James Schirmer

Dr. Jim Schirmer is a Lecturer in the Master of Counselling Program within the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at the University of Queensland, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. He has taught in this program in various roles since 2012, developing expertise in integrated and applied theory, practical professional ethics, and supervision of new counsellors in their first years of practice. Schirmer holds a Master of Counselling and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland, with his 2025 doctoral thesis titled 'Virtue in the practice of psychotherapy: an operational theory of therapist way of being,' submitted to the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work. His academic background includes studies in humanities, encompassing philosophy, ethics, and theology. In practice, he focuses on loss, grief, and trauma among young people, refugees, and individuals in prisons and detention centres. At UQ, he led the establishment of two early-intervention counselling services: UQ With You and UQ Counsellor Connect, providing no-cost counselling to students and the community while offering training for postgraduate students.

Schirmer's research expands therapeutic theory and practice by integrating other intellectual disciplines, particularly philosophy and virtue science, to explore therapist 'way of being' and influential therapist variables. He has published extensively on these topics, including the co-authored open-access textbook 'The Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy' (2025) with Denis O'Hara, Michael Ellwood, and Kate Witteveen. Key journal articles include 'Are professional counsellors and psychotherapists prepared to make a greater contribution to the Australian mental health workforce? A comparison of training content and mental health standards' (Advances in Mental Health, 2025, co-authored); 'Increasing complexity in case formulation: a process for counseling and psychotherapy trainees' (IAPS Journal of Practice in Mental Health, 2023); and 'Supervision from two perspectives: comparing supervisor and supervisee experiences' (Australian Counselling Research Journal, 2021, co-authored with Sonia Thompson). Additional works cover virtues in counselling practice, therapist effects, and supervision practices. He has presented at conferences such as the Australian Counselling Association (2023) and Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology (2022), contributing to scholarship of teaching and professional development in counselling.

Professional Email: j.schirmer@uq.edu.au