Counselling Services
If short-term counselling is deemed appropriate, our services can provide support on a wide range of mental health concerns to employees. The primary counselling model we use is solution-focused brief therapy. This involves a move away from the analysis of problems to the discovery of solutions that are already at work in an individual’s life. The therapy concentrates on helping individuals identify the skills, strengths, and resources that are already present and moves them towards a solution. This model has been proven effective in helping address employees’ personal and professional issues, helping them to avoid being absent from work, and helping them to return to work as quickly as possible.
Our clinical counselling services are available 24/7 and are delivered through our EAP (Employee Assistance Program) provider’s service centre in Toronto, Ontario. If necessary, back-up services will be provided via Raleigh, NC.
Access Options
We understand that different people will prefer to access the EAP in very different ways. While the telephone will be the preferred method for some, others will prefer to send us an instant message or an e-mail. For this reason, we offer several options for accessing the service. Access point options include:
Assessment
During the initial intake, all clinical calls receive a thorough telephonic clinical assessment that includes:
Assessment concludes with the development of a treatment plan that details the short-term focus (the actual content of the sessions), as well as clearly identifying the goals that have been agreed upon with the client.
Our clinical assessment measures psychosocial factors to determine the need and urgency for an appointment. The process is conducted using our proprietary assessment and case management tool that evaluates performance in such areas as personal well-being, interpersonal relationships, and performance of social roles including work performance. Within each of these areas, specific issues are explored in more detail during the assessment. For example, in the area of personal well-being, various issues that are examined include physical health, mental health, stress, and medication. In respect to workplace performance, the assessment includes attendance and work functioning.
The assessment identifies and examines the issues presented by the employee, as well as relevant background history, initial goals, and current risk factors. Aside from the severity of the problem, risks to the self and others plays a key role in determining the need and urgency of an appointment. Since our services are available 24/7, service provision can either be immediate emotional support and crisis intervention or they can take the shape of a more structured telephonic counselling relationship that resembles face-to-face sessions. If required, an appropriate safety plan can be discussed and implemented immediately with employees who are at immediate risk of harm to self or others.
Following the assessment, appointments for non-urgent problems are typically offered to the employee within two working days of his or her initial contact with the EAP. They are scheduled to begin within five working days of the counsellor accepting the case. Emergency calls receive top priority and an experienced counsellor is always available on short notice. Same-day appointments are arranged for urgent problems.
Structured Face-To-Face or Telephonic Counselling
If after the assessment, counselling is deemed appropriate, the case manager will organize the individual’s support. The employee in need will be matched with a counsellor who meets his or her particular needs and preferences (e.g., gender, ethnic background, or experience in a particular area). Counselling sessions are arranged at a time and location convenient for the user, including after hours and on weekends as necessary. A counsellor will be appointed within two business days from the time of the telephone assessment, and the first session will be available within five business days of the assessment.
Referrals to Long-Term Counselling or Other Specialist Services
The counselling services delivered through Employee Assistance Programs may have some limitations. Short-term counselling may not be adequate to meet every individual’s needs. If the initial assessment establishes that long-term specialist counselling is required, or if this is identified at an early stage of the counselling process, we can offer resources to ensure that the employee is placed on the path he or she needs to get more intensive support. Where an individual is referred for long-term treatment to a specialist agency, the EAP includes follow-ups when appropriate to ensure that the employee is receiving the best support possible.
Quality Oversight
At Wellness Factors, we are very proud of and serious about our commitment to quality. Our commitment to providing mental and relationship healthcare is a genuine part of our everyday culture. It isn’t just some gimmick that we talk about to improve sales. Wellness Factors takes a proactive approach to ensure that we deliver the highest quality products and services to our clients and their employees.
Case Audits
All EAP counsellors, both in-house and in our partner’s affiliate network, have their casework reviewed formally on a monthly basis. This involves a structured quality audit procedure that is in addition to ad hoc reviews and supervised case discussions. Clinical supervisors randomly review 10 cases per counsellor per month (or 10%, whichever is higher) to monitor overall quality and accuracy, as well as clinical protocols.
Under the direct oversight of a case manager, all affiliate counsellors must deliver services as trained by the team, and must do so with our global case management system. This includes the use of a standardized intake and assessment process.
Call Audits
Service quality managers and team leaders conduct silent monitoring of live calls and audit call recordings. A minimum of three intake calls and three outgoing calls per counsellor are monitored each month. This is an average of three to five percent of the overall monthly call volume. Additional monitoring and mentoring is assigned for staff who are in training and/or on performance improvement plans.
ISO 9001:2008
Our service provider’s centers hold ISO 9001:2008 certification. ISO 9001 is an international quality certification that defines requirements for a company’s quality management system (QMS). A company’s QMS comprises the organization’s policies, procedures, and other requirements that ensure consistent customer satisfaction. ISO awards certification only after a lengthy application process, an internal audit, and an audit by an independent external certification body.
Outcomes Measurements
In addition to formal case manager oversight, every session is evaluated with our Evolution Case Outcome Management System (ECOMS) case monitoring program. ECOMS measures the effectiveness of our clinical services at each point of access. This information is available in real time and supports the case manager in evaluating the effectiveness of counselling at each session—a process that allows our counsellors to intervene where necessary to direct the type of therapy being utilized and the relationship between the employee and the clinician.
Counsellor Requirements & Credentials
At a minimum, our counsellors have a master’s degree in counselling psychology or other relevant field and are members of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). The majority of telephonic counsellors and case managers have significant experience gained over a period of many years of professional clinical practice.
Our counsellor training program is delivered primarily by internal clinical staff, but also includes specific training from our account management team and recognized experts in specific fields on various subjects, including the history of EAPs, serving the corporate customer, risk assessment, handling suicidal clients on the telephone, substance abuse assessment, crisis intervention/trauma response, handling management referrals, flagged cases for high risk (including third-party disclosure), and unique client skills training. A training plan is developed for all counsellors in order to ensure widespread competencies.
At minimum, our face-to-face counsellors must:
