks to Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven, child and adolescent psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, author, and trainer. They discuss the unique contribution of psychodynamic thinking to the promotion of child, adolescent, adult, and family mental health.
Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development.
References: www.acfd.com.au www.centreforchildandfamily.com

Sep 27, 2023
Sep 27, 2023
43 min
In this podcast episode, Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven speaks with Dr. Jordana Silverstein, cultural historian, and senior research fellow in the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, in the Melbourne Law School. They speak about her recently published groundbreaking book, Cruel Care: a history of children at our borders, that describes the treatment of child refugees at our borders.
Talking Child Development is brought to you by the Association of Child and Family Development.
References: www.acfd.com.au
www.centreforchildandfamily.com
