School of Public Health

Dr Darren Garvey

Senior Research Fellow
Honorary Senior Fellow
School of Public Health
Darren Garvey

Dr Darren Garvey is a researcher based in Perth, Western Australia who has worked and taught alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and communities for over 30 years across the areas of psychology, social and emotional wellbeing, counselling and cultural studies. Darren has matrilineal ties to Hammond Island in the Torres Strait combined with Asian and European heritages. His current research program at FNCWR focusses on understanding and measuring the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly children and youth.  

Darren has extensive qualitative research skills and experience. He is currently a Chief/ Associate Investigator on four grants totalling $4.4 million: 

  • Messaging to promote mental health with young Aboriginal men 
  • What Matters to Kids (WM2K) Pilot Study 
  • What Matters to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youths' Wellbeing: Developing a wellbeing measure for youth (WM2Y Project) 
  • The role of First Nations music as a determinant of health. 

Darren enjoys cooking, ultramarathon trail running, bodyboarding, and is looking to enter his first speed cubing contest. He strives hard to be the best family man he can be. 

Featured projects Duration
What Matters 2 Kids
Wellbeing Ways

Publications

Books (2)
Book Chapters (2)
Journal Articles (26)
Conference Paper (1)

Books

Garvey, Darren (2007). Indigenous identity in contemporary psychology: Dilemmas, developments, directions. South Melbourne, VIC Australia: Thomson.
Oxenham, Darlene, Cameron, Jo, Collard, Kim, Dudgeon, Pat, Garvey, Darren, Kickett, Marion, Kickett, Tracey, Roberts, Jennie and Whiteway, Jules (1999). A dialogue on Indigenous identity – Warts ‘n’ all. Perth, WA Australia: Gunada Press.

Book Chapters

Butler, Tamara, Anderson, Kate, Elder-Robinson, Elaina, Ngampromwongse, Khwanruethai, Garvey, Darren and Garvey, Gail (2024). Indigenous research methods and methodology. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and Cancer. (pp. 295-300) edited by Gail Garvey. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-56806-0_62
Garvey, Darren (2001). Boongs, bigots, and bystanders: Indigenous and non-indigenous experiences of racism and prejudice and their implications for psychology in Australia. Understanding prejudice, racism, and social conflict. (pp. 43-54) edited by Martha Augoustinos and Katherine J. Reynolds. London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications. doi: 10.4135/9781446218877.n3

Journal Articles

Scarfe, Brigitta, Apps, Kristy, Sunderland, Naomi, Graham, Phil, Bartleet, Brydie-Leigh, Barry, Glenn, Garvey, Darren, Cooper, Rae and Bracknell, Clint (2024). Music as a determinant of health among First Nations people in Australia: a scoping narrative review. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 35 (4), 924-935. doi: 10.1002/hpja.865
Sunderland, Naomi, Barry, Glenn, Graham, Phil, Garvey, Darren, Bartleet, Brydie-Leigh, Scarfe, Brigitta, Apps, Kristy, Cooper, Rae, Bracknell, Clint and Hall, Kerry (2024). Music across generations. Family and Community Health, 47 (4), 294-303. doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000413
Garvey, Darren, Carter, Ken, Anderson, Kate, Gall, Alana, Howard, Kirsten, Venables, Jemma, Healy, Karen, Bill, Lea, Letendre, Angeline, Dickson, Michelle and Garvey, Gail (2024). Understanding the wellbeing needs of First Nations children in out-of-home care in Australia: a comprehensive literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21 (9) 1208, 1208. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21091208
Garvey, Gail, Howard, Kirsten, Garvey, Darren, Dickson, Michelle, Howell, M., Butler, Tamara L., Cadet-James, Yvonne, Cunningham, Joan, Bainbridge, Roxanne, McGorry, Patrick, Williamson, A. and Anderson, Kate Mallory (2024). What Matters to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth (WM2Y): a study protocol to develop a national youth well-being measure. BMJ Open, 14 (3) e076119, 1-7. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076119
McCullough, Kylie, Genoni, Angela, Murray, Melanie, Garvey, Darren and Coventry, Linda (2024). Measuring attitude change in nursing students after completion of a First Nations peoples’ health unit: Embedding a validated tool in learning and assessment practices. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 53 (1). doi: 10.55146/ajie.v53i1.609
Lipscombe, Tamara, Hendrick, Antonia, Dzidic, Peta, Bishop, Brian and Garvey, Darren (2023). Colonial mechanisms for repudiating Indigenous sovereignties in Australia: a Foucauldian-genealogical exploration of Australia Day. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 11 (2), 674-689. doi: 10.5964/jspp.8125
Sunderland, Naomi, Graham, Phil, Bartleet, Brydie-Leigh, Garvey, Darren, Bracknell, Clint, Apps, Kristy, Barry, Glenn, Cooper, Rae, Scarfe, Brigitta and Vervoort, Stacey (2023). First Nations music as a determinant of health in Australia and Vanuatu: political and economic determinants. Health Promotion International, 38 (2) daac190, 1-14. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daac190
Macdonald, Maryanne, Gringart, Eyal, Garvey, Darren and Hayward, Kenneth (2022). Broadening academia: an epistemic shift towards relationality. Higher Education Research & Development, 42 (3), 649-663. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2022.2087602
Lipscombe, Tamara A., Hendrick, Antonia, Dzidic, Peta L., Garvey, Darren C. and Bishop, Brian (2021). Directions for research practice in decolonising methodologies: contending with paradox. Methodological Innovations, 14 (1), 1-11. doi: 10.1177/20597991211006288
Krause, Amanda E., Scott, William G., Flynn, Sarah, Foong, Beatrice, Goh, Kitye, Wake, Stephanie, Miller, Daniel and Garvey, Darren (2021). Listening to music to cope with everyday stressors. Musicae Scientiae, 27 (1) ARTN 10298649211030318, 176-192. doi: 10.1177/10298649211030318
Lipscombe, Tamara A., Dzidic, Peta L. and Garvey, Darren C. (2020). Coloniser control and the art of disremembering a “dark history”: duality in Australia Day and Australian history. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 30 (3), 322-335. doi: 10.1002/casp.2444
Castell, Emily, Bullen, Jonathan, Garvey, Darren and Jones, Nicola (2018). Critical reflexivity in indigenous and cross-cultural psychology: a decolonial approach to curriculum?. American Journal of Community Psychology, 62 (3-4), 261-271. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12291
Garvey, Darren (2012). “A funny thing happened on the way to the hypogeum”: An account of crisis and congruity in the arena of indigenous mental health. Qualitative Research Journal, 12 (2), 155-164. doi: 10.1108/14439881211248301
Garvey, Darren C (2011). Closing gaps, maintaining cadence and removing trampolines: a personal reflection on 20 years in health. The Medical journal of Australia, 194 (10), 543-545. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03098.x
Garvey, Darren (2010). 'Ready, steady. Practice!': How working better with Indigenous Australian people can take as little as three minutes of your time. The Australian Community Psychologist, 22 (1), 8-17.
Garvey, D. (2008). A review of the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous Australian peoples - Considerations, challenges and opportunities. Australian Indigenous Health Bulletin, 8 (4), 1-29.
Hossain, Delwar, Gorman, Don, Williams-Mozely, John and Garvey, Darlene (2008). Bridging the Gap: Identifying Needs and Aspirations of Indigenous Students to Facilitate their Entry into University. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 37 (1), 9-17. doi: 10.1017/S1326011100016045
Garvey, Darren (2000). Reconciliation 2. Australian Psychologist, 35 (2), 177-178. doi: 10.1080/00050060008260341
Sonn, Christopher C., Garvey, Darren C., Bishop, Brian J. and Smith, Leigh M. (2000). Incorporating Indigenous and crosscultural issues into an undergraduate psychology course: Experience at Curtin University of Technology. Australian Psychologist, 35 (2), 143-149. doi: 10.1080/00050060008260336
Garvey, Darren (2000). A response to the Australian Psychological Society discussion paper on suicide. Australian Psychologist, 35 (1), 32-35. doi: 10.1080/00050060008257465
Sonn, C., Bishop, B. and Garvey, D. (1999). Inculcating cultural competence into psychology training: Strategies, observations and challenges. The Community Psychologist, 32 (1).
Hunter, E. and Garvey, D. (1998). Indigenous mental health promotion: Mind over matter. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 8 (1), 4-11.
Garvey, Darren (1998). Poetic Justice: ‘If we Fall, Others are Rising’. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 3 (4), 531-540. doi: 10.1177/1359104598034005
Garvey, D. (1997). Not a problem! – The role of denial in good and bad Indigenous health. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 21 (5), 7-10.
Collard, S. and Garvey, D. (1994). Counselling and Aboriginal people: Talking about mental health. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 18 (5), 17-21.
Garvey, D. (1994). Shades of brown: Considering the mental health of Aboriginal mental health workers. Network - Journal of the Board of Community Psychologists, 9 (1), 20-24.

Conference Paper

Garvey, Darren, Sharma, Piyush and Kingshott, Russel P. J. (2018). Front-Line Service Role Engagement and Subjective Well-Being of Socially Disadvantaged Employees: An Abstract. 2018 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA United States, 2018. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-99181-8_166