The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing well being and study
The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing well being and study

The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing well being and study

RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services

Overview
Episodes

Details

This supportive podcast aims to help you navigate the challenges of study, wellbeing, and personal growth. Our hosts chat to each other and special guests from RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services and offer practical strategies and compassionate insights on a range of study and life challenges.

Recent Episodes

Between Two Worlds: Balancing Culture, Family Expectations and Your Wellbeing
DEC 1, 2025
Between Two Worlds: Balancing Culture, Family Expectations and Your Wellbeing

In this episode of The Counselling Armchair, Liz, Melissa and Plia explore what it’s like to live “between two worlds” for international students and first- and second-generation migrants. We talk with guests Sam Zhong and Gunjan Kaur about family pressure, cultural expectations, secrecy as a coping strategy, identity, relationships, and how to find balance without feeling like you’re rejecting your culture.

If you’re navigating cultural pressure, generational tension, or trying to carve out your own path, this episode offers compassionate insight and practical support.

Helpful links:
RMIT Counselling: rmit.edu.au/counselling
RMIT Financial Support: rmit.edu.au/financial-support
QLife (LGBTQIA+ support): qlife.org.au
Headspace: headspace.org.au

play-circle icon
60 MIN
Understanding Intimate Partner Violence
OCT 21, 2025
Understanding Intimate Partner Violence

In this episode of The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing Your Wellbeing and Study, Liz and new co-host team member Plia Caspi are joined by counsellor Ruby Krupka to discuss intimate partner violence (IPV) — what it looks like, how it affects wellbeing and study, and how people can seek help or support others safely.

Together, they unpack the patterns of abuse, and the challenges people face in recognising and leaving unsafe relationships. The team also explores recovery, rebuilding confidence, and where to find confidential support both within and beyond RMIT.

If you or someone you know is in danger, please call 000.
If it’s not safe to speak, you can use the Silent Call option by dialling 000, then pressing 55.

  • Safer Community – Support for experiences of violence, sexual harm, or concerning behaviour.
    📞 (03) 9925 2396 | 🌐 rmit.edu.au/safercommunity

  • Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS) – Free, confidential short-term counselling for students.
    📞 (03) 9925 5000 | After-hours: 1300 305 737

  • Student Legal Service – Free legal advice for students.
    🌐 rmit.edu.au/students/support-and-facilities/student-legal-service

  • Student Support Advisors – Help with financial, accommodation, and academic issues.

  • Chaplaincy – Confidential spiritual and emotional support for students of all faiths.

If you need to store evidence (texts, screenshots, or photos) securely — without keeping them on your phone’s main gallery or messaging apps — these tools can help:

  • Arc App (1800RESPECT) – Free and secure app for safely recording patterns of abuse and storing evidence.
    🌐 arcapp.org.au

  • Safety Net Australia (WESNET) – Offers digital safety tips and information about secure apps.
    🌐 techsafety.org.au

  • Be Safe App (Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria) – Personalised safety planning tool.
    🌐 besafeapp.org.au

  • SmartSafe+ – Secure evidence storage app (by WESNET). Designed for people experiencing tech-based abuse.
    🌐 smartsafe.org.au

🟣 Important tip: If you’re using safety or evidence apps, consider setting up a PIN lock and disguised app name if possible. Always delete browser history after visiting support sites if your device is being monitored.

  • IPV isn’t always physical — it can include emotional, financial, sexual, and psychological abuse.

  • Leaving can be complex and dangerous — safety planning and professional support are crucial.

  • You are never to blame for someone else’s choice to control or harm you.

  • Support and recovery are possible — you don’t have to face it alone.

The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing Your Wellbeing and Study is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help others find support and hope.

⚠️ If You Need Immediate Support💜 24/7 Support Services🎓 RMIT Support Options📱 Helpful Safety and Record-Keeping Apps🕊️ Key Takeaways💡 Additional Resources🎧 Listen and Subscribe

play-circle icon
63 MIN
Bonus Episode: A Guided ACT Exercise
SEP 30, 2025
Bonus Episode: A Guided ACT Exercise

This bonus episode of The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing Wellbeing and Study offers a short guided practice to help you feel steadier and more connected during uncertain times.

