Dr Russ Harris
Dr Russ Harris, M.B.B.S., is a physician and psychotherapist, working in private practice in Melbourne, Australia.
He was born in England in 1966, and graduated in medicine from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in 1989. He emigrated to Australia in 1991, where he began working as a GP. He became increasingly interested in the psychological aspects of health and wellbeing, and over time, this interest led to a career change – from medical practitioner to therapist.
Since 2005, Russ has provided ACT training for over 80,000 health professionals. He has authored four ACT textbooks, and six ACT-based self-help books. His best-known book, The Happiness Trap, proudly published by Exisle Publishing, has sold over one million copies worldwide, with translations into over 30 languages.
In 2015 Russ created an ACT protocol for the WHO (World Health Organisation), for use in refugee camps. The WHO have now published 3 RCTs based on this protocol, showing that it not only significantly reduces depression and PTSD but also prevents the onset of mental health disorders in those at high risk. Russ also wrote and designed a cartoon-based book for the WHO (based on ACT) called ‘Doing What Matters In Times of Stress’. This is now the most commonly downloaded mental health resource on the WHO website.