About Me

I have been a member of the Rural Fire Service (RFS) since 2014. I enjoy rock climbing, bush walking, camping, sailing, restoring & driving my vintage vehicle, playing drums and living in the Blue Mountains.

I become curious about mental health back in 2009 through my own lived experience of depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and divorce after a 25 years relationship.

I obtained my Counselling Qualifications and continued on to further study Grief, Loss & Bereavement (including suicide bereavement), Psycho-dynamic therapy and Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), with an interest in childhood complex trauma and attachment styles in family systems.
Through my personal therapy experience of 5+ years, I began to explore my authentic self, and continue to do so. Finding out WHO I AM helped me to become aware of many areas of life that we usually don’t consider and I want to share that experience with others.

‘Your skills and lived experience are so valuable and I can personally vouch for how effective my sessions with you have been’. (Shaya, W.A., current client)

I currently work for StandBy - Support after suicide, as a casual support worker. We carry out face-to-face visits with people following the loss of someone through suicide, with an approach based on Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
I am a registered Level 1 member with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).

My counselling joke
‘How many counsellors does it take to change a light bulb?’
Answer - One…
’but the light bulb has to want to change’.

Please Contact James to have a chat and find out more.