Workplace counselling

Counselling in the Workplace

Psychology Melbourne’s team of expert workplace psychologists deal every day with a large variety of issues that affect the psychological wellbeing and mental health of employees.

Issues such as job uncertainty, high demands, rapid management changes, role stress, bullying and low social support can lead to depression and/or anxiety. This can result in work-related stress, burn-out, trauma and even suicide.

Regular exposure to danger and crisis can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and depersonalisation.

We help individuals resolve problems that may be adversely affecting both their work and personal lives.

What we can help with

Psychology Melbourne's team of workplace experts work with individuals and their families on a broad range of work-related issues.

They can help with a variety of different issues, including,

Psychology Melbourne’s EAP Program

Psychology Melbourne offers its own Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to small, medium and larger organisations to foster the psychological wellbeing and mental health of their employees.

Our corporate psychologists provide additional organisational services, including coaching for managers, executives and CEOs; psychometric testing and other team building services. Read more about our EAP services.

Our Workplace Therapies

Psychology Melbourne’s workplace psychologists use a number of different therapeutic approaches, depending on their particular practice background, the presenting issues and the couple’s concerns.

At times they might use a combination of techniques. They may need to address challenging behavioural and communication patterns, sexual, intimacy and other contextual issues which be affecting the couple’s relationship.

All of the therapies used in our practice have a sound theoretical basis and are supported by the evidence of research comparing different treatments and systematic reviews.

• Brief Solution Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Relaxation Techniques
• Interpersonal Therapy Counselling
• Positive Psychology
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Schema Therapy
• Family Therapy

When should you seek help?

Many employees leave it too long to seek counselling. They feel ashamed or weak and try to manage alone. They may start taking days off or dread going to work every day. They may not confide in their fellow employees for fear of losing their jobs.

They may take their worries home and burden their partners and families with long lists of complaints about work or become silent and withdrawn.

Just as with medical issues, the sooner you identify the problem and start addressing it, the more likely you will have a better outcome. Listen when a good friend suggests you see a therapist – and take action - and the faster you can get back to enjoying life.

If you think that you or someone at work may be experiencing mental health issues, Psychology Melbourne’s Mental Health Checks can help. They are a cost-effective, confidential way to give you more insight into your current state of mental health. It includes a mental health test plus a15-minute telephone consultation with one of our registered psychologists.

Here are some signs for when your mental health is in trouble.

Signs that you may need counselling

If you’ve been noticing that your mental health has started to deteriorate, or your partner, family of friends are concerned about you, it may be time to seek professional help.

It’s never too early to start therapy, in fact seeing a psychologist before things get more difficult can be more beneficial and effective in prevention and management of more serious issues in the long run.

There are a range of issues that people seek help for, some of the common ones include:

Depression

Feeling sad every once in a while is normal, but if those feelings persist daily over more than two weeks, and you can’t seem to snap out of it, it could be a sign of depression.

If you have lost interest in your normal social activities, feel miserable, tired all the time and have thoughts of being a failure, you may be experiencing depression.

Anxiety & Stress

Anxiety is the most common mental health problem in Australia. Beyond Blue reports that on average, one in four people – one in three women and one in five men – will experience anxiety at some stage in their life.

Feeling stressed or anxious once in a while is normal, but if those feelings persist daily over more than two weeks, and you feel restless and can’t sleep, it could be a sign of anxiety.

There are different types of anxiety including –generalised anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety and specific phobias.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

If you are feeling worried and anxious most of the time, not just in particular difficult situations, and these feelings are intense and persistent, you may be suffering from GAD.

If a person’s work, health, family and/or financial issues are being negatively affected and appear out of control, it may be time for them to get help.

Panic Disorder

Panic attacks are often mistaken for a heart attack. They are usually intense and uncontrollable feelings with physical symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and sweating. Panic disorder is when panic attacks occur regularly for a month.

This can be very debilitating at work and cause absences and time off work.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Feeling nervous sometimes in social situations when you don’t know many people is normal, but if those feelings are intense and a person is afraid of being judged, criticised, laughed at or humiliated in front of others, they may be experiencing social anxiety.

A person may also have an intense fear presenting to work colleagues, speaking publicly, having meals with fellow employees or making small talk, which can impact negatively on their career.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

When a person experiences anxious and disturbing thoughts, they may start using certain behaviours or rituals (or compulsions) repeatedly to calm themselves.

They may feel compelled to repeatedly wash their hands to alleviate their obsessive fear of contamination and also to keep their loved ones safe by not contaminating them. They may also suffer from procrastination and repeatedly delay or postpone tasks and be unable to follow through on what they are expected to do.

People with OCD may also have recurrent, persistent, intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that cause anxiety or distress, which they unable to control for more than a short period of time.

For example, they suffer from perfectionism – the need for their work to feel perfect - and may stay at work after hours continually checking for errors and never being able to meet deadlines.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Feeling anxious and concerned following a traumatic event, such as an accident, an assault or another disaster, is normal but if those feelings persist and a person starts having flash backs of the event or losing time, they may be experiencing symptoms of post traumatic stress.

If the person has been having upsetting dreams and not able to relax for at least a month, it may be time to get professional help.

Suicide Prevention

When a person experiences an enduring unbearable emotional pain, they may start to think “Sometimes I feel like I just want to die?” They may start to self harm, or isolate themselves, feel ‘worthless’ and even start giving things away.

If someone talks to you about harming themselves or suicide, its important to take them seriously as its often a warning sign.

If you think that you or someone you know at work may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, don’t hesitate to seek professional help.

The majority of our psychologists work in the Melbourne CBD Clinic and the rest in different locations across Melbourne. You can call our reception on 03 96291001 or email us at info@psychologymelbourne.com.au.

Grief and Loss

Feeling sad and grieving for a significant loss is a natural response, but it can lead to feelings of prolonged, intense sadness, insomnia, poor appetite and weight loss. This can affect a person’s ability to work, their relationships at work and their day-to-day living. The experience of grief can come from the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a pregnancy, a job, a way of life or even a pet.

Loss can also come from life transitions such as when children leave home, separation from friends and family and infertility.

Drugs and Alcohol

If you are feeling low, the use of alcohol and illicit drugs can appear to help with your problems but they soon become a problem in itself. A person can start to rely on them too much and may develop a full blown addiction.

These addictive substances can cause symptoms of depression and anxiety or make an existing problem worse, and make recovery much harder. They can cause relationship breakdowns, loss of friends, and lead to serious accidents at work and even law breaking.

Self Harm and Self Injury

Feeling distressed or overwhelmed by fearful thoughts or memories can become so intense that to relieve the tension, a person may start deliberately hurting their body. They may feel alone or want to punish themselves due to feelings of guilt or shame.

The most common form is cutting, but there are many other ways of self harming such as burning, punching the body, or scratching sores.

Self harming is usually done in secret so it is not visible on body. It may give only a short term relief and then needs to be repeated.

Mental Health Checks

If you think that you or someone you know at work may be having any of the above mental health issues, Psychology Melbourne’s Mental Health Checks can help. They are a cost-effective, confidential way to give you more insight into your current state of mental health. It includes a mental health test plus a 15-minute telephone consultation with one of our registered psychologists.

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