Psychologist Michael Swadling leads you through an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) exercise designed to:

  • Help you drop anchor in the present moment

  • Reconnect with your values—the things that matter most to you

  • Create a gentle sense of calm and steadiness even when life feels overwhelming

This exercise pairs beautifully with our full episode, “How to Look After Yourself When the World Feels Heavy,” but you can also use it anytime you need a brief moment of grounding and self-care.

Safety note: Please listen when you can give it your full attention—not while driving or doing anything that requires focus.

Resources mentioned:

play-circle icon
14 MIN
How to Look After Yourself When the World Feels Heavy
SEP 30, 2025
How to Look After Yourself When the World Feels Heavy

In this episode of The Counselling Armchair: Nurturing Wellbeing and Study, Liz speaks with psychologist Michael Swadling about how to protect your mental health when the news feels overwhelming and the future uncertain.

From climate change to conflict and economic pressures, it’s easy to feel weighed down by global challenges. Michael explains how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and the RMIT Ways of Wellbeing can help us stay grounded, focus on what’s within our control, and take small, meaningful steps that align with our values.

We explore:

  • What wellbeing really means—and why it’s not about feeling happy all the time

  • How to stay informed without burning out

  • Practical ACT tools and the importance of routine, connection, and small actions that reflect your values

  • How self-care can be an act of strength, not selfishness

  • Balancing activism, study, and life without falling into burnout

Whether you’re feeling anxious about the world or just need strategies to stay steady through uncertainty, this episode offers practical, compassionate guidance to help you care for yourself and keep moving toward what matters most.

Resources mentioned:

play-circle icon
62 MIN
It’s Not Just Conflict: Naming Coercive Control
SEP 1, 2025
It’s Not Just Conflict: Naming Coercive Control

In this episode of The Counselling Armchair, Liz and Melissa sit down with intern psychologist Joshua Boardman for a thoughtful conversation about coercive control—a form of emotional and psychological abuse that can occur in many types of relationships. Together, we discuss how it can appear, why it may be difficult to recognise, and what safe steps people can take if they have concerns.

Content note: This episode contains discussion of emotional abuse. Please listen with care, and remember that support is available through the services listed below.

  • Understanding what coercive control is

  • Common behaviours such as love bombing, gaslighting, and guilt-tripping

  • Misconceptions and vulnerability factors

  • Green flags in healthy relationships

  • Where to find support and how to plan safely

  • 1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732

  • Lifeline – 13 11 14

  • RMIT Student Support – 1300 305 737 / Text: 0488 884 162

  • The Shark Cage® – Ursula Benstead: Educational metaphor for understanding boundaries and safety

  • Victoria Police & Crime Stoppers Victoria Podcast: Coercive control and family violence

  • NSW Government – Coercive Control Resources: Easy-read guides, translations, and support info

  • eSafety Commissioner – Coercive Control Info Sheet: Focus on technology-based coercion among young people

  • Attorney-General’s Department – National Principles on Coercive Control: Fact sheets, videos, and community resources

  • Compass – Coercive Control Resource Hub: Central access point for education and services

  • AIHW – Coercive Control Insights: Data and information on impacts in families

  • Safer Families Centre – Toolkit: Examples and tools for professionals

  • ACT Government Resources: Multilingual guides and local supports

  • Financial Independence Hub – Good Shepherd | 📞 1300 050 150

  • Leaving Violence Program – DSS | 📞 1800 253 283

  • Anglicare Victoria – Family Violence Financial Counselling

  • Women’s Legal Service Victoria | 📞 1800 133 302

  • 1800RESPECT – Financial Abuse Toolkit | 📞 1800 737 732

👉 This episode is for educational purposes only. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please reach out to one of the support services above.

Key TopicsSupport ServicesFurther Resources (Educational)Financial & Legal Supports


play-circle icon
48 MIN