About Dr CHristian Heim
Dr. Christian Heim is an award-winning clinical psychiatrist, Australian music lecturer (= US professor) and a Churchill fellow. He currently works as a Clinical Director of Mental Health services in Australia and is a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland in the School of Medicine. In music he has lectured at Manhattan School of Music, The University of Newcastle and had a tenured position at the University of Wollongong where he was nominated for a teaching award. He was on staff at several Australian hospitals. During his 20 years as a psychiatrist he has heard the stories of thousands of people. He speaks globally in-person and virtually at medical organisations, law firms, universities and companies about preventative mental health and resilient relationships.
Dr. Heim has a PhD from the University of Sydney and has published books, research articles and music compositions. He is the 2014 recipient of the Newton-John award for innovation and creativity and the 2000 Blackwell Award for Critical Reasoning in Science. His music compositions are played on ABC Classic FM.
His latest book Resilient Relationships: techniques for surviving hyper-individualism, social isolation and a mental health crisis (Routledge, 2023) co-authored with Caroline Heim, is the largest cross-sectional global study on long-term relationships to date. Roy Baumeister has called it “A wise and valuable book on how to make marriages last.” Dr. Heim’s writings and public lectures cover a range of topics – the mental health crisis, college mental health, conflict resolution, social media addiction, vicarious trauma, men’s mental health, hyper-individualism – but primarily focus on resilient relationships as a key factor to help overcome 21st Century mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicide, trauma, personality disorders and addictions. Dr. Heim speaks from a place of deep compassion and authority. His talks all combine science-based solutions.
He loves taking long walks along deserted Australian beaches with his spouse Caroline, playing piano, laughing with his boys, and eating celery.
About Dr CAROLINE Heim
Caroline Heim, PhD is an Associate Professor in Theatre at Queensland University of Technology and a global authority on theatre audiences and the psychology of relationships in the theatre. Her first book Audience as Performer: the changing role of theatre audiences in the twenty-first century (Routledge 2016) is regarded as a leading authority on theatre audiences and her second book Actors and Audiences: conversations in the electric air (Routledge 2020) received an Honourable Mention in the Rob Jordan book prize. Caroline gives keynotes internationally and her numerous articles cover various topics from global audiences to the mental health of her university students. Specializing in empirical research, she has interviewed over 200 actors and audience members internationally. Caroline’s PhD (The University of Queensland) explored and trialled a new model for post-performance discussions. In the Creative industries, Education and Social Justice Faculty at QUT she lectures, coordinates courses and has implemented a mental health program for her students using humour and clowning. Caroline is a certified Lifeline crisis counsellor and facilitator.
Caroline was the theatre critic for The Australian for 2 years. Before entering academia, she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York with a Drama League Award and worked as a performer on the New York and major US capital city stages in lead roles for seven years
Caroline and Christian publish and give keynotes and workshops together.