Wellbeing Partners In The Media
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Bridging the Gap: Why Workplace Mental Health Support Isn’t Meeting Employee Demand
Why In-House Counselling Works Dedicated workplace specialists – Counsellors familiar with organisational life can relate to the pressures of hybrid work, high workloads, and team conflict, helping employees feel understood. Flexible access and clear confidentiality – Staff can choose in-person or online sessions, reducing logistical barriers and reinforcing trust. Support for all levels of need – Unlike many EAPs that set thresholds, in-house counsellors support everyone—from employees facing mild stress to those experiencing trauma or chronic mental-health difficulties. Preventive and performance-focused – Early, person-centred support prevents escalation, strengthens resilience, and improves attendance and engagement.
Bridging the Gap: Why Workplace Mental Health Support Isn’t Meeting Employee Demand
The Limits of the Traditional EAP Conventional EAPs were created decades ago to offer brief interventions for everyday issues such as financial stress or family problems. But modern employees are grappling with more complex and persistent challenges: burnout, anxiety, trauma, and neurodivergent mental-health needs. As I often tell employers, the EAP model itself has become outdated. Subscription-based schemes can encourage low-touch, high-volume delivery that misses the personalised care employees now expect. The result is that organisations pay annual fees for services few people access, while those who do often find the support too generic to help.
Workplace counselling demand increases while access falls
Lou Campbell, founder and director at mental health service Wellbeing Partners, told HR magazine: "Many organisations are realising that traditional Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) often don’t deliver what employees actually need." She explained that EAPs can feel inaccessible and impersonal, and the subscription model often means companies pay for support that isn’t fully used. Campbell suggested that employers can use a pay-as-you-use model, adding that “when workplace mental health support is approachable and meets the needs of employees, they will use it.”
How to boost engagement with men’s health support
Confidential counselling is also an effective way to reach men in the workplace, says Lou Campbell, employee counsellor, wellbeing coach and programmes director of Wellbeing Partners. “Having a dedicated counselling team that provides confidential and easily accessible support for burnout, relationship issues, substance misuse, insomnia, as well as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, ensures a greater take up of individualised care for each male employee who requires it,” she adds. Another way to support male employees is to encourage them to seek help and utilise existing support, such as health screening benefits or employee assistance programmes. Offering incentives for healthy behaviours and seeking feedback on health initiatives can also be useful.
Married at First Sight counselling ‘nothing like the real thing’
Lou Campbell, a relationship counsellor, explains that the telling-off "is entirely made for TV" as qualified therapists "challenge behaviours" but don't scold their clients. She thinks the matchmakers using this technique is concerning because "many participants seem quite vulnerable and could benefit from real individual therapy".
World Mental Health Day: making workplaces more mindful
The number of people experiencing mental health issues in the workplace remains high. A quarter of UK workers have reported being unable to cope with the stresses and pressures of the workplace, whilst last year one in five employees took time off work because of mental health issues. Shockingly, more than 50% of all sick leave in the UK is a result of stress, depression or anxiety. Part of this is the mental health legacy of the pandemic, but there is much in the day-to-day demands of the workplace that is contributing to these issues. Long hours, being on call for emails and messages outside work hours, the shifts in energy required by hybrid working, a lack of work-life balance and troubles with workplace relationships are all factors contributing to mental health pressures and if people do not have the support and tools to cope, then the workplace mental health...
World Mental Health Day 10 October 2024 – this year’s theme is “Workplace Mental Health”
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, taking place on 10th October, is “It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”. It’s a much needed opportunity to focus our attention on the mental health challenges faced in the modern workplace. Long hours, being on-call for emails and messages outside work hours, the shifts in energy required by hybrid working, a lack of work-life balance and troubles with workplace relationships. These are all factors contributing to mental health pressures and if people do not have the support and tools to cope, then the workplace mental health crisis will continue. In this article, Lou Campbell, Workplace counselling psychotherapist, and director of Wellbeing Partners, outlines small but important changes that can be woven into our day to help us build the foundations of good mental health at work.
Championing Mental Health for Neurodivergent Talent in the Workplace
“In my work as a mental health professional and neurodiversity specialist, I see the intersectionality of neurodivergence and mental health issues on a daily basis, and it is a topic that is frequently underestimated and misunderstood.” Marilouise (Lou) Campbell , Employee Mental Health Counsellor and Director of Wellbeing Partners
Stress bragging: what is it and what should HR do about it?
Lou Campbell, director of Wellbeing Partners, told People Management she has experienced the impact these employees have on themselves and others: “The stress-bragger ends up extremely burnt out, often in tears a lot, often struggling to sleep, just not coping. “Their colleagues dislike them, partially because of the bad energy that comes out of someone who’s constantly stressed, but also because they’re often used as the model for how much work you should be doing.”

