Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.™
About
ABOUT DR. HELEN OFOSU
I believe that in good times and bad, resilience is one of the major keys to success.
That’s why my approach to career coaching and executive coaching is to help people get ahead in a way that insulates them from future setbacks. It’s also why, as a consultant, I aim to help organizations become stronger and more resilient so they are ready for both the predictable and unforeseen challenges that all organizations face at some point.
I believe that people and organizations that appreciate the level of precision and care that I can provide should have access to it – high-calibre services should not be reserved only for members of the Fortune 500.
What sets me apart from many career and executive coaches is my experience on the inside of the federal government and my understanding of their HR processes and systems.
The stakes are high for my clients, and I can offer insights and customized services that few others can deliver – I have helped develop many hiring tools over the years!
My inside experience gives my clients an edge in getting hired and promoted in the public (and private) sector and in managing their careers as they progress. I co-designed and co-created many of the competency and behaviour-based assessments, structured interviews, role plays, simulations and online psychometric tests used to screen candidates for federal government jobs.
I enjoy bringing my knowledge, lived experience, sensitivity, and sense of humour to my career consultations, executive coaching, training, and HR work.
As a specialist with a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (a branch of Applied Social Psychology), I take an evidence-based approach by using the latest research and best practices to increase the odds of my clients’ success.
DR. HELEN OFOSU’S WORK EXPERIENCE
Before launching I/O Advisory Services in 2012, I worked in Ottawa for three Canadian federal public service departments: the Public Service Commission, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (now Global Affairs Canada), and the Department of National Defense.
My work has been recognized with four national awards:
- Head of the Public Service Award,
- Public Service Award of Excellence,
- President of the Public Service Commission Award,
- Canadian Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (CSIOP) Outstanding Practitioner Award
I also have significant private-sector HR Consulting experience in the legal, advertising/branding, logistics, and real estate fields, and I have acted as a consultant and advisor for many entrepreneurs in launching businesses.
You can click here to see some of the many clients I’ve supported over the years.
I am also an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, where I deliver guest lectures and enjoy mentoring the next generation of aspiring psychologists.
In 2023 I was a freelance Executive Contributor at Brainz Magazine. I was invited to write articles about mindset, business, diversity, equity, inclusion, and leadership. To learn more and read what I’ve written for Brainz, click here.
In February 2023, my first book, How to be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work, was published by Routledge. The same company published giants in psychology, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud (… not to mention Albert Einstein).
How to be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work has been nominated for a 2024 Trillium Award! This prestigious Award is Ontario’s leading award for literature. Past Trillium winners include Michael Ondaatje (author of The English Patient) and Margaret Atwood (author of The Handmaid’s Tale). The Trillium Award is open to books in any genre, including non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, drama, and poetry.
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Honours BSc. in Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
MA and Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology with a specialization in Industrial / Organizational (I/O) Psychology, University of Windsor.
TESTIMONIALS
Recommendations, reviews and testimonials may be found on my Linkedin profile and my Google My Business/Review page.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
In 2023, I was appointed to the Advisory Board of Black Mental Health Canada, a volunteer, non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2019 to help meet the mental health needs of the diverse Black communities in Canada.
In 2022, I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce where l was active in Government Relations, and matters related to human resources and other areas that are in my wheelhouse.
In December 2021, I was one of five founding officers of a new section of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) that focuses on Black Psychology. This was an important step toward improving the representation of Black graduate students, faculty, and practitioners of psychology in Canada. In the first year (December 2021 until June 2023), I served as the Chair-Elect, and starting in June 2023, I became the Section’s Chair.
I’m proud to have been instrumental in drafting the 2019 proposal that ultimately led to the creation of the Canadian Institute for People of African Descent (CIPAD). This national think tank will address issues including employment, entrepreneurship, health, justice, and policing from the Black perspective.
I am also a member of Zonta International and served as the VP of the Zonta Club of Ottawa in 2015 and 2016. From 2017 to 2019, I was the VP of the Zonta eClub of Canada.
WORK WITH DR. HELEN OFOSU
Click on the Services tab to learn more about what I do and schedule a free initial consultation. Please note that I offer HR, career, leadership, applied research and speaking/training-related services – but no healthcare, clinical services, or psychotherapy.
