Why Diagnosis Isn't the Whole Story: Child Psychologist Insights

Inked Psycho podcast Episode 2 For more than 30 years, Dr. Peter Stanley worked as a child psychologist, teacher, academic, police officer, and probation officer. In this conversation, he reflects on the biggest lessons from a lifetime of helping children and families. We explore why he believes psychologists should always be "working for the child," why he moved away from an expert-driven model of psychology, and why he holds differing views about diagnosis and labels. Whether you're a psychologist, teacher, parent, or simply interested in mental health, this conversation will challenge many assumptions about how we understand children's behaviour and how meaningful change actually happens. In this episode we discuss: Dr. Stanley's journey into psychology Why psychologists should always work for the child The evolution of educational psychology Inclusion vs exclusion in schools Diagnosis The importance of parenting and relationships: the Environment Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Incredible Years parenting programmes Lessons from over three decades in psychology If you enjoyed this conversation, please consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who works with children or families. 00:00 Intro 00:07:14 The trouble with IQ testing and the shift to mainstreaming 00:12:13 The controversy of diagnosis and categorization 00:19:26 Core models: ABA, ACT, and the Incredible Years program with Lesley 00:30:49 Reputation, risk, and funding tied to efficacy 00:34:37 Longitudinal study: resilience in at-risk kids 00:40:11 Applying psychology to his own life & advice for aspiring psychologists 00:51:43 Paying his own kids to study 00:58:53 Parenting teens, solo parents, and scaffolding expectations SEO Keywords child psychology, psychologist podcast, parenting advice, ADHD diagnosis, educational psychology, child behaviour, psychology podcast, ACT therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, behaviour analysis, parenting, mental health, New Zealand psychologist, psychology interview, Dr Peter Stanley, child development, psychology education, psychological assessment, behavioural psychology, raising children