Ms Kerrie James

Research Summary

Kerrie's current research is focused on risk management/assessment of lethality in domestic violence for counselling organisations; counselling training in refugee contexts and conceptualising therapists skills in couple and family therapy.

Kerrie's research is in three main areas: 1. domestic violence where she has written about differences in men's versus women's violence, men's experience of their own violence (ARC Industry Award in 1996); issues of forgiveness and responsibility in family violence; domestic violence and refugees and more recently on prevention of lethality in domestic violence for counselling organisations. 2. counselling in unsafe, refugee contexts. 3. conceptualising counsellor skills in couple and family therapy.

Prior to joining the University in 2005, Kerrie was the the Clinical Director at Relationships Australia NSW.Kerrie is currently involved with the Centre for Refugee Research in developing psycho-social approaches to assist refugees who have experienced trauma and torture and with the Australian Domestic & Family Violence Centre researching domestic violence lethality.

Teaching

Coordination and teaching undergraduate Social Work Practice courses SOCW2003 Working with Individuals, Families and Groups 1; SOCW3002 Working with Individuals, Families and Groups 2; SOCW3008 (Elective) Therapeutic and Community Responses to Trauma. Teaches in a range of other practice courses.

Post Graduate – Coordinator of the Masters of Clinical Social Work. Coordinates and teaches in the six courses that comprise this degree.

Teaching in the Masters of Couple and Family Therapy and
Certificate of Supervision in Field Education in Social Work.

Postgraduate Research Supervision
Kerrie supervises PhD students in the following topics: areas of workplace education, domestic violence and the workplace; family therapy in adolescent mental health; refugee women and prostitution.

Publications

James, K. & MacKinnon, L. (In press) 'Establishing the Parental Hierarchy: An Integration of Milan Systemic and Structural Family Therapy' in Working with Families, A Practical Guide, IP Communications, Sydney

James, K. & MacKinnon, L. (In press) 'The Why and How of Separate Parent Sessions in Family Therapy in Working with Families', A Practical Guide, IP Communications, Sydney

Breckenridge, J. & James, K. (2010) 'Thinking About Homicide Risk: A Practice Framework for Counselling', Stakeholder Paper 9, Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of UNSW

James, K. (2010) 'Domestic Violence Within Refugee Families: Intersecting Patriarchal Culture and the Refugee Experience', The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 3, pp. 275–284

James, K. & MacKinnon, L. (2010) 'The Tip of the Iceberg: A Framework for Identifying Non- Physical Abuse in Couple and Family Relationships', Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 22: 2, 112 — 129

Brown, J., James, K. & Taylor, (2010) 'Caught in the rejection–abuse cycle: are we really treating perpetrators of domestic abuse effectively?' Journal of Family Therapy, 32: 280–307

Breckenridge, J. & James, K. (2009) 'Educating Social Work Students in Multifaceted Interventions for Trauma', Social Work Education, 29, 3, 259-275

Breckenridge, J. & James, K. (2009) 'Child Sexual Assault: The Contribution of Social Work to the Legal Process' Ch. 9 in In the Shadow of the Law, Federation Press, 158-177.

James, K. (2007) 'Differentiation in Couples Therapy: Revisiting the Schnarch-Hendrix Debate' Crawley, J. & Shaw, E. Couple Therapy in Australia, Psychoz Publications.

James, K. (2007) 'The Interactional Process of Forgiveness and Responsibility: A Critical Assessment of the Family Therapy Literature' in Flaskas C, McCarthy IC and Sheehan J (eds) Hope and Despair in Family Therapy: Reflections of Adversity, Reconciliation and Forgiveness, Brunner-Routledge: East Hove and New York.

James, K. (2004) Understanding Men’s Versus Women’s Intimate Partner Violence in Ralfs, C. Cunningham, J., Jennings, K., Breckenridge, J., & Carden, P. Point of Contact Federal Govt. Australia.

Brown, J., James, K. and Seddon, E., 2002 The Complexity of Male Violence: Some Psychological Factors and Their Treatment Implications, Family Violence and Sexual Assault Bulletin v18(4) p7-18

James, K., Seddon, E., Brown, J., (2002) ‘Using it’ or ‘Losing it’: Men’s Construction of Their Violence Towards Female Partners Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse Research Paper No 1.

Larner, G., James, K., Lobsinger, C., Arnstein, M., Perlesz, A., McNatty, B., Brown, J., Holmes, S. (2002) ANZJFT Symposium: What are the core learnings of family therapy?
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy , Vol. 23(3), pp. 128-137.

James, K. (2001) ‘Making Connections: Working with Males in Families’ Ch. 4, in Working with Men in the Human Services Ed. by Bob Pease and Peter Camillieri, Allen and Unwin, Sydney

James, K. (1999) 'Truth or Fiction: Men as Victims of Domestic Violence' Ch. 9, in Challenging Silence ed. Jan Breckenridge & Lesley Laing, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

James, K. (1999) ‘Securing the Bases: The Implications of Attachment Theory for Parenting Boys and Working with Men in Therapy’ in Relationships into the New Millennium, Relationships Australia Inc. ACT

Contributions

Reviewer for the following journals:
International Journal of Feminist Family Therapy
Journal of Family Therapy
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy.

Member of the Academic Board of Australian Institute for Relationship Studies, Relationships Australia, NSW.

Other Information

Member Australian Association of Social Workers
NSW Family Therapy Association

Interests

Trauma interventions; alternative approaches to healing; health and physical wellbeing.