Michelle Bihary
Professional Supervision, People Leadership & Workplace Resilience Expert
Michelle Bihary
Professional Supervision, People Leadership & Workplace Resilience Expert
Author, speaker, trainer, facilitator and supervisor
B App Sc (OT), Grad Dip Fam Ther
I am a trail-blazer dedicated to the evolving leadership, supervisory and workforce wellbeing standards across the health and community sector in Australia and New Zealand.
My work bridges the gap between clinical excellence and the deeper, human centred and evidence-based approaches required for sustainable leadership, supervision and employee wellbeing.
I focus on the dynamic interplay between individuals, teams, organisational culture and the broader systems in which services operate. At the heart of this is what I describe as “leading above the line” – leadership that is self-aware, accountable and values-aligned, even in high-pressure, resource-constrained environments.
In addition, I recognise the critical importance of flipping our traditional power hierarchies to a care hierarchy - prioritising the voice of lived and living experience in the design and delivery of our healthcare system.
Thriving through Alignment
Caring work is profoundly meaningful, but it can come at a significant cost to each professional. It carries predictable psychological and emotional costs – including exposure to trauma, grief, moral distress and persistent complexity. When these caring costs are ignored or individualised, we see rising burnout, disengagement and risk. When they are understood, named and buffered through evidence-based supervision, healthy culture and above-the-line leadership, they can become a source of growth, wisdom and sustainable contribution.
I passionately believe that all healthcare workers must be supported to thrive sustainably to manage the inherent complex cognitive, emotional and relational demands of their work.
Evidence clearly shows that healthcare workplaces can only offer sustainable quality services to their communities when employees operate in psychologically safe, supportive learning environments.
These environments create conditions where clinicians are empowered, their expertise is recognised and appreciated, and where teamwork and values are fostered in ways that optimise every employees’ contribution and potential.
My philosophy is deeply grounded in the understanding that we are all continually learning and evolving; that to be genuinely self-directed learners we all need the space to pause, reflect and glean the wisdom from our daily experiences.
Thriving at work is a right of every employee and a shared responsibility of every organisation. Believing that employees must simply “build resilience” to compensate for toxic culture or leadership runs counter to what we know about optimal performance, psychological safety and risk.
Above-the-line leadership explicitly rejects this “fix the worker” mindset, recognising that responsibility for wellbeing sits with the whole system. Workplace culture is an ongoing, living commitment - shaped by leadership and strengthened through genuine collaboration with everyone in the workplace. It requires deliberate and regular attention and courageous, values-aligned action.
I design dynamic, engaging and transformative learning experiences that go beyond standard training. By integrating neuroscience, emotional intelligence and evidence based leadership and supervision practices., I equip workforces to navigate complex environments with the insight, skills, and wisdom needed for services and teams to flourish in demanding contexts.
I hold a strong conviction that self-awareness, self-compassion and self-leadership are foundational capabilities that allow both individuals and organisations to flourish in ways that are sustainable and values aligned.
As lifelong learners, we benefit most from professional development experiences that are psychologically safe, relationally attuned, practical, and tailored to real workplace contexts and challenges.
“Could not recommend Michelle's workshops highly enough.
Having done them individually and now as a workplace, I would recommend the workplace approach as it created the opportunity for shared learning and shared language that added value to the learning.”
My background
I bring over 35 years of clinical and leadership experience as an occupational therapist and individual, group and family therapist, with a longstanding special interest in adolescent and youth mental health. My experience working in public and private mental health services, as a clinician, leader, manager and supervisor, has given me a uniquely deep and practical understanding of the multi-layered demands of the health sector.
My experience supervising hundreds of health and community sector professionals from a wide range of professional backgrounds has deepened my insights and wisdom in how to facilitate transformative supervision. The distillation of this work has contributed directly to supervision practice nationally, including recognition within key frameworks such as South Australia Health’s SA Allied Health Supervision Framework 2024, Occupational Therapy Australia’s (OTA) Professional Supervision Framework 2025, and the supervision frameworks of Financial Counsellors Australia and Financial Counsellors Victoria.
In addition to my extensive clinical experience and training, I have completed further training and accreditation in emotional intelligence, workplace wellbeing, thriving sustainably, neuroscience and positive neuroplasticity, mindfulness, positive psychology, strengths-based practice and coaching. This multidisciplinary foundation informs my practical, evidence-based approach to supervision, leadership and workforce wellbeing, with a focus on how people create meaningful psychological and behavioural change while working in roles where caring costs are real and ongoing.
As an author, speaker, trainer, facilitator, and mentor, I integrate emerging psychological research and neuroscience to support sustainable individual and organisational success that is aligned with and never achieved at the cost of anyone's potential or wellbeing.
I have published two books Leading Above the Line: applying neuroscience to build psychologically safe and thriving teams in 2020 and Caring Costs: Addressing the costs of caring in healthcare in 2024. In 2010, I was humbled to receive a national award from my professional association, Occupational Therapy Australia, recognising my significant contribution and support to the profession.
I also contribute more broadly to the advancement of supervision practice in Australia through my close association with the Australian Clinical Supervision Association, including serving as Secretary since mid-2025 and presenting a keynote address at their 2025 Conference.
My clients
I have been privileged to work with a diverse range of leading healthcare services and professional associations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
I am a highly recognised and experienced provider, with my work shaped by decades of knowledge, skills and experience, clinical leadership and the operation of my own private practice. This experience ensures that all professionals who participate in my evidence-based training programs develop practical, transferable skills grounded in research, real-world application and evidence-based understanding of how people and systems change.
Over the past 20 years, I have been privileged to deliver training and facilitate powerful change in hundreds of workplaces and with over 50,000 professionals in supervision, leadership development and workforce well-being. I have shared my extensive wisdom, gained from many years working in public health and running my own private practice, and underpinned by my practical, evidence-based knowledge of how people create psychological and behavioural change and informed by my mental health expertise.
My training and advisory services are also sought after by a range of workplaces and professional associations and the practical frameworks I have developed have informed organisational policies and supervision guidelines across Australian healthcare services employing large numbers of health professionals.
While my keynotes and workshop presentations have featured at national and international healthcare conferences, my advice and opinion are regularly featured in a variety of publications, such as OT Australia Connections, the Institute of Managers and Leaders. Marie Claire, and GQ Australia alongside contributions to podcasts and webinars.
Michelle's Colleagues who offer training, facilitation, supervision and coaching
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Naomi Kalman
Individual, Couple and Family Therapist, Professional and Clinical SupervisorB App Sc (OT), Grad Dip Fam Ther, AHPRA, Clinical Member VAFT
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Brodie Dupre
Practice Excellence Coach/Senior Occupational Therapist, professional and clinical supervisor
Masters of Healthcare Leadership (2021)Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (2005)AHPRA registered
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Catherine Mayhew
Bachelor Health Science Occupational Therapy, AHPRA, Currently completing Foundations of Learning & Teaching in Higher Education, graduate certificate.
Extensive Supervision training with Michelle Bihary and Leadership Intensive with AIM
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Nichola Harris
Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP), MSPA, B App Sci (Speech Pathology), Cert Bus Administration, Graduate AICD
Supervision & Coaching Services Enquiries
Michelle’s Team
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Nichola Harris
PROGRAM AND ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Nichola is an experienced speech pathologist and has worked as a clinician and a manger in the public, private and not for profit sectors in Australia as well as the UK, USA and the Netherlands. Before joining Michelle, Nichola was the Manager, Professional Practice for Speech Pathology Australia.
Nichola’s role with Michelle Bihary is to manage client relationships and communications as well as support strategic planning and program development.
Qualifications: CPSP, MSPA, GAICD
T: +61 (0)3 9007 2542
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Rita Page
OFFICE MANAGER & WORKSHOP
CO-ORDINATORRita is a wonderful and valued part of the team, she’s worked with us for over 10 years.
Her primary focus is coordinating the practical side of client training programs and managing public workshops. In addition, she completes general administration for Michelle. She is not a numbers girl but really enjoys getting to know clients and assisting you in getting the best service and experience when training with us.
T: +61 (0)3 9007 2542
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Mary Blazevski
ACCOUNTS & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Mary is a wonderful, valued part of our team, having worked with us since July 2015.
She has an accounting background and absolutely love numbers!
Mary is your point of contact for anything accounts related (invoicing, payments etc), as well general admin. She has an incredible eye for detail and loves making sure everything runs smoothly.
T: +61 (0)3 9007 2542
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Angela Kvasha
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Angela is a wonderful graphic designer with great artistic flair and talent.
We are blessed to have Angela as part of the team for over 6 years. She is responsible for bringing to life all of the creative designs used in Michelle's programs, websites, resources and Michelle’s book. Angela’s designs are known for adding a wonderful dimension; many workshop participants comment on the value of the models that Angela creates.
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Adrianne Masa (Yan)
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Yan is a wonderful and incredibly valued part of our team and has been with us for over 3 years.
As a virtual assistant from the Philippines, she’s the team’s ‘wingman’, providing exceptional support on the backend of our operations. At a practical level, Yan ensures our administrative systems and website are always up to date, ensuring excellence in all of our operations.
Yan is also the winner of the 2024 Integrity Award from The Virtual Hub, the organisation we contract Yan through. Yan is also an award nominee for 2024 Legendary Rockstar for TVH. This is incredible as both awards are from a pool of 400 employees. Lucky us!