Introducing Dr Kari James, founder and director of Mission Resilient

Hi, I’m Kari. I’m a researcher, therapist, and educator specialized in posttraumatic mental health, grief and loss, and, of course, resilience.

My mission is to enhance resilience so you can reach your potential no matter what life throws at you. I do this by translating cutting-edge science to design tools and resources to empower you to stay resilient and accomplish your own life’s mission.

I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland, my master’s degree at Monash University, and my bachelor’s degree at the University of Leeds.

My professional background spans research, clinical practice and supervision, policy and practice consulting, professional training, and university education.

I’ve worked with a wide range of clients and client groups, including military and veterans, emergency services professionals, social services professionals, education professionals, healthcare professionals, journalists, and creative industries professionals.

And I’ve earned my resilience stripes working across a range of contexts including high-risk workforce wellbeing, disaster response, and suicide prevention.

And I’ve earned my resilience stripes working across a range of contexts including high-risk workforce wellbeing, disaster response, and suicide prevention.

Here is a selection of my peer-reviewed publications for the nerds out there:

James, K. E., McKimmie, B. M., & Maccallum, F. (2025). Moral Injury Front and Center: The Relationship Between Event Centrality and Moral Injury. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0002014

James, K. E., McKimmie, B. M., & Maccallum, F. (2025). Resilience in Diversity: A Restricted Range of Roles is Associated with More Severe Moral Injury. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. doi: 10.1017/S1352465825000116

James, K. E., McKimmie, B. M., & Maccallum, F. (2024). A Challenge to Identity: Identity Processing Style and Moral Injury. British Journal of Psychology, 116(2), 354–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12756

James, K. E., McKimmie, B. M., & Maccallum, F. (2024). When We Fail to Live up to Our Own Standards: The Relationship Between Self-discrepancy and Moral Injury. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 37(6), 711–720. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2024.2387607

Huang, K., Beckman, E. M., Ng, N., Dingle, G., Han, R., James, K. E., Winkler, E., & Gomersall, S. (2024). The Effectiveness of Physical Activity Interventions on Undergraduate University Students’ Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Health Promotion International. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daae054

Varker, T., McGregor, K., Pedder, D.J., Lethbridge, R., Grant, G., Knight, H., Jones, K., Jacobs, J., & O’Donnell, M. (2021). Best Practice Injury Compensation Processes Following Intentional Vehicular Assaults and Other Large Scale Transport Incidents: A Delphi Review. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2021.285