Introducing Dr Emu
Dr Graham Pringle (“Emu”) is an Australian parent, youth worker, teacher, and carer.
His PhD thesis explores adventure as a form of healing for young people with adverse histories (complex trauma). He works across outdoor, care, and trauma-informed practice, and serves in sector leadership roles.
The Emu nickname was given to Graham by young people 40 years ago.
Emu’s are silly-looking birds with long legs, so the name seemed fitting.
Years later, Dr Emu learned that, in many Aboriginal stories, the emu is the ancestor who watches over young people, rites of passage, and ceremonies and reminds the community to care for and do right by their children.
In nature, the male emu incubates the eggs for weeks and stands guard over the chicks for a year.
The EMU Files contain the collected wisdom of research leading toward new concepts of community-based child care and development.
No cultural appropriation is included in Dr EMu’s work. He simply admires Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
Dr Emu’s experience spans parenting, foster and residential care, camp counselling, teaching, youth work, volunteer outdoor leadership, and adventure instruction.
Graham lives in Queensland, Australia, with his wife of 35 years, Janelle. Together they enjoy the outdoors, often with their human and furry children.
Through his research, Dr Emu developed expertise in human rights, ecological dynamics, and dissociation. Using critical analysis, his research identified how some well-intended advice for parents and practitioners can be inadvertently harmful, as well as highlighting problematic practices in parenting, counselling, teaching, and adventure.
Dr Emu’s qualifications include a Master’s degree in Outdoor Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities, and diplomas in Psychology, Child Youth and Family Interventions, Personnel Administration, and Education. He also holds certificates in Adventure-Based Youth Work, and Training and Assessment, and is currently completing a Master’s of Social Work.
Dr Emu is a Director of The EMU Files, Outdoors Queensland, the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, and Youth Flourish Outdoors. He is a Friend of the Outdoor Therapy Centre for Research and Practice.
