Rate My Professor James Clarke

Dr. James Clarke is a Lecturer in the Curtin School of Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. As a clinical psychologist and AHPRA Board Approved Supervisor, he maintains a balance between academic teaching, research supervision, and clinical practice. Clarke earned his Master of Clinical Psychology in 2018 and PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2023, both from Curtin University. His PhD thesis, 'The Performance of Emotional Labour in Psychologists Conducting Psychotherapy,' investigated emotional labour strategies and their implications for psychologist burnout and wellbeing.

Clarke's research focuses on emotional labour in psychotherapy, clinician wellbeing, mental health among older men through Men's Sheds participation, carer support for conditions like high-grade glioma and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, identity leadership in mutual-aid groups, and physical activity interventions for substance use recovery. With over 115 citations on Google Scholar, his key publications include 'The perceived effects of emotional labor in psychologists providing individual psychotherapy' (2021, Psychotherapy), 'Emotional labor and emotional exhaustion in psychologists: Preliminary evidence for the protective role of self-compassion and psychological flexibility' (2024, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science), 'Psychometric properties of the Perth emotional labour scale: Preliminary support for a new measure with theoretical implications' (2024, Stress and Health), 'What Makes a Thriving Mutual-Aid Membership Association? The Case of Men’s Sheds' (2025, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations), 'Leading by example: identity leadership and mental health in Men’s Sheds members' (2025, Journal of Applied Gerontology), and 'Social Identification as a Predictor of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Could Men’s Sheds Be a Potential “Social Cure” for Older Men?' (2026, Health & Social Care in the Community). He has received team recognitions such as Highly Commended for the 2024 Industry Project Award and Finalist in the WA Men's Wellbeing Awards 2024 Research and Innovation category for Men's Sheds-related work. Clinically, he supports young people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues.