Mental Health Support Programme
What is the Mental Health Support Programme?
The Mental Health Support Programme (MHSP) was formerly known as the Employee Assistance Progamme (EAP). It is a confidential and independent counselling and information service available to all employees.
What does the service provide?
The MHSP provides a freephone support line giving employees access to telephone counselling, practical information and guidance for both personal and work related issues. If appropriate, short-term brief therapy counselling can be arranged for you.
Why is my organisation providing this service?
Your organisation is committed to caring for the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees. It can be difficult to separate our home and work lives and it is not always possible to leave problems at home when you come to work, or at work before you go home. The MHSP is provided as a resource should you wish to discuss your problems confidentially and outside the workplace. The service can also be contacted online through vClub.
When is the service available?
The MHSP is available 7 days a week all year round.
Who provides the service on behalf of your organisation?
The service is provided by The Validium Group, part of the HealthHero group a professional, longstanding organisation that runs mental health support services for many organisations.
Who pays for the service?
The service is funded by your organisation. There is no cost to employees for any of the services provided by Validium.
Who is entitled to use the service?
All employees in the UK (variations to this will depend on the contract Validium has in place with your organisation).
In addition, the service is available to the following:
- Your partner or spouse and other family members living in the same household with you
- Your dependent children in full time education living away from home between the ages of 16 and 23
How often can I access the service?
You can contact the service whenever you need ad-hoc counselling support or information to help with a legal, money, debt or health and wellbeing issue. You may be referred, where appropriate, for further short-term brief telephone, face to face or online therapy sessions.
Telephone services
What happens when I call in?
You will initially be given a list of options to choose from. Your call will then be answered by Validium’s clinical team. The team member will assess your needs and will direct you to the service most appropriate for you.
What information will I be asked for when I call?
You will be asked for your organisation’s name, your name and contact details (which are held securely) and other details to enable us to give your organisation the required general statistical feedback. No personally identifying information is passed back to your organisation. If your call is about counselling issues, you may be asked some standard risk questions for your own safety.
What types of issue can I talk to the counsellors about?
Any issues that might be affecting your work or personal life, such as work/personal relationships, stress and work concerns.
What information services are available for me?
Validium’s MHSP provides information, signposting and guidance on:
- Legal matters such as consumer rights, property, landlord/tenant, family and motoring law
- Money matters, including managing creditors, budgeting and debt management plans
- Health and wellbeing information on lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise, sleep, health and medical concerns
What happens if there is no clinical team member free to take a call?
Should this happen, you will be given an option to either remain on hold until a clinical team member becomes available or to leave a voicemail to request a call back.
How can I use the service if I have a hearing impediment?
Download the Relay UK App to contact the MHSP.
Counselling
What counselling services are available?
Our clinical team will conduct a telephone assessment and will discuss with you the most appropriate counselling intervention for your needs. Typically one of the following:
Ad Hoc Telephone Counselling Support
This takes the form of a single counselling session to provide support in the here and now.
Structured Telephone Counselling
Telephone counselling sessions will be arranged with a dedicated counsellor at a time that is convenient for you. You will be contacted by your dedicated telephone counsellor confirming your first session.
Face to Face Counselling
Face to Face counselling will be arranged for you, using our network of counsellors or psychologists at a convenient location to your preferred postcode. You will receive a call from your dedicated counsellor confirming your first session.
cCBT (On-line CBT)
There are two different forms of cCBT available:
- Self-managed – where you will be given an access code and online workbooks for your cCBT self-managed programme.
- Supported cCBT – where you will be given an access code, online workbooks and support from a dedicated telephone counsellor who will assist you with your cCBT programme.
E-counselling
E-counselling can be accessed via the vClub portal once you have established your own unique user account (see later online service section). This service is available to individuals who may prefer to work with a counsellor via email style message rather than talking. E-counselling can take the form of a single email, such as an enquiry about the services or where appropriate, provide structured e-counselling sessions. There may be occasions when it is more appropriate for an individual to call the support line, if so, this would be explained in counsellor’s response.
Other counselling information
How is Validium’s network of counsellors and psychologists selected?
Validium has a rigorous selection process. We use a network of qualified counsellors, accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Health and Care Professions Council, the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and/or psychologists chartered by the British Psychological Society.
Where does the Face to Face Counselling take place?
The counselling will take place at the counsellor’s or psychologist’s consulting rooms. Sometimes this will be a private address, as many counselling resources run private practices from home.
What happens at the end of my counselling sessions?
You will be asked to provide feedback on the service via an anonymous questionnaire. Should you need further help with the problem, additional local resources will be discussed with you.
What happens if I leave my organisation in the middle of counselling?
If you are part way through a set of sessions when you leave the organisation, these will be completed.
What if I am not satisfied with my counsellor?
You can call into the MHSP support line to address this and discuss other options.
What if a MHSP is not appropriate for my needs?
Structured counselling sessions within the brief therapy MHSP model are not appropriate for all counselling needs. The Validium clinical team will discuss the suitability of this support during your initial call. If MHSP support is not appropriate for your needs now, you will be signposted to more appropriate support services, for example: your GP, local counselling groups, Citizen’s Advice, Cruise, Relate and local drug, alcohol and gambling support services.
Managers and the MHSP
Does having the MHSP change my relationships with my Manager or HR?
No. The MHSP is provided as an additional and independent source of support. You should continue to communicate with your line Managers and HR Department where appropriate.
Can Managers use the service to help them to support staff more effectively?
Managers can use the service, for either their own personal or work-related issues as with any employee, in their own right. Additionally, they can consult the counsellors confidentially about how best to support the people who work for them.
Can Managers recommend that I use the MHSP?
Sometimes people will call the service at the prompting of someone else – a colleague, their Manager or someone in HR, for example. Your Manager may suggest that you call for help if he or she is concerned about you.
Can my organisation insist that I use the MHSP?
No. Contacting the MHSP is voluntary. Even if your Manager says that you should call, it is still your choice whether you make contact and what feedback you choose to give, if any.
Does having the MