Author Archives: Dr. Sarb Johal

When windows get smashed

The window of tolerance after Cyclone Gabrielle is shifting. Here’s what it means for response and recovery.  In Dan Siegel’s book, The Developing Mind, he describes how everyone has a range of intensities of emotional experience that they can comfortably experience, process and integrate. This is the ‘window of tolerance’, and it varies widely. For […]

How do we respond to the psychological impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle?

My heart goes out to those all over NZ coming to terms with flooding events recently. Just heart-wrenching. Even with my 35+ years of experience, even I wonder what is to be done. This interview I did with RNZ last Friday might help orient you I’ve also been thinking about the experience of Canterbury and […]

Injury come back: First run in weeks

“I think you’ve been really unlucky” My physio, Seth, shrugged. It was mid-decemnber, and I’d gone to the clinic because I had done something to my calf. A day later, by back had also seized up. Turns out I had injured a calf muscle – my left soleus. “You’re soleus starts to get loaded more […]

How will 3000 counsellors fit into a new National Mental Health System in NZ?

There is a new pathway for about 3000 counsellors to be accredited to work in publicly funded mental health and addiction roles. Until now, counsellors haven’t been able to work in publicly funded clinical roles, because it’s a self-regulated profession in New Zealand. A new accreditation pathway has addressed this concern. This has raised hopes […]

My 30,000 Days Project

My heart has beaten almost 2 billion times. I have burned 1378 candles on all my birthday cakes. I have travelled around the sun 53 times – that’s about 50 billion kilometres. The moon has circled around me 706 times. I’ve been on the internet for over 31 years. And today, I am 19,301 days old […]

Two years later: Review and pivot

It’s been two years and three months since I started working to support people through the pandemic. Through this I helped to set up the pillars of the United against Covid-19 campaign, consulted to three Government Departments and many other public and private organisations, delivered so many webinar sessions I’ve lost count, written many Twitter […]

How to tell people you have tested positive for Covid-19

As we can see from case numbers today and most likely in days to come, this is going to become an increasingly more common experience.  Even though it’s a new thing to do, and it’s never easy to tell someone you may have an infectious disease and that you may have been a situation where […]

Omicron incoming

Prepare for surging case numbers over the next days to come. It will take some time for us to come to terms with this changing reality. Already, people are coming forward to be tested in greater numbers in Auckland – this will probably increase the number of identified cases in days to come. What can […]