By Lou Campbell, Clinical Director, Wellbeing Partners Ltd | 11 November 2026
In short: High-profile sexual assault convictions and allegations in the news can bring painful memories to the surface for employees, especially when a story involves a power imbalance or the workplace. Wellbeing Partners provides pay-as-you-use trauma counselling for UK employers, delivered in person or online by BACP-registered counsellors.
Recent high-profile sexual assault convictions and allegations, including some relating to the workplace, have been all over the news. For many survivors, a conviction is welcome. It can also bring painful memories to the surface, particularly when a story involves a power imbalance or something that happened at work.
What you may notice in your teams
- Colleagues who seem distressed, withdrawn, irritable or unusually quiet
- Increased sickness absence, or difficulty concentrating
- Conversations that become heated, or that some people avoid
- Disclosures, or questions about how to raise a concern
Our trauma counselling team has heard from many employees from workplaces around the UK over the past few weeks who found the coverage stirring up their own experiences. This is a common response, and past experiences can resurface years or decades later.
How managers can respond
- You don’t need to ask for details. Listen, respond kindly and signpost to support.
- Re-share how people can raise a concern and what happens next.
- Make support easy to find, and say it’s open to anyone, whenever the experience happened.
- Allow reasonable flexibility where possible.
- Review your approach to preventing sexual harassment. Employers in Great Britain have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent it, and requirements have been changing, so check current guidance.
Trauma counselling for employees
One of our services is specialist trauma counselling for employees, including traumas related to historical or recent sexual assault. Our employee counselling service is accessible and flexible, and can be offered on an ad hoc or ongoing basis.
There’s no subscription to commit to, and you pay for the support your employees actually use. Each organisation works with a small, dedicated team of BACP-registered counsellors with over 10 years’ experience in workplace mental health. Employees can be seen in person or online.
Our specialisms include trauma and PTSD, neurodivergence, anxiety and depression, insomnia, burnout and chronic stress, bereavement, workplace relationship difficulties and sickness absence linked to mental health. We can also provide short-notice sessions, support for managers, and advice on responding to disclosures.
Frequently asked questions
How can employers support staff affected by sexual assault in the news?
Listen without asking for details, make support easy to find, re-share how concerns can be raised, and offer access to trauma counselling. Counselling can help whenever the experience happened.
What is pay-as-you-use employee counselling?
It’s a service with no subscription: your organisation pays for the counselling its employees actually use, on an ad hoc or ongoing basis.
Who provides the counselling?
Each organisation works with a small, dedicated team of BACP-registered counsellors with over 10 years’ experience in workplace mental health.
Can counselling help with historical trauma?
Yes. Our counsellors support employees with trauma whether it happened recently or a long time ago.
Where to get support now
- Rape Crisis England & Wales: 0808 802 9999
- Victim Support: 0808 168 9111
- Samaritans (24/7): 116 123
Lou Campbell is the Clinical Director of Wellbeing Partners Ltd, and is a BACP-registered counselling psychotherapist