معرفی
James Neill is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Canberra. His research focuses on outdoor education, adventure therapy, green exercise, and experiential education, with a particular interest in mental health, program evaluation, and psychometrics. He holds a PhD from Western Sydney University and has extensive experience in curriculum design, including efforts to decolonize and indigenize psychology education. Key projects include evaluations of outdoor programs, nature-based wellbeing initiatives, and Men’s health counseling. Neill teaches undergraduate courses in motivation and emotion and oversees Honours-level research methods.
Education
- PhD in Education, Western Sydney University (2008)
- Bachelor of Science (Psychology) with Honours, Australian National University (1992)
- Bachelor of Science (Psychology), University of Western Australia (1992)
Research Interests
- Adventure therapy outcomes for youth mental health
- Body image flexibility interventions
- Wellbeing co-benefits of environmental volunteering
- Outdoor education’s role in life skills development
- Psychedelic drug perceptions in therapeutic contexts
His recent articles explore body image flexibility, male-friendly counseling, and nature-based wellbeing programs. Neill actively supervises PhD projects on topics like psychedelic drug perceptions and Landcare program evaluations. He has contributed to research grants on intercultural capabilities and youth development through adventure programs.
Professional Contributions
- Led evaluations for the National Gallery of Australia’s Art for Wellbeing program
- Consulted on Landcare ACT’s nature-based wellbeing initiatives
- Developed psychometric tools like the Life Effectiveness Questionnaire
