Best Dr Hunter Mulcare Podcasts (2024)

1
So long, and thanks for all the fish 7:20

1y ago7:20

7:20

We have decided to call time on Two Shrinks Pod as our personal and professional lives have prevented us from being able to regularly produce the show. As we both care about the quality of the work we put out, we decided that if we couldn’t produce something we were proud of then it was time to end the pod. Thank you to all of the tens of thousands…

1
83 - Coping with Exams 54:58

2y ago54:58

54:58

If you’re a student struggling to cope with exams or a parent supporting one, this episode is for you. Just in time for the year 12 exams, we’ve prepared a crash course on how to cope with anxiety in the lead up, on the morning of and during an exam. Listen for practical tips, how to know when to take a break and ways you can calm down once your in…

1
Analyze This - 2SP on the School of Movies 3:28

2y ago3:28

3:28

Head over to the School of Movies Podcast to listen to Amy and Hunter talk about the comedy mob film Analyze This starring Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal. We talk about anxiety attacks, toxic masculinity, doing therapy at gun point and the ethical issues of receiving gifts from your mobster client. School of Movies Analyze This : https://www.podb…

1
82 - Phobias: A Year 12 Psychology Exam Crash Course 1:34:30

2y ago1:34:30

1:34:30

This episode we’ve put together a crash course on phobias. We know phobias are on the VCE psychology exam and we have covered the main topics and theories covered in the course. The episode is pitched at Australian year 12 psychology students (and for their parents wanting to understand what this psychology garbage is). We don’t assume any prior ps…

1
81 - Psychology of Abortion 1:01:46

2y ago1:01:46

1:01:46

For episode 81 we’re taking a comprehensive, research driven look at abortion: what it’s like making the decision, how it impacts people psychologically and what happens if you can’t have one when you want to? Join us for a discussion of what the research actually says, in all it’s complexity, about how women respond after an abortion. To skip forw…

1
80 - This Episode Could've Been an Email 1:10:35

2y ago1:10:35

1:10:35

This episode we’re covering our professional gripes with a thin veil of science and talking about work research. Join us for a light-hearted, research based whinge about frictionless spaces for nomadic workers (or hotdesking), how meetings interrupt us, documentation makes us burnt out and just how judgemental we all are about email signatures. To …

1
79 - Sarcasm 1:06:05

2+ y ago1:06:05

1:06:05

This time on 2SP we’re taking a look at sarcasm through 4 research articles. How does it develop in childhood? Are some cultures really more sarcastic? Can make us more creative? And, can emojis help avoid awkward misunderstandings of sarcasm when we text? After a delightful break with some sparkling shiraz, Hunter laments the impact of clutter on …

1
78 - I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Productivity Guilt with Madeleine Dore 46:55

2+ y ago46:55

46:55

Struggling to get anything done? Constantly torturing yourself over what you could’ve achieved if only you had a routine, stuck to a schedule, magically became a more productive, focused person? You’re not alone. Join us for a chat with Madeleine Dore: Melbourne journalist, interviewer and creator of the Everyday Routines project.. She takes us thr…

1
77 - The 2021 Wrap Up 1:10:57

2+ y ago1:10:57

1:10:57

For our last episode of the year we’re looking back over 2021. We chat about the episodes of the year with a dash of new research, a new therapy portrayal in Mare of Easttown and a nostalgic look at our favourite episodes. To really get things off our chests, we wrap up with the Gripe List - a random assortment of things that have pissed us off in …

1
76 - How to help your anxious kid 1:20:46

2+ y ago1:20:46

1:20:46

This episode we’re giving a crash-course for parents on how to help your child when they’re anxious. Amy talks us through what kids’ anxiety looks like, how to begin to calm things down and when to call in the experts. Listen for practical, doable tips on what to do when your kid’s anxiety is overwhelming them or you. To finish up, Hunter talks abo…

