Kennedy, D. 2020, Dreaming Emu: Men, Trauma, Art, and Healing, Ability Therapy Specialists Pty Ltd, Armidale.

Dreaming Emu: Men, Trauma, Art, and Healing awakens the soul to the anguish, suffering and insidious nature of racism, sexism, and gender-based prejudice. These interwoven dynamics are explored through an equally provocative analysis of the shadowy heart of Australian identity. The author artfully exposes the Australian male’s tender underbelly by examining the history and culture of masculinity-gone-wrong. From the depths of colonial despair arise signs of Aboriginal Australian’s contemporary quest to reclaim men’s identity and the Dreaming. Incorporating art-as-therapy combined with narrative analysis, the author demonstrates a practical and hopeful pathway for the recovery of culture, identity and Sacred Business. Analysis of the life and work of Albert Namatjira and two contemporary male Indigenous artists deepen the ethnographic profile. More than essential reading, this work is vital to redefining the national identity of Australia while recasting reconciliation and Aboriginal affairs within a new landscape of integrity.

Kennedy D, and Kennedy G. (2020) Lypptuss the Gum Tree Dragon: You Too Can Have Friends, Ability Therapy Specialists Pty Ltd, Armidale.

Lypptuss the Gum Tree Dragon: You Too Can Have Friends, is a heartwarming story for hearts young and not so young. A beautiful family treasure, this book is based on a long-protected and thirty-year-old manuscript. The drawings had shown a lovely yellow patina as a loving sign of age, timelessness, and beauty. Digitally reproduced and enhanced, the original artwork is by Dwayne and complements the story written by Grace many years ago. It was her dream to see this work shared with others. Joseph provided editing, layout, design, and contributions to the text.

Bowers J. and Kennedy D. (2020) Telehealth Clinical Services in Australia: How Telehealth Works and Its Effectiveness in the Context of Specialist Counselling, Psychotherapy, and Behaviour Support, Ability Therapy Specialists Pty Ltd, Armidale NSW.

Telehealth is one word that describes a range of communication methods that are used wherever people are in different locations. Dr Joseph Randolph Bowers, Senior Clinical Behaviour Specialist Counsellor Psychotherapist, outlines the practical “how to” of telehealth methods. He then provides a brief overview of the history of telehealth and its efficacy in clinical research with emphasis on behaviour support.

Bowers J. and Kennedy, D. 2018, Clinical Practice with Indigenous Australians, In Pelling N, & Burton L. Abnormal Psychology in Context: The Australian and New Zealand Handbook, Cambridge University Press, New York.

Written by leading researchers from Australia and New Zealand, each chapter examines a particular psychological disorder, details symptoms and responses, and includes relevant statistics, case studies, further reading and links to community resources. The chapters give equal weight to Australian and New Zealand experiences in abnormal psychology matters.

Kennedy, D. 2011, ‘Dreaming Emu: Indigenous cultural empowerment through art as therapy – Men & healing from the violence of colonisation,’ A PhD Thesis in Partial Fulfilment of the degree Doctor of Philosophy, School of Humanities and Peace Studies, University of New England, Armidale.

This study investigates an Aboriginal Australian Indigenous epistemology through narrative analysis by contextualising colonial history within a contemporary Aboriginal standpoint approach. This work seeks to understand the place of identity among Aboriginal people with an emphasis on the experience of Indigenous men. Aboriginal male identity is explored as a place of fracture, disintegration, healing and empowerment. The practice of Indigenous epistemology and knowing or research is facilitated by the use of postcolonial narrative analysis, (auto)-ethnography, and Aboriginal arts-speak through the sharing of analysis-as-story. The central metaphor of the study is the Dreaming Emu artwork that provides a visual and epistemic meeting place for the critical work of deconstructing colonial narratives while acknowledging how art-as-process assists in generating new forms of identity among Aboriginal men. Three Aboriginal male artists are discussed, and their experiences of confronting colonial narratives are explored. The work provides an example of pathways that Aboriginal men may follow while they are engaged in the revision of identity and place within the practice of art as culture and spirituality. 

Atkinson, J. Kennedy, D. Bowers, R. Aboriginal First Nations Approaches to Counselling, In Pelling, N. Bowers, & Armstrong, P. 2006, The Practice of Counselling, Thomson Publications, Melbourne.

The Practice of Counselling is an outstanding Australian text book that addresses a wide spectrum of contemporary issues faced by practising counsellors. It is designed to cover a comprehensive range of issues for the practicing counsellor and for students of counselling, including integrative approaches to the field, social and political issues, cross-cultural counselling, cultural diversity, Indigenous issues; and counselling in various contexts including grief and loss, crisis work, and issues in supervision. It is imperative professional counsellors and psychotherapists understand the social and cultural influences that impact clients. This understanding is equally essential for the teaching and learning process. This text explores best practices in the areas of counselling interventions to address some of the most challenging issues facing practitioners today. Offering solid, innovative, state-of-the-art guidance and models, this text helps students to learn and engage in critical thinking much more readily as the literature reflects their own environment and experiences. An essential text that helps the counsellor understands the client’s world-view while assisting the student to explore the transition from theory into practice.