Potential Psychology

The one in which I share my family's brush with bushfires on New Years Eve 2019 and then explore the effects of calamity and catastrophe on children with psychologist and author Karen Young.Welcome back to the Potential Psychology Podcast and our eighth season of the show. It's great to be back.We've had a turbulent start to 2020 in Australia. We're no strangers to bushfire but as of as of 14 January 2020, fires this season have burnt an estimated 186,000 square kilometres (72,000 square miles), destroyed 2,779 homes) and killed at least 34 people. It's estimated that anywhere up to one billion animals have also died as a result of the fires.News coverage of the disaster was global with graphic images of fire ravaged communities broadcast on every conceivable platform. It was all we could talk about. For weeks eastern parts of the country were swathed in smoke and for many communities lives have been turned upside down.After our own escape from the fire affected NSW South Coast early in January I was keen to