About the Author

Murray Irwin is an outdoor educator and adventure therapy group leader with over 15 years of experience. For five years he worked with at-risk youths and spent three years designing and delivering award-winning sustainability behaviour change programs.

Murray’s first career was in commercial finance. To pursue his love of the outdoors he completing a Diploma of Recreation and has since spent a large part the past 15 years working with young people as a group leader, youth worker and educator. As an outdoor educator Murray led week-long bushwalking, rafting and canoeing expeditions with school groups, teaching outdoors skills along with environmental awareness, leadership and personal development. He has worked for the Outdoor Education Group, Evolve and Geelong Grammar – Timbertop.

Fascinated by the therapeutic aspects of outdoor adventure led Murray to work with at-risk youth. The work was intense: a remote cattle property in central Queensland was the base for Youth Enterprise Trust’s 14-day residential program. Typo Station’s 20-day residential program including a 9-day hike in remote areas of Victoria, of which Murray is a veteran of many expeditions. Spending days on end with groups of adolescents confronting issues was rewarding but challenging. Murray also worked for the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, twice being a team leader for 6-month long workplace skills training programs for young adults.

At Environment Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation, he facilitated behaviour change programs. Working with local communities and groups, he helped promote behaviours that reduced water and energy use along with teaching applied learning certificate students’ leadership skills and sustainable behaviours. Before leaving Environment Victoria, Murray oversaw all of their community education and behaviour change programs.

His first book Encouraging Appropriate Behaviour: A Six-Step Approach provides a training framework in dealing with difficult behaviour. Murray currently works part time as a coordinator for psychosocial and respite programs in the outdoors, that promote wellness for those living with a mental illness. He also runs training on behaviour management and bullying behaviours. When not in the outdoors, he enjoys reading non-fiction. He currently lives in Melbourne.