Psychotherapist Allan Clarke hosts a fortnightly podcast with worldwide guests talking all things mental health. The difference with the Straight Talking Mental Health Podcast? It is both informative and informal! Complicated and sensitive subjects are presented in a down to earth and relatable manner.
What happens when two retired rappers come together? A podcast on mental health of course!
Allan had started putting videos on his own private practice page to help people with their mental health at the start of first lockdown.
Peter wanted to find out more about mental health for his own sake and that of his family, friends, colleagues and complete strangers. So instead of buying a load of books and sitting down to read them, he gave his mate a shout who happened to be a psychotherapist to tell him more about it. But why stop there? He wanted to let everyone else in on the conversation so they could walk with him while he discovered more.
When Peter asked Allan about the possibility of the podcast he was very interested, on one condition - he didn't want it to feel like work. All of the other podcasts he had checked out on mental health were minus-craic! He didn't want it to be a psychotherapy podcast, he wanted it to be two friends chatting together, they just happen to be talking about mental health and one of them just happens to be a psychotherapist.
As they were friends, people came to expect a bit of messin', bad language, insults, laughs, tears, rants and more... as mates do like!
As covid restrictions and lockdown started coming to a close, Peter's work took over again, they made it to 50 episodes together before Peter stepped in and Michelle Maguire from the Work Life episode temporarily stepped in to help out. Allan didn't look too far from home for the new co-host - his eldest son Kamron who was just in the process of completing his journalism degree. Kamron got a job in radio partly due to the experience he gained on the podcast and time constraints meant he had to step out of hosting duties. Peter briefly stepped back in again.
In April 2022, Peter was forced to step out from the podcast after landing the breakfast show on Midlands FM, Allan faced the dilemma of what to do with the podcast. While contemplating stopping the podcast altogether, Allan's then partner Aisling offered to help if she could. She never imagined he would take her up on the offer and she would become a co-host for a time.
In the end, the podcast ran for 3 years and 125 episodes, sticking to its goal of being informative and informal whilst always Straight Talking Mental Health.
Allan Clarke MSc MIACP
The man who puts the rap in psychotherapist. Allan has a BSc (H) degree in counselling and psychotherapy and a Master of Science (MSc) in Child and Adolescent psychotherapy. His degree thesis was on Mindfulness & Buddhism and then pissed off of listening to parents giving out about video games and kids being addicted to Fortnite, he did his masters research dissertation on Internet Gaming Disorder (video game addiction).
Not that you would know it from listening to the podcast and despite the amount of shite he talks on said podcast, he does seem to know his job quite well. Other people seem to think so as well because they frequently pay him to deliver workshops on mindfulness & meditation, mindfulness for parents, anger management, stress & anxiety, creating characters with psychological depth for actors, and they ask him to give talks to men’s groups around men’s mental health – an area he is very passionate about.
His areas of interest in work are related to neuroscience and trauma. He is also Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist.
To know a bit more (professionally) about Allan, check out www.kildarepsychotherapy.com