The Laughter Clinic

11/06/2026

Just a reminder that this event is on tomorrow night in Brisbane.
If you haven't already registered, please RSVP to:
[email protected]

Attention S.E. Qld Defence Personnel, both past and present.
I personally invite you and your partners to come along to this FREE EVENT on Friday the 12th of June at 7pm, at the Mates4Mates facility at Stafford, where I'll be delivering my 'specifically designed for defence personnel' Laughter Clinic Presentation.

You'll have a great time connecting with others, you'll have a laugh, and you'll leave with a new outlook on self-care and how important your unique sense of humour really is.

Thank you for your service, and I'd like to acknowledge the toll that service life can take on both you and your loved ones.
I hope to see you there.

07/06/2026

Thanks to Scott Black for putting me forward as a guest speaker for the wonderful folks at Uniting Care Queensland. We had a great afternoon together on Thursday. Kudos for all the important work your organisation does across the state.
It was an absolute pleasure to spend some time with your leadership group.

29/05/2026

What is moral injury, and how is it different from PTSD?

In this episode of The Laughter Clinic Podcast, I’m joined by Jodi Allen for a reflective and practical wrap-up of our experience attending the first ever Australia and New Zealand Moral Injury Conference last week. We break down moral injury in plain English, including how it differs from moral distress and PTSD.

Together, we unpack why this emerging field of mental health matters for veterans, first responders, clinicians, teachers, nurses, workplace leaders, whistleblowers and anyone working in roles where values, duty, care, and organisational systems collide.

This is a thoughtful, grounded and deeply relevant conversation about the hidden wounds people can carry when what they have done, witnessed, failed to prevent, or been subjected to violates their personal sense of what is right.

If you work in mental health, leadership, workplace wellbeing, su***de prevention, education, healthcare, emergency services or veteran support, I think you will get a lot out of this one.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2YYH2qZJAoLzX7W1CDcwwo?si=CpDzHFghS-CzRJwG4eq9iA

The Laughter Clinic · Episode

27/05/2026

Attention S.E. Qld Defence Personnel, both past and present.
I personally invite you and your partners to come along to this FREE EVENT on Friday the 12th of June at 7pm, at the Mates4Mates facility at Stafford, where I'll be delivering my 'specifically designed for defence personnel' Laughter Clinic Presentation.

You'll have a great time connecting with others, you'll have a laugh, and you'll leave with a new outlook on self-care and how important your unique sense of humour really is.

Thank you for your service, and I'd like to acknowledge the toll that service life can take on both you and your loved ones.
I hope to see you there.

26/05/2026

It's always nice to receive such wonderful feedback from a client.
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of presenting my Laughter Clinic for the Local Government Chief Officers Group's EA Alliance Forum here on the Gold Coast. We shared a really enjoyable afternoon together. Thank you for the very kind words.

The testimonial from Tweed Shire Council is as below:

“Thank you Mark, for such an engaging and impactful presentation on an incredibly important topic. Your session was filled with practical, easy-to-apply tips that we’re excited to share across our organisation, especially around bringing more laughter and positivity back into our everyday work.
In support roles, it’s so important to look after not only our own wellbeing but also to stay attuned to those around us. Your session provided us with valuable tools and insights to do exactly that.
You were truly outstanding, engaging, relatable, and inspiring throughout. We would highly recommend Mark to any organisation looking to deliver a meaningful and memorable session.”

Kacy, Kareen, Gabby, Cheryl, Janet, Laura and Carole
(EA Team, Tweed Shire Council)

22/05/2026

19/05/2026

Happy Tuesday folks, latest podcast ep out now.
This is a solo commentary episode on the future of preventative mental health in Australia. It is not merely an episode about social prescribing. It is an episode about the gap between evidence and action.

The central message is clear: Australia now has a government-commissioned national feasibility study showing that social prescribing is evidence-based, internationally validated, economically sensible, and aligned with the real social drivers of health, yet the 2026-27 Australian Federal Budget appears to have ignored it entirely.

"Social prescribing is not a nice-to-have. It is a must-have if we are serious about preventative health. The evidence is no longer the problem. The problem is political will."
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zxZU2HlSXGjjuTVBB9meo?si=0bLe3wylQbygma6SujT6Qg

The Laughter Clinic · Episode

11/05/2026

Latest Laughter Clinic Podcast Ep Now Live:
Content Warning: This ep discusses the topic of su***de and su***de prevention, listener discretion is advised.

In this episode I chat with Sue Murray OAM - Practice Leader of the Zero Su***de Institute of Australasia and former CEO of Su***de Prevention Australia and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Sue offers great insights into the Zero Su***de Healthcare framework; workforce training gaps in mental health; stigma as a barrier to help seeking; the importance of lived experience in su***de prevention; the role of peer workers in hospital emergency departments, and Australia's National Su***de Prevention Strategy 2025-2035.

We also unpack our shared experience of Su***de Prevention Australia's impressive National Su***de Prevention Conference held in Sydney recently, and how the conference has changed over the years.

Topics covered:
✅ Serendipity, leadership, and scaling community health organisations
✅ Moving from The National Breast Cancer Foundation into Su***de Prevention
✅ What the OAM means to Sue and why she frames it as a collective effort
✅ Stigma as a barrier to help seeking and what actually reduces it
✅ Lived experience leadership, and why systems can be slow to change
✅ The elements of the Zero Su***de Framework
✅ Workforce shortages, training gaps for clinicians
✅ Highlights from the Su***de Prevention Australia National Conference
✅ AI chatbots in mental health and the risks that demand caution
✅ The National Su***de Prevention Strategy 2025–2035, social prescribing, and keeping well people well
✅ Peer workers as a potential game changer across hospitals emergency departments

Hope you enjoy our in-depth chat. Thanks for listening.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5HoLs6RrLY0AQWeeK4npjb?si=ss1BCMqZQ3qDddqFUrYfxg

The Laughter Clinic · Episode

28/04/2026

So grateful to be attending the National Su***de Prevention Conference. Day 1 yesterday was amazing, looking forward to another big day today, with great speakers, lots of learning, and connecting with colleagues. NSPC26