Workplace counseling works!
16 November 2001
Last January the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy published a major new study by Professor John McLeod of the University of Abertay, Dundee, showing that Counselling can reduce levels of stress in the workplace by more than 50 per cent.
It also revealed that:
* Counselling in the workplace could also reduce levels of sickness and absence
by between 25-50%.
* Workplace counseling is effective in relieving the symptoms of both anxiety
and depression.
* “People who need workplace counseling show signs of psychological distress
equivalent to that found in out-patient psychiatric hospitals” (Professor
McLeod).
* Successful results can be achieved after as little as 3-8 sessions of counseling.
* Workplace counseling at least covers its financial costs.
Now under the auspices of our division the Association for Counselling at Work
(ACW) we are launching a one-day conference on November 23rd at London House,
Mecklenburgh Square, London to report the most recent Advances in Measuring
the Effectiveness and Quality of Workplace Counseling.
This will not only bring the McLeod Report up to date but also help launch
‘CORE-PC’ - the first standardized software system for use by counselors and
other psychological therapists to evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency
with clients - in a form specially adapted to workplace counseling. The
highlight of the day is the presentation of new results from one of the largest
studies ever undertaken on the effectiveness of workplace counseling.
The launch of CORE for workplace counseling builds on five years research and
development rolling-out a national implementation program within the National
Health Service.
The aim of the CORE Workplace Counselling Study has been to collect data on 1500
clients, and to benchmark variations across services, in terms of client
characteristics, service provision, and beneficial outcomes. Seven counseling
services spent eight months piloting this revised version of CORE for workplace counseling
audit, evaluation and outcome - and their findings will build on Professor
McLeod’s conclusion that workplace counseling is highly effective.
Among other results, this latest study shows that workplace counseling has the
potential to:
- improve mental health for 78% of clients
- reduce rates of sickness/absence
- raise workplace performance
- deliver counseling to a population that aave ‘soldiered on’ far too long
with adverse consequences
"However much we try to minimize sources of stress in the workplace and
however much we work to improve employees' resilience to pressure, we cannot
influence what happens to our people outside the workplace and we have to
acknowledge that there will always be some people who will need help. The
provision of counseling services through an Employee Assistance Program ensures
that our staff always has somewhere to turn when life's pressures start to build
up. Whether the primary source of stress lies within or outside the workplace,
its early resolution will facilitate a rapid return to productivity by removing
the distraction and worry caused by the unresolved problem". Dr Marian
Roden, Senior Medical Director, Corporate Health Management, SmithKline Beecham,
UK