Occupational Health Counselling

We offer employees counselling during times of need with the aim of enabling people to remain in work or to return to work following sickness absence through the provision of additional support.

Occupational Health Counselling provides a sounding board for an employee, a safe place to talk about issues troubling them, allowing counsellors to work with them to find their own solutions to problems or develop better ways to manage issues. It is not about giving advice, but about providing a non-judgmental, empathic and accessible means to allow an employee to find a way forward.

When Listening Ear accepts a VIDA referral, the employee will be offered a telephone assessment. This assessment is used to understand issues in more depth and clinically, to assess whether Listening Ear’s service can address the needs of the individual. Following assessment, six, 50 minute telephone counselling sessions will be offered. These typically occur weekly, at the same time each week.

Currently, any employee of Liverpool City Council, Knowsley Council, Sefton Council, St Helens Council and Torus can refer or be referred to Listening Ear for support. In addition, if you are enrolled in an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) at work, they may also refer you to VIDA and support you to claim the cost of counselling back via the EAP. Listening Ear’s VIDA service is fully accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and employs BACP Accredited counsellors and therefore we can be used in any EAP supply chain.

VIDA

The benefit of using Listening Ear in an occupational health supply chain is that the ‘spend’ is reinvested back into the delivery of our free community services. By spending your money with us, you can help a child bereaved of a parent, a child in care or a child experiencing domestic abuse in the home to get free support. In business speak, this means that it delivers against a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility and ethical procurement agendas.

  • "Everyone I spoke to was extremely helpful the process was excellent."
  • "Just a huge thank you! The counselling has helped me make positive changes in my life."
  • "My first time of counselling and I have found it a deeply rewarding experience, that has made me a better person."
  • "A perfect balance of listening, supporting, advising and empowering me based on her skills of understanding my needs."
  • "Amazing! Full of great advice, really useful resources. Exceptional! Thank you."
  • "An absolute star - I feel I can reason and resolve my anxiety quicker thanks to the tools she taught me to use."
  • "Benefitted more from counselling than I have done in the past. Very easy and enjoyable to talk to."
  • "Brilliant - very understanding and willing to listen to me. Very professional but caring, friendly and compassionate. I feel I gained a greater understanding of my grieving process and the different emotions I was having."
  • "The counsellor has been a great support and has helped me get back to my old self. She has given me so much help and advice to help me on my journey through life, i am feeling back on track. I can't thank all at Listening Ear enough for all you have done for me. It has been a lovely experience."

Outcomes

82.4% indicated that following therapy their overall wellbeing was in the top 2 quintiles.