Two Old Psychologists Talking About Stuff

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Podcast by Dr Richard Bennett and Dr Ray Owen

Two Old Psychologists Talking About Stuff

Between them, Richard Bennett and Ray Owen have accumulated over 70 years of experience working in healthcare. As clinical psychologists, they have a long history of helping people navigate the many challenges of life, providing both therapy for individuals and psychological support for organisations. In a departure from their more academic pursuits of teaching, training, and writing books, (and, let's face it, in one last desperate attempt to try and remain current) they have decided to make a podcast to share their personal and professional reflections on life. If you're interested in wellbeing, psychotherapy, or just looking at life through a psychological lens, then there may be something here for you, especially if you're the wrong side side of fifty (or the right side, depending on your perspective). The show will publish episodes on a monthly basis. If you want to send feedback, suggest topics for future episodes or make contact for any other reason, you can do so at 2oldpsychspod@gmail.com

Latest episodes

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22 June 2026

Will AI make everything better or kill us all? (with Dr Freddy Jackson-Brown)

Rich and Ray are joined by Dr Freddy Jackson-Brown, a clinical psychologist whose work straddles the fields of contextual behavioural science and artificial intelligence. Freddy speaks about how he has contributed to making psychological support more accessible to people in need through the use of AI, and we talk through some of the pros and cons of living in a world that is increasingly reliant on this new technology.

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01:14:17

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29 May 2026

How to live well with a long-term health condition (with Dr Dawn Johnson)

In the first episode of the new 'invite a guest' season, Rich and Ray speak to Dr Dawn Johnson about how she applies Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) to her experience of living with Ehlers-Danloss Syndrome.

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01:08:51

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15 May 2026

Have your thoughts instead of them having you: a beginner's guide to defusion

In the final episode of Season Two, Rich and Ray discuss a core component of the Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to unwelcome thoughts, known in the trade as 'defusion'. They cover some of the reasons why our unwelcome thoughts seem so convincing and hard to ignore, and some techniques for responding to such thoughts more effectively.

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01:06:00

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20 March 2026

How to stay sane in an insane world

In the is episode, our two old psychologists wrestle with some of the social,and political issues that are giving rise to a growing sense of anxiety for many people. They also discuss what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) might tell us about how to navigate life in the context of these external challenges, as well as our internal reactions to them.

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01:04:32

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24 December 2025

Two old psychologists look back at 2025

In this episode, Rich and Ray round off Season Two by picking over the bones of 2025, selecting their noteworthy moments of the year in terms of their professional lives, the news, wider culture, entertainment, and sport.

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01:05:35

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12 December 2025

How acceptance can set you free

In this episode, Rich and Ray dive into the concept of acceptance, defining it, discussing how it can help in a range of situations, and demonstrating some quick and easy acceptance practices that listeners can take away and make use of.

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59:44

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