EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Counselling & Mediation Services

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a work-based intervention program designed to enhance the emotional, mental, and general psychological well-being of all employees and may include services for immediate family members. The aim is to provide preventive and proactive interventions for the early detection, identification and/or resolution of both work and personal problems that may adversely affect performance and well-being. These problems and issues may include but are not limited to, relationships, health, trauma, substance abuse, gambling and other addictions, financial problems, depression, anxiety disorders, psychiatric disorders, communication problems, legal concerns and coping with change.

EAP services are also key in finding solutions in an immediate timeframe to support staff with any workplace or personal issues that may impact the employee affecting their morale and ability to perform.

An EAP program offers a framework in conjunction with the organisation’s health and well-being policy for psychological safety. The employer has a primary duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the health and safety of their workers are not put at risk from the conduct of the business or undertaking (SafeWork SA), 2022. This duty also applies to others in their workplace, like clients, visitors, customers, and volunteers.

Counselling Service

Whole People are also able to offer private counselling sessions to individual clients, using accredited Counsellors with decades of industry experience. This includes counselling for children, youth, adults, couples and families.

Workplace Mediation

Through nationally accredited workplace mediators, Whole People offers workplace mediation for workplace conflict, industrial and HR concerns. Mediation can be formal or informal.

What does EAP look like?

EAP is an external professional counselling service offering employees three counselling sessions paid for by the employer. These can be taken at any time and do not have to be consecutive. Where the employee would like to continue with the counsellor after the three sessions, it will be the employee’s own financial responsibility and at the counsellor’s discretion/availability.

Management/Employee support is offered by the employer to specific employees/managers. These employees may have an ongoing arrangement (e.g., once a month sessions or additional sessions contracted)

Employers promote the EAP service to all employees and are responsible for awareness and integration of the program into policy/procedure. Employers can choose to extend this service to family members as well.

Counselling sessions are confidential. Counsellors will refer employees to other appropriate services and supports as necessary and in emergencies (self-harm/suicidal ideation and alleged or suspected harm to another) will contact emergency services.

Employers are notified and billed when an employee accesses the EAP service. It is the choice of the employer if they wish to be notified of the name of the staff member who accessed the service, however in the case, they choose this option, ethically organisation’s should be transparent to employees that they will be provided with this information. If employers opt for a fully confidential service employees will be coded for billing purposes to ensure staff are not exceeding their three sessions. Additional sessions charged to the employer will be by the organisation’s approval only.

What do Whole People offer?

Accredited and Professional Counsellors that are registered to a counselling association/body to ensure they are reputable, supervised and current. All counsellors operate under their own professional and public liability insurance.
Professional Counsellors with at least 3 years of industry experience, with a preference toward Employee Assistance services.
Online EAP counselling services and sessions.
Online Management support services specific to assisting managers and leaders within the organisaiton.
Where an employee specifically requests a face-to-face counselling session, Whole People will attempt to source the nearest counsellor via distance, however, cannot guarantee a face-to-face service will always be possible. The employee will be expected to travel by their own means to these sessions.
Whole People will respond to a counselling request between 1-2 working days hours and will ensure a counselling session has been organised for the employee at a time that suits them both. Counselling sessions after business hours will incur additional costs.
Please note this is an employee assistance program, not a crisis response service, therefore there will be a slight wait time between the request and the counselling. Should the employee require immediate assistance we recommend that emergency services are contacted, or your nearest 24-hour crisis support center.
Whole People will only charge for services rendered, however, an MoU/contract will be expected to be signed ensuring that they are the preferred provider being used for this service.
Medicare rebate is not available.