I provide employee counselling services for a number of organisations based in the North East and throughout the UK. Since 2015 part of my work with organisations involves working in-house as the Counsellor for an Occupational Health Company, OH3 Ltd. Over the years I have worked with many people who were struggling with the stress and pressures of work and home life and helped them to return to the workplace and remain in the workplace.
Some of the issues that I support employees with are work related issues such as work related stress and burn out and difficulties within working relationships with managers and colleagues. I also provide support to employees when there have been critical incidents at work such as experiencing violence, a serious accident, or the death of an employee in the workplace. I also support employees with difficulties in their personal lives that they feel are impacting on their ability to do their work and provide cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) coping techniques that the employee can use to cope.
In addition to being an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) I am also a member of the BACP Workplace Counselling Specialist Division. Alongside my counselling work I have also previously worked in Human Resources for seven years and I have a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management and Development (with Distinction).
- A professional and confidential counselling service for your organisation as and when you need it
- Face to face, telephone and online appointments via video calling are available depending on the needs of your employee
- Employees can choose to have their appointments in Newcastle, South Shields or Jarrow
If you are enquiring on behalf of an organisation interested in referring employees for counselling please contact me on 07539 031 145 or julia-chapman@outlook.com. The counselling service can be tailored to suit the needs of your organisation. Please ask if there is something specific that you require.
Research Findings
The research findings below show the issues facing employees and the benefits of counselling for employees and the organisations they work in.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Employee Outlook Survey found that 97% of respondents with poor mental health said it affected their work performance as a result of:
· difficulty concentrating (80%)
· taking longer to do tasks (62%)
· more difficulty juggling a number of tasks (57%)
· putting off challenging work (42%)
· being less patient with customers or clients (50%)
· having difficulty making decisions (60%)
· being more likely to get into conflict with others (37%)
· finding it difficult to learn new tasks (33%)
‘‘Organisations find that having a counselling support provision does make financial sense, and there is considerable evidence to demonstrate a positive return on investment for counselling’’ (Personnel Today, 2015).
‘Employers have a duty of care in respect of the people they employ, which also applies to looking after employees’ mental health, however the reasons why organisations need to act now to promote good mental well being and support people who experience poor mental health goes way beyond the legal imperative. Aside from it being the right thing to do in the modern workplace of the twenty-first century, fostering more mentally healthy organisations makes good business sense. The overwhelming majority of people experiencing mental health difficulties who go into work report that it affects their performance (95%), another compelling reason why employers need to understand and support people who are in this situation” (CIPD Employee Outlook Survey Report Findings: Focus on Mental Health in the Workplace, July 2016 )
The effectiveness of workplace counselling has been highlighted in research carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies in 2020. The research found that if implemented and used effectively workplace counselling minimises sickness absence, reduces presenteeism, maximises job retention and helps people with health problems stay in work. The research concluded that during the period of uncertainty and potential ill health (both mental and physical) created by the pandemic workplace counselling is especially important for both employers and employees.