1
75 - How to Cope with Burnout and Emotional Exhaustion (For HCW) 1:02:28

2+ y ago1:02:28

1:02:28

We know how much healthcare workers have been through, are still going through. So for this episode, we wanted to help doctors, nurses and allied health clinicians deal with burn out and when it’s all too much. Join us to hear Hunter talk through how you know when you’re becoming burnt out and what can you do to deal with patients who push your but…

1
74 - Do Lockdowns Cause Suicide? 1:02:46

3y ago1:02:46

1:02:46

It is late October 2021, Melbourne is emerging from a 77 day lockdown and we’ve just earned the dubious title of most locked down city in the world. Throughout, this difficult situation has been made harder by constant media and political pressure to end lockdowns, often with the argument that lockdowns cause suicide. We wanted to dig into this pro…

1
73 - Why do we laugh? 1:10:35

3y ago1:10:35

1:10:35

This week we’re returning to an everyday psychology topic and pondering why we laugh. In classic Two Shrinks style, we talk through four pieces of research: preschoolers laughing with their friends, personality and laughter, ridicule in family and funeral workers’ use of laughter. As always we finish up with things we came across: Amy freaks out ab…

1
72 - Why do we cry? 1:24:26

3y ago1:24:26

1:24:26

We’re back after an unexpected break with a classic Two Shrinks question, why do we cry? Why is it that something painful, emotional or even joyful makes us tear up? How does it help us communicate, share with others, process how we feel? We’ll talk through why music makes us cry, what babies expect to happen when they cry, who cries in therapy and…

1
71 - Psychs on Film 3 (Shrinks with a Vengeance) 1:46:22

3y ago1:46:22

1:46:22

In honour of our third instalment of psychs on film, we’re following the trilogy format and introducing a new character, well actually a guest - Sharon Shaw, podcaster and therapist from the School of Movies podcast. Join us for a discussion of 6 film and tv therapists - what we love, how it’s different from real life therapy and issues we can’t st…

1
70 - Therapy with the Breakfast Club 1:38:35

3+ y ago1:38:35

1:38:35

The Breakfast club - five teenagers in detention, each struggling and assuming everyone else has their life together. But what would happen if they were referred for therapy instead? Join us for a Two Shrinks look at Claire, Bender, Principal Vernon, Allison, Andy & Brian as we talk through how we’d make sense of these characters and what they’d ne…

1
69 - Sexual Assault: How to Respond to a Disclosure 58:12

3+ y ago58:12

58:12

This episode we’re talking about an unashamedly heavy topic. Given the recent events in Australian Parliament, we wanted to talk about how psychologists, friends and family members of people who have been sexually assaulted can respond. How you can best support someone who’s beginning to share their story, even when you don’t know what to say. If y…

1
68 - The Seven Deadly Sins 1:27:04

3+ y ago1:27:04

1:27:04

To kick off 2021, two shrinks is getting sinful. Thanks to a suggestion from psychiatrist Dr Jackie Rakov (@psychwrite on twitter), we’re taking a look at the psychology behind the seven deadly sins. Do we find people more attractive when we’re primed with lust? Does envy make us more likely to harm others? Is pride different from straight-up narci…

1
67 - Podcasting in a Pandemic: The 2020 Review 1:23:13

3+ y ago1:23:13

1:23:13

We’re trying something revolutionary this year - a 2020 wrap up episode! Join us as we chat about psychs on film; how to cope with things like bushfires, lockdowns and irritations on the holidays and; the little ways the pod has impacted us this year. Most exciting of all is a return, at about 50 minutes, of the gripe list, with everything from pri…

1
66 - How to accept a compliment 1:09:48

3+ y ago1:09:48

1:09:48

This episode we’re excited to be responding to a highly relatable listener question. Justin Hensley (@EBMgoneWILD) asked us: “How does one take a compliment? In COVID times we get a lot of “thank you for your service” but even regularly I suck at taking them. Is it an upbringing thing?” So we’re pulling it apart in the two shrinks way with a chat a…

1
65 - How to Reduce Social Anxiety 1:44:25

3+ y ago1:44:25

1:44:25

Ever find yourself getting anxious about talking to new people, avoiding speaking in work meetings or overanalysing something you’ve said? Then this episode is for you. We chat about practical ways to start to work on social anxiety - calming yourself, challenging your thoughts and experimenting with new skills. To wrap up the show Amy has a bone t…

