Psychological health is part of work health and safety. Managing psychosocial risk requires more than wellbeing initiatives or individual coping strategies. It requires a clear understanding of how work is designed, led and experienced.
I work with organisations to identify psychosocial hazards, understand the conditions contributing to risk and develop practical controls that can be implemented and reviewed.
Organisations often recognise that something is not working, but the available information is fragmented. There may be increasing absence, turnover within a particular team, repeated complaints, role confusion, workload concerns, conflict, change fatigue or managers who are unsure how to respond.
A structured assessment brings these signals together. The purpose is not to assign blame or reduce a complex situation to a single score. It is to identify the relevant hazards, understand how they may interact and determine which organisational controls are most likely to reduce risk.
Services for organisations
Four areas of work
Psychosocial risk assessment and advisory
A proportionate assessment may combine workforce data, policy and document review, interviews, focus groups, surveys, workshops and consultation with relevant workers, managers and health and safety representatives.
Depending on the agreed scope, the work may include
Review of absence, turnover, complaints, grievances, incidents, workers’ compensation information, exit data, EAP trends and existing survey results
Interviews and focus groups with workers, leaders and relevant stakeholders
Identification of psychosocial hazards and consideration of frequency, duration, severity and interaction
Review of existing controls, governance, reporting and consultation arrangements
Prioritised recommendations addressing work design, systems, leadership practice and organisational controls
Executive, board or workforce reporting appropriate to the engagement
Implementation planning and later review of control effectiveness
Manager and leadership capability
Managers are often expected to respond to distress, conflict, workload concerns and performance issues without sufficient preparation. Capability development helps managers recognise risk, respond appropriately, maintain role boundaries and take practical action within organisational systems.
Programs may address
Responding to employees experiencing distress
Psychological safety and constructive challenge
Difficult conversations and respectful communication
Workload, role clarity and competing demands
Supporting employees through organisational change
Reasonable management action and appropriate escalation
Trauma-informed and person-centred leadership practice
Referral pathways and the limits of the manager’s role
Training is not presented as a substitute for changes to work design, systems, workload, role clarity or leadership practice.
Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid training can strengthen early recognition, supportive conversations and referral pathways within the workplace. It is most effective when integrated with broader organisational systems, clear role boundaries and appropriate escalation processes.
Accredited Mental Health First Aid courses and refresher training
Face-to-face, online or blended delivery, subject to the relevant course requirements
Participant registration and course administration where included in scope
Workplace contextualisation for managers, teams or designated Mental Health First Aiders
Policy, governance and review
Policies and procedures are useful only when they support clear decisions, responsibilities and action. This work helps organisations translate psychosocial risk obligations and recognised good practice into arrangements that can operate in day-to-day management.
Psychosocial risk policy and procedure review
Gap analysis against relevant WHS requirements and recognised guidance
Hazard registers, reporting templates and governance arrangements
Clarification of roles, responsibilities and escalation pathways
Manager guidance, implementation plans and training recommendations
Executive or board reporting
Follow-up review of whether controls are operating as intended
Process
How an engagement works
Scope. A 30-minute initial conversation clarifies the reason for the enquiry, organisational context, workforce size, locations, relevant jurisdictions and the type of support required. Where there is a suitable fit, a written scope is prepared before work begins.
Understand. Relevant data, policies and existing information are reviewed. Consultation may include workers, managers, health and safety representatives and other stakeholders through interviews, focus groups, workshops or surveys, depending on the agreed method.
Assess and recommend. The evidence is considered as a whole to identify psychosocial hazards, understand risk and consider how hazards may interact. Findings are translated into clear priorities and practical controls, with emphasis on work design and organisational systems.
Implement and review. Support may continue through action planning, manager development, policy changes, workforce communication and review. The objective is not simply to provide a report, but to support implementation and evaluate whether controls are operating effectively.
Deliverables
What the organisation receives
A clearly defined scope and methodology
A consultation process proportionate to the organisation and issue
A clear account of the relevant hazards and risk
Prioritised recommendations and proposed controls
Defined actions, responsibilities and review points
Reporting suitable for managers, executives, boards or workers, as agreed
Implementation and capability support where included in scope
Engagements are scoped according to organisational needs, and a written scope is prepared before work begins.
Confidentiality and consultation
How participation is handled
Confidentiality arrangements are established before interviews, focus groups or other consultation begins. Findings are generally reported as themes and patterns rather than attributed to named individuals.
In smaller teams, complete anonymity may not be possible because contextual details can make a participant identifiable. This limitation is explained clearly before participation.
Any limits to confidentiality, including safety, legal or agreed reporting obligations, are defined in the project scope and communicated in advance.
Experience
Sectors I have worked across
Workplace mental health, leadership and psychological safety programs have been delivered in the following settings. Client organisations are described by sector rather than named.
Higher educationNational retailHospitality and licensed venuesEarly childhood educationWorkplace health and safety consultingHealthcareMulti-site service organisationsCommunity services
About
About Jack O'Leary
Jack O'Leary is a workplace mental health consultant, facilitator, counsellor and psychotherapist with more than 22 years' experience in education and training and 17 years' experience in counselling and psychotherapy.
His work combines person-centred and trauma-informed practice with structured organisational analysis. He has delivered workplace mental health, leadership and psychological safety programs across corporate, education, healthcare, retail, hospitality and community settings.
Engagements are delivered personally, and scoped so that the depth of involvement matches what the organisation actually needs.
Psychosocial risk and organisational consulting experience
Workplace mental health and leadership facilitation
Current Mental Health First Aid Australia accreditation
More than 22 years in education, training and facilitation
More than 17 years in counselling and psychotherapy
Higher Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Master of Music Therapy
Trauma-informed and person-centred practice
Who I work with
Executives, boards, HR, WHS and managers
Engagements may focus on a single team, a defined business unit or a broader organisational program.
Services are available across Northern New South Wales, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, with travel by arrangement and online delivery across Australia.
Start with a practical conversation
A 30-minute scoping conversation provides an opportunity to explain the issue, clarify the organisational context and consider the most appropriate next step. Where further work is appropriate, a clear written scope can be prepared following the conversation.
