When Workplace Mental Health Support Feels Real (and When It Doesn’t)

Workplace mental health support is everywhere now, but not all of it is working. Many organisations have resources in place, yet uptake is low, trust is thin, and employees often stay silent until things reach crisis point.

One recent study found that fewer than 5% of employees actively use traditional Employee Assistance Programmes (Spill, 2023). Even in businesses with generous policies, people frequently describe the support as too impersonal, inconsistent, or difficult to access. The problem isn’t always what’s offered. It’s how it’s offered, and whether it genuinely feels safe, human, and usable.

What Meaningful Support Actually Looks Like

In therapeutic terms, effective workplace support requires relational consistency. It’s not just about giving people options. It’s about whether someone can form a therapeutic relationship that feels steady enough to trust.

According to McLeod (2021), in-house counselling delivered by a consistent therapist produces far stronger clinical outcomes than ad-hoc or outsourced services. In that study, over 70% of employees reported meaningful improvements in wellbeing when offered consistent, confidential counselling through their workplace.

What makes it work?

• A single, known therapist - not a new person each time

• Confidentiality that’s protected, not vague or implied

• Time to build trust, not just solve problems

• Permission to speak freely, without performance pressure or productivity framing

In essence: support that feels like therapy, not a check-in.

Why Standard Models Often Fall Short

Traditional workplace support often struggles to meet these conditions. Common issues include:

• Sessions limited to 3 or 6, with no continuity

• Referral processes that feel clinical or gatekept

• Uncertainty around confidentiality

• Support presented as a benefit, not a relationship

These barriers make sense in large systems, but they don’t make people feel met. In practice, employees are unlikely to engage when the process feels evaluative, rushed, or emotionally distant.

A More Human Model

At The Farley, I offer a different model of workplace mental health support: person-centred, confidential, and embedded within the rhythm of your business, but independent from the system.

I work with organisations across the South East (including London and Southampton) to provide:

• A consistent presence - half day or full-day every week

• Therapeutic relationships, not rotating appointments

• A space employees can trust as their own

• Delivery that suits your culture: on-site, remote, or hybrid

Although I liaise with HR or leadership to implement the service, the work is strictly confidential. What is said in the room stays in the room. Not because it's a slogan, but because it’s clinical practice.

What Tends to Happen When It Works

When people feel emotionally supported, change happens. Not because it’s measured, but because it’s felt.

You may begin to notice:

• Greater emotional steadiness through pressure and change

• More thoughtful communication and conflict resolution

• Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism

• A culture where people can be human, and stay

These aren’t promises. But they are common outcomes - when support is consistent, confidential, and centred on the person, not the role.

Explore This Further

Therapy for Employees That Works Because It Feels Human

What Is a Workplace Counsellor — and Why Might Your Team Need One?

You can read more about how this looks in practice in The Farley’s employee counselling offering.

If you're looking for something deeper than policy - a therapeutic space your team can trust - I’d be happy to speak with you. Email Esther: esther@thefarley.co.uk.

Further Reading & References

McLeod, J. (2021). Does Workplace Counselling Work? Cambridge University Press

Spill Chat. (2023). Workplace Counselling in the UK: Everything You Need to Know. Spill.chat

CIPD. (2023). Health and Wellbeing at Work Report. CIPD.co.uk