1
64 - Election Emotions: anxiety, catharsis and hope 1:04:25

3+ y ago1:04:25

1:04:25

This episode, Amy and Hunter talk shit about the US elections. After a long, stressful week anxiously watching, we chat about how we’ve felt, our top gripes from the past 4 years & why it’s ok to let it all out. We all need to talk, process, feel everything that’s going on right now - hear why it’s important to let loose before we can move on. Art …

1
63 - How to reduce anger 1:21:40

4y ago1:21:40

1:21:40

For no reason we can think of (COVID, US elections, lockdowns, 2020…), lots of us are struggling with anger at the moment. This episode we take a practical look at anger to help you know when you’re feeling it & what to do when it crops up. We talk about why it’s helpful to understand your anger and some steps to calm down quicker when it does. As …

1
62 - Schadenfreude: Is it ok to feel like this? 42:48

4y ago42:48

42:48

This week, in the wake of President Trump being diagnosed with COVID-19, the world has been going through a collective emotional experience. People who ordinarily wouldn’t relish in the misfortunes of others are feeling a pleasurable twinge of schadenfreude. We noticed people talking about how guilty they’ve felt so we wanted to pull apart this com…

1
2SP on Meta - a behind the scenes interview 1:16

4y ago1:16

1:16

Amy and Hunter were excited to be on Peter Wells’ podcast Meta, a podcast about podcasts. If you are a Two Shrinks fan and want to know more about how we go about producing the show, who listens and how we got started then head over to the Meta podcast feed (link below) and tune in to hear Peter grill us and perhaps act as a bit of a therapist towa…

1
61 - Autism Spectrum Disorder 1:42:52

4y ago1:42:52

1:42:52

Autism, a fascinating, complex and controversial disorder. Join Amy and Hunter for an overview of Autism, or as it is currently known, Autism Spectrum Disorder. This episode should be a good one stop shop for giving you a) a description of the signs and symptoms of Autism, b) a history of how Autism and Aspergers Syndrome came to be recognised, c) …

1
Mary and Max - 2SP on the School of Movies 3:06

4y ago3:06

3:06

Head over to the School of Movies podcast feed to hear Amy and Hunter join Alex and Sharon Shaw discuss and reflect on Adam Elliot’s masterpiece Mary and Max. It is a film about a decades long friendship between an Australian girl Mary living in Melbourne, and adult Max who has Asperger’s and lives in New York. We discuss depression, Asperger’s, lo…

1
60 - Diagnosing the Skywalkers: Mental Health in the Star Wars Universe 2:13:00

4y ago2:13:00

2:13:00

Presenting the definitive discussion on the mental health of the Skywalker family. Its our 60th episode and for some fun we turned our minds to analysing the characters from Star Wars. This is an episode for psych nerds and Star Wars fans alike. It is similar to our Harry Potter episode (#41) where we diagnosed the Hogwarts teachers with personalit…

1
Teaser: Does Anakin Skywalker have Borderline Personality Disorder? 11:31

4y ago11:31

11:31

Ahead of our 60th episode “Diagnosing the Skywalkers: Mental Health in the Star Wars Universe” we decided to give you some pre-listening (reading?) to get you ready (hey don’t judge, we did do a lot of university study). Hunter covers a series of academic articles that discuss whether Anakin Skywalker has Borderline Personality (links below). This …

1
59 - Healthcare workers’ challenges during COVID-19 1:10:24

4y ago1:10:24

1:10:24

How are health care workers coping during COVID? On our final episode of the COVID series, we take a look at the issues facing healthcare workers. For the first time in many workers’ careers, we’re dealing with an issue that impacts everyone, including ourselves. Tune in for a discussion about issues like coping under crisis conditions, providing m…

1
58 - Mental health issues during COVID-19: ADHD, OCD, PTSD, Depression, Eating Disorders, Substance Use, Family Issues 1:15:18

