About the Wisdom-Seeking Series
Welcome to the sixth set of episodes of our Wisdom-Seeking Series, a fortnightly set of 90min workshops for experienced GPs to explore the complicated questions in general practice and mental health care. These fortnightly workshops will run on Monday evenings, beginning at 7:30pm (Sydney time).
Each “episode” will start with 30 minutes of a podcast-style conversation between A/Prof Louise Stone and a guest expert. The remaining 30-60 minutes will involve a group exploration of the topics raised, co-facilitated by the episode hosts. Here, the meat of the discussion will come from you: the participants.
These workshops are not Balint groups, nor case discussions, nor clinical supervision. They are something different altogether. The topics are broad, giving participants a chance to share cases without being focussed on a single case. The format of these episodes is designed to promote mutual curiosity and reflexivity, and to help each other develop more nuanced understandings of our role in managing the mental health of our patients.
About Episode 6: Tips, tricks, and trip-ups in managing ADHD and ASD (with A/Prof John Kramer)
This week’s episode will explore tips, tricks, and trip-ups in managing ADHD and ASD. GPs face many practical challenges in this space: prescribing restrictions combined with an insufficient availability of paediatricians; a work environment often overloaded with sensory stimuli, and work that can involve unpleasant sensations; high cost (in terms of time and money, to the patient/family and the GP) of seeking and securing supports (including through programs like the NDIS). These can also be coupled with thorny relational and therapeutic challenges, such as those involved in managing (even restoring) positive relations between the neurodivergent client and their sense of self-worth, their family, and the institution of medicine in general.
Episode 6 will be co-facilitated by A/Prof John Kramer. Having worked as a clinical GP in Woolgoolga for nearly 40 years, John often faces tensions between the needs of his patients with ADHD, ASD, or co-morbid ADHD and ASD, and the limitations on his own practice and on the available specialist services for his patients. We will be privileged to draw on his wealth of experience in managing the accessibility of clinical practice and presence for clinicians and patients alike with sensory sensitivities, nudging up against structural constraints on GPs’ power to help, and tackling the consultations requiring delicate diplomacy.
Accessing the episode
To participate in this episode, or in our upcoming Monday evening episodes, register your interest here and you will be provided a link to the sessions.
Sustaining the series
In keeping with our philosophy of valuing our own contributions and expertise, we have decided to compensate the facilitators of this series for their time. To learn more about our rates, or to support this endeavour, visit our donations page here.