Overview
Background
Dr Patrick (Paddy) O'Regan is a social work lecturer in the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work at the University of Queensland. Previously, she worked at Griffith University in Australia and was the director of Gestalt Therapy Brisbane.
Paddy began his social work education in Townsville, completing a Bachelor of Social Work in 1991, then extending that knowledge with a Master of Social Policy and a Master of Gestalt Therapy before completing a PhD in 2020. He is known for his extensive experience working alongside those who have been involved in potentially traumatic events, especially in emergency and industrial settings.
Paddy’s research areas are peer support in suicide prevention, working with trauma, contemporary issues in professional education, the ethics of lifelong learning, and social work with migrants and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. His research skill set comprises a wide range of qualitative methodologies.
Availability
- Dr Paddy O'Regan is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Social Work, James Cook University
- Masters (Coursework) of Social Policy, James Cook University
- Masters (Coursework) of Psychotherapy, Gestalt Association of Queensland Inc
- Doctor of Philosophy of Psychotherapy, Griffith University
Works
Search Professor Paddy O'Regan’s works on UQ eSpace
2026
Book Chapter
Social work/AI entanglements
O'Regan, Patrick (Paddy), Hölscher, Dorothee and Harris, Sera (2026). Social work/AI entanglements. AI and the disruption of welfare. (pp. 255-269) edited by Goetz Ottmann and Carolyn Noble. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003673675-20
Featured
2026
Book Chapter
Anti-oppressive practice with young people from refugee backgrounds
Hölscher, Dorothee, Rigaud, Noémie, O'Regan, Paddy and Healy, Karen (2026). Anti-oppressive practice with young people from refugee backgrounds. The Routledge Handbook of Social Work and Migration: Theory, Practice, Education and Research. (pp. 221-235) Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781032692272-17
2022
Journal Article
Contemporary Gestalt Psychotherapy: The Tensions Between Practitioner Education and the Current Cultural Context
O'Regan, Patrick (Paddy) (2022). Contemporary Gestalt Psychotherapy: The Tensions Between Practitioner Education and the Current Cultural Context. Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia, 10 (2). doi: 10.59158/001c.71211
2021
Journal Article
Ethical practice in adult lifelong learning: a reflection on its shifting nature and significance for the future
Bagnall, Richard G., Hodge, Steven and O’Regan, Paddy (2021). Ethical practice in adult lifelong learning: a reflection on its shifting nature and significance for the future. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 41 (1), 60-75. doi: 10.1080/02601370.2021.2017364
2017
Journal Article
The challenge of providing training for Gestalt therapists in the contemporary cultural context: where to from here?
O'Regan, Paddy, Bagnall, Richard G. and Hodge, Steven (2017). The challenge of providing training for Gestalt therapists in the contemporary cultural context: where to from here?. The Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand, 14 (1), 77-92. doi: 10.3316/informit.328417509432496
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Paddy O'Regan is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Post-incident responses to site-based traumatic events as critical incidents in the Australian building and construction industry. Immediate and longitudinal needs for psychosocial wellbeing of building workers who experience work-based fatalities and peer suicides.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr John Drayton
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding Australian intercountry adoptees and suicide: A constructivist grounded theory approach
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorothee Hölscher
Media
Enquiries
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