4y ago1:15:18

1:15:18

Feeling like your mental health is suffering during COVID-19? Finding that your attention is worse, you’ve started restricting your eating again or are having more compulsions? Then this episode is for you. We chat about first steps to getting back on track when symptoms flare up during COVID including: ADHD, OCD, depression, eating disorders and P…

1
57 - COVID-19 anxiety with Dr Sherman Lee 1:02:12

4+ y ago1:02:12

1:02:12

57 - We’re all worried about COVID-19, but how much worry is unhelpful? Dr Lee and Lucky We have a lively chat with Dr Sherman Lee, an Associate Professor researching COVID-19/Corona virus anxiety at Christopher Newport University in the United States. Sherman tells us about two scales he’s developed measuring 1) Corona anxiety and 2) obsessive tho…

1
56 - Coping in the time of COVID-19 (part two) 1:06:00

4+ y ago1:06:00

1:06:00

56 - Join us as we continue chatting about ways to cope with COVID-19. In this episode, Hunter and Amy talk about coping with information overload, how to self-care in the time of covid, managing expectations of yourself and home schooling. How can we take the pressure off ourselves but still do enough to keep going? We discuss why everyone is feel…

1
55 - Coping in the time of COVID-19 (part one) 1:15:39

4+ y ago1:15:39

1:15:39

55 - In our first episode recorded COVID style, we have a chat about common issues and questions coming up for people. Tune in for ideas on how to manage anxiety, dealing with uncertainty and coping with the flow on effects of COVID. We also talk about how to talk to people in your life who are more or less anxious than you about COVID. To finish u…

1
54 - Surviving a bushfire and coping after - with Danielle Graber 59:18

4+ y ago59:18

59:18

In this episode Hunter & Amy interview Danielle Graber, clinical psychologist based in Melbourne who has been working with people impacted by the bushfires. We recorded this episode a month ago but our chief editor (Hunter) has been unwell so we’ve been delayed with the release. Stay tuned for an episode on COVID and a light one for some distractio…

1
53 - Sports psychology and helping athletes perform - with Michael Inglis 53:18

4+ y ago53:18

53:18

How do you help a professional athlete perform at their best? How do you help them cope with performance anxiety or failure? What is the role of a psychologist in a football club and how can you work with coaching staff to help the whole team? Hunter chats to Michael Inglis about his work as a sports psychologist. Michael is working with Western Un…

1
52 - A day in the life of a psychologist working in cancer or paediatrics 59:22

4+ y ago59:22

59:22

Ever wanted to know what it is like to work as a psychologist who works with cancer patients? Or are you interested in how a psychologist works with children? Continuing on with the relaxed 2SP summer programming Amy and Hunter decided to interview each other and ask questions about the work that they do and expand on discussions that they have tou…

1
51 - Psychs on film - the second part 1:16:19

4+ y ago1:16:19

1:16:19

51 - So Amy and Hunter decided to do another episode of therapists on film and television. In part because they realised that there was an over representation of male therapists in the previous episode and mostly because it is the holidays and they really enjoyed doing something a bit lighter. In this episode they play and talk about clips of thera…

1
50 - Psychs on film 1:19:05

4+ y ago1:19:05

1:19:05

50 - Ever wondered if the therapists you see on TV or film are doing the right thing? Or why they are doing what they do? Then this is the episode for you, Amy and Hunter play eight scenes from television and film of therapists doing what they do and break down what is going on. They go through, Grosse Point Blank, Frasier, Analyze This, Crazy Ex-G…

1
49 - When a family member or partner has Borderline Personality Disorder 1:11:43

4+ y ago1:11:43

1:11:43

What’s it like living with a family member or partner with Borderline Personality Disorder? On this episode, we take a look at the experiences of carers and the supports available to them. We start with the diagnostic criteria for BPD and a discussion of how the dynamic of worry and monitoring can have a negative impact on family members. Hunter th…

