VMHPAA Autumn Edition 2026 Is Now Online
- Shane Warren
- Apr 21
- 2 min read
MEDIA RLEASE
For Immediate Release
21 April 2026
We are pleased to share that the Autumn Edition of the VMHPAA Newsletter is now online, bringing together reflection, advocacy, professional insight, and practical ideas from across our vocational mental health community.
This edition opens with a message from the Chair reflecting on a year of growth for VMHPAA, including the association’s advocacy around the National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, the importance of keeping vocational practitioners visible in the national conversation, and the exciting direction ahead through Pathways to Practice, Legacy Supervision, online webinars, and our growing professional development activity.
Readers will also find details on Stronger Together 2026, our one-day national conference in Melbourne on Saturday 15 August 2026. The newsletter shares early event details, registration information, and opportunities for speakers, facilitators, poster presenters, and authors to get involved.
Across the rest of the edition, there is a rich mix of thoughtful and timely reading.
Shane Warren’s feature article, The Manosphere, the Hunger to Belong, takes a deep and human look at the pull of online masculinity culture, the psychology underneath it, and why authenticity matters more than performance.
Nihal Job offers a reflective piece on working with male clients, exploring trust, vulnerability, respect, and the subtle dynamics that can shape engagement in therapy.
Vicki Johnston delivers a confronting but important article on domestic violence, coercive control, trauma, and the role of active bystanders in helping create safer communities.
Lyndall Briggs contributes two valuable pieces: one unpacking hypnotherapy as a natural and clinically useful therapeutic process, and another on reflective supervision as a space for thinking, feeling, and making meaning in complex work.
James Podhorodecki introduces readers to an emerging conversation in practice through his article on existential hypnotherapy for ADHD, exploring a more authenticity-based and meaning-centred model of support.
Dr Brooklyn Storme rounds out the issue with a practical guide to AI in private practice, helping practitioners think through both the opportunities and cautions that come with using new tools in mental health work.
This edition reflects what VMHPAA is all about: advocacy, practical learning, professional conversation, and a strong commitment to supporting vocationally trained practitioners across Australia. It is also a reminder that our community is full of people thinking deeply, writing generously, and contributing meaningfully to the future of the profession.
We invite you to take some time to read the Autumn Edition and explore the ideas, voices, and opportunities inside. We also warmly encourage future contributors to consider submitting an article for the next Spring/Summer edition.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
Comments