How Companies Can Partner with Local Therapy Practices to Improve Their Employees’ Mental Health
Partnering with local counseling practices can be a valuable way to improve the mental health of your employees. These collaborations help your employees on an individual basis while helping the productivity and health of the company as a whole. Here are a few ways that companies can collaborate with counseling practices to support your employees’ mental health.
Identify group counseling practices that accept your employees’ health insurance and form an official partnership with them
A partnership with a counseling practice might mean an agreement that your employees get priority status when calling to schedule new appointments. This collaboration might include additional services offered by the counseling practices such as educational workshops for your employees, interactive workshops, or company retreats focused on areas of identified need within your organization. Look for larger, local counseling practices with solid reputations. Look for counseling practices that respond to your company in a professional, respectful, and timely manner.
Offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to your staff
Some counseling practices participate in Employee Assistance Programs that offer short-term counseling and support for employees who are experiencing stress or other mental health issues. These programs can be an effective way to provide employees with the help they need while also protecting their privacy. Companies can take this to the next level by partnering with specific counseling practices in the area, and/or creating your own Employee Assistance Program.
Encourage employees to take advantage of the services offered by the counseling practice or Employee Assistance Program
Many employees may be hesitant to seek help for mental health issues, so it’s important to create a culture where talking about mental wellness is commonplace, and where seeking treatment is encouraged. Consider hosting informational sessions to educate employees about the services offered by the counseling practice or EAP and how they can access them.
Create a confidential and non-judgmental space where employees can discuss their mental health with a licensed mental health professional
Lack of time is one of the biggest barriers to seeking mental health therapy. Consider how helpful it would be to collaborate with a local counseling practice, so that your employees could seek on-site counseling services. This can be done by setting up a designated room or area in the office where employees can access counseling services. Allow employees to use their sick time to use this on-site service. Companies can consider the message they send employees by offering this service, and companies can consider the impact on the organization overall when they support employees’ mental health.
Provide confidential follow-up to ensure that employees are actually utilizing these services and finding them helpful
When companies create benefits packages for their employees, they want to make sure that the benefits provided are of value. Feedback about service utilization and/or anonymous surveys about the usefulness of the counseling benefits can be helpful to the company. Based on that information, companies can increase services, encourage more employees to utilize the service, and/or seek out a counseling practice that might be a better fit.
Communicate with the counseling practice to keep them informed of any changes or concerns related to employee mental health
This can help ensure that the services provided by the counseling practice are tailored to the specific needs of your employees. This communication can happen while still maintaining client confidentiality.
By partnering with a counseling practice and implementing these strategies, you can create a more supportive and healthy work environment for your employees and help them manage stress and improve their mental health. Actions like these demonstrate–in action-that your employees’ mental health matters.
Workplace Wellness Programs
LifeSpring Counseling Services offers Workplace Wellness Services that include educational workshops, experiential workshops, and retreats. If you believe that your workplace could benefit from these services, you can 1. share this information with your supervisor or company CEO, or 2. if you are the person in charge, just fill out this form.
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