1
48 - Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) 1:27:45

5y ago1:27:45

1:27:45

“If you were to look at me you’d see a single person…but when we look in the mirror we see us, fragmented identities living in the same body” Carol Broad (via Caitlyn) This episode Two Shrinks take a look at Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) and what it can be like living life with a fragmented sense of self. Join us fo…

1
Zombieland - 2SP on the School of Movies 2:09

5y ago2:09

2:09

Head over to the School of Movies podcast feed to hear Amy and Hunter discuss, dissect and devour the psychological themes of control, trauma and attachment in the movie Zombieland. It is a black comedy action film about the Zombie apocalypse and is one of 2SP favs. Amy and Hunter were on the School of Movies earlier this year discussing the Pixar …

1
47 - Munchausen’s syndrome (Factitious Disorder) - why some people fake being sick 1:32:10

5y ago1:32:10

1:32:10

47 - Factitious disorder, better known as Munchausen’s syndrome, is when someone fakes being sick for no apparent reason aside from the benefit of assuming the sick role. Factitious disorder imposed on another, or Munchausen’s by proxy, is when a caregiver (usually a mother) claims their child is sick, in many cases causing the child to be sick thr…

1
46 - Dark Tetrad of personality - Psychopathy, Narcissism, Machiavellianism & Sadism 1:04:12

5y ago1:04:12

1:04:12

This week on Two Shrinks Pod we’re returning to the darker side of humanity and taking a look at the Dark Tetrad: psychopathy, narcissism, machiavellianism and sadism. We chat through the rationale for adding sadism into the mix and examine the ways it can play out in romantic relationships, responses to grief and online trolling. As always, we wra…

1
Inside Out - 2SP on the School of Movies podcast 2:12

5y ago2:12

2:12

Exciting news listeners - Two Shrinks recently guested on the School of Movies podcast where Amy and Hunter were asked to come on and help discuss Pixar’s masterpiece that explores the function of emotions - Inside Out. This is a movie that therapists frequently refer people to watch to help them understand emotions. School of Movies is hosted by t…

1
45 - Don't stand so close to me: understanding interpersonal distance 1:15:16

5y ago1:15:16

1:15:16

45 - This ep we are talking about the ins and outs of interpersonal distance - that is how close you like to be to other people. Amy talks about cross-cultural differences and attachment (surprise surprise) whilst Hunter takes us on a journey of age related differences and discusses the impact of psychopathy on interpersonal distance. Spoiler: psyc…

1
44 - Men's responses to a miscarriage or still-birth - with Kate Obst 25:07

5y ago25:07

25:07

44 - How do men respond to pregnancy loss? What is their experience? What supports do they need? And is it different to how women respond? This episode Hunter interviews Kate Obst whilst at that APS Health Psychology conference in Adelaide in April 2019 and she talks about men’s responses to a miscarriage or still-birth. This will be of interest to…

1
43 - Self-forgiveness as a therapeutic strategy - with Dr Grant Dewar 41:38

5+ y ago41:38

41:38

43 - This week Hunter brings you an interview whilst on location at the Health Psychology conference in Adelaide. He interviews Dr Grant Dewar who use self-forgiveness as a therapeutic strategy in particular using it to lessen the impacts of adverse traumatic events that have occurred earlier in our lives. His approach has its roots in ACT (accepta…

1
42 - What makes us laugh? The psychology of humour 1:24:00

5+ y ago1:24:00

1:24:00

This week, Two Shrinks tackle humour. Hunter and Amy agree with toddlers that wearing underpants on your head is indeed hilarious, snort over funny words and discuss the role of feedback in enjoyment of cartoons. We also chat about the role of humour in therapy - where can it help and when does it go too far? As always, we wrap up with things we ca…

1
41 - Harry Potter & the Pathological Personalities 1:33:57

5+ y ago1:33:57

1:33:57

41 – Ever wondered what Voldermort’s attachment style is? Does Bellatrix Le Strange meet criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder? What about Snape? Is his behaviour schizoid, obsessive or best explained by complex grief? If you are a fan of Harry Potter then this is the Two Shrinks Pod episode for you. In this episode Amy and Hunter go through…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Dr Hunter Mulcare Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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