Employee Counselling Services

Access to Therapy for UK Business’s and Individuals

An employee counselling service helps to support employees by providing them with a resource to resolve personal or psychological problems. Access to workplace counselling, or therapy, allows employees to deal with issues such as stress or anxiety, which often leads to a reduction in work performance.

Employee counselling services can be delivered in several ways; either face-to-face, via video chat or through email or telephone. Looking after employee mental health with a workplace counselling service could be considered part of the employer’s duty of care.

How professional counselling helps your employees

Counselling provides many benefits to employees. Having access to a qualified counsellor and a safe place to talk through any personal issues can give a lot of relief in and of itself. Counselling can help employees treat the problems they’re facing in their personal lives, which can often distract them from work. Issues such as an illness or loss in the family, substance abuse or relationship issues.

Counselling can help improve employees coping skills and build an understanding of how to bring about practical solutions to work-based problems. Through counselling, employees can learn how to reflect on issues from a different perspective to implement positive change. Counselling equips employees with the tools they need to be able to manage any problems they may face in the future more confidently.

How employee counselling benefits business

When businesses’ look after their employees’ mental wellbeing, the benefits to the employee often benefit the company too. Counselling can help employees achieve a better work/life balance which can reduce stress and increase productivity. A recent study showed that employees who feel they have a good work/life balance work 21% harder than those who do not.

Being perceived as a business who cares for their employees can help establish a good reputation in the market. Employees will view the business in a more positive light which may encourage them to work harder towards company goals and targets. A motivated workforce also results in decreased absenteeism and lower staff turnover.

How the counselling works

Workplace counselling is not about dictating what to do in a particular situation; it’s about giving employees an outlet to talk through any issues they are facing and come to their own conclusions. A workplace counsellor needs to have a decent understanding of how an organisation works for them to be able to administer effective counselling.

A counsellor will be qualified in a range of therapies such as neuro-linguistic programming, psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. In almost every case, it’s more important that the counsellor builds and maintains an excellent client-counsellor relationship which is critical for building trust and increasing the chances of success.

Some larger businesses employe in-house counsellors, but this isn’t always practical depending on the size of the workforce. In many cases, an employee assistance program is an effective solution as it offers employees flexible, one-on-one access to a therapist.