Heather Ikin
Principal & Founder | Organisational Psychologist
Phone:
0405 761 984
Email:
Qualifications:
Master of Organisational Psychology
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) - Psychology and Management
Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS)
Fellow of the APS College of Organisational Psychologists (FCOP)
PsyBA Board-Approved Supervisor
About Heather
Heather is passionate about supporting businesses and employees to lead productive and meaningful working lives, through fostering positive and constructive workplaces and helping individuals improve their mental health and wellbeing. She has an extensive background in the field of organisational psychology, having spent over 10 years volunteering for the Australian Psychological Society (APS) alongside her full-time career. Most notably, she was appointed as Chair of the APS College of Organisational Psychologists from June 2018 to August 2021. During this time, she led the strategic affairs of the College whilst engaging in a range of advocacy activities, with an emphasis on mental health at work.
Heather assists businesses with organisation-wide workforce strategies and works one-on-one in counselling and coaching to address work-related stress and other mechanisms of psychological injury at work. Her expertise in organisational psychology uniquely positions her to understand the dynamics of stress and job burnout, and work with clients to address root causes and enhance mental health. Heather adopts a non-judgmental and supportive but practical approach to counselling, predominantly using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in her practice.
As a consultant and organisational practitioner, Heather has a diverse background, with 15+ years' experience delivering interventions and strategies across workplace health and safety, employee mental health and wellbeing, change management, organisational development, learning and development, culture and engagement, recruitment and selection, career development and coaching, and management and leadership development. She has worked with organisations across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. It is this extensive experience that sees Heather well-positioned to advise business leaders on effective workforce management strategies and protection of worker mental health, in a range of industries and settings.
In addition to operating WorkLife Psychology part time, Heather is also currently Associate Director, Psychological Health and Safety, at FlourishDx. FlourishDx is a leading provider of psychosocial risk management services and employs a highly experienced and specialised team of psychologists.
Areas of expertise
Work-related stress
Job burnout
Psychosocial risk management
Psychological injury prevention
Job and work design
Workplace bullying
Harassment and discrimination
Diversity and inclusion
Job loss and redundancy
Career transition and development
Leadership development
Change management
Performance and capability
Engagement and retention
Workforce planning
Examples of articles and advocacy work
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National Workplace Initiative Framework Working Group member - consultation on development of the Blueprint for Mentally Healthy Workplaces. Release 1, September 2021.
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Ikin, H. (2020). The perks and pitfalls of working from home. InPsych, 42(3). Retrieved online, https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2020/june-july-issue-3/perks-and-pitfalls-of-working-from-home-(1)
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Ikin, H., Carse, T., & Riley, M. (2019). The changing nature of work. InPsych 41(2). Retrieved online, https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2019/april/the-changing-nature-of-work
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Australian Psychology Society MBS Expert Committee member - consultation on development of the white paper The Future of Psychology in Australia: a blueprint for better mental health outcomes for all Australians through Medicare. June, 2019.
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Australian Psychological Society submission contributor - APS Response to National Regulation Impact Statement: Recommendations of the 2018 Review of the Model Work Health and Safety Laws. July, 2019.
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Office of Industrial Relations research report contributor - Ageing Workforce Report: Employer Readiness to Support the Needs of Australia's Ageing Workforce.