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Listen to Episode 21 below:

 

Episode Notes:

Dr. Kenny is a psychiatrist with Southern Australian Health and a mindfulness teacher, trainer and researcher with 20 years of experience teaching mindfulness courses in both clinical and organizational settings. Her special interest is the wellbeing and resilience of healthcare staff, and she’s developed a six week mindfulness course that has been delivered for several years in South Africa’s public health settings and in other healthcare and university settings around Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Taiwan.

Maura is also the inaugural director of Staff Wellbeing at the largest healthcare network of over 17,000 employees in South Australia Health.

In the conversation, Dr. Kenny traces her journey from aspiring domestic science teacher to psychiatry, driven by her fascination with biology and a desire to alleviate suffering.

We also cover:

  • Her pivotal encounter with Professor Mark Williams that introduced her to mindfulness
  • Adapting mindfulness practices specifically for exhausted healthcare professionals
  • The limitations of individual interventions without system-level changes
  • Her role as Director of Staff Wellbeing and the challenges of connecting different parts of the healthcare system
  • The importance of peer support and camaraderie in medicine

Dr. Kenny concludes by reflecting on finding joy amid the inherent challenges of healthcare and the privilege of being present for patients during significant moments in their lives.

 

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:00) Dr. Kenny’s Path to Medicine

(11:40) Introduction to Mindfulness in Practice

(15:20) Pivotal Workshop with Professor Mark Williams

(19:40) Adapting Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals

(24:20) Healthcare Staff Wellbeing in Australia

(31:00) Social Justice in Australian Healthcare

(34:00) Leadership Challenges and “No Villains” Mantra

(37:20) Importance of Peer Support and Camaraderie

(41:00) “A Brief for the Defense” Poem Reading

(44:20) Finding Joy Amidst Challenges

(48:00) Conclusion and The Guest House Poem

 

Guest: Maura Kenny, MBChB, MRCPsych, FRANZCP

Director, Staff Wellbeing, SA Health (South Australia Health)

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-maura-kenny-b5bb1b53/

Website for the Mindful Self Care Course: https://www.mindfulscp.com/

 

Resources/References:

Kenny M, Luck P, Koerbel L. Tending the Field of Mindfulness-Based Programs: The Development of International Integrity Guidelines for Teachers and Teacher Training. Glob Adv Health Med. 2020 May 7;9:2164956120923975. doi: 10.1177/2164956120923975. PMID: 32426180; PMCID: PMC7218322.

Amishi Jha, PHD and her work and research: https://amishi.com/

Guest House Poem, Rumi: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/guest-house/

Mindful Self-Compassion, Kristen Neff PhD, and Chris Germer PhD: https://centerformsc.org/about/

A Brief for the Defense, Poem by Jack Gilbert: https://genius.com/Jack-gilbert-a-brief-for-the-defense-annotated