James completed his Master of Counselling in two areas: Relationships and Crisis & Trauma. He is a registered counsellor with the ACA and CCAA.

In his career James has trained in a number of fields however his focus has always been on serving others. As a Rescue Paramedic he experienced the joy of delivering babies, the reward of saving lives, and the honour of sitting with people as they breathed their last. James left the Ambulance Service to train as an Exercise Physiologist and worked with children, athletes and the elderly. He especially enjoyed his opportunity to work with the Australian Olympic Swim Team. James then moved into the field of personal injury which found him supporting people who had experienced serious workplace injuries. He observed that the greatest injury was often to the person’s emotional well-being. Physical wounds usually heal but the emotional scars run deep and have lasting impacts upon their closest relationships.

James and his wife, of more than 30 years, are marriage coaches which has seen them working with couples to prepare them for marriage as well as running weekend seminars to invigorate tired marriages and help good marriages become even stronger. The area of love and relationships is a particular passion for James, and he is constantly researching and adding to his skills in this area.

Overall, James has found that the key to being effective in each of his roles has been to listen and to remain present with each person in moments of joy as well as in their deepest pain. James often says “I won’t ask what is wrong with you. I desire to know what hurt you and then journey with you to find your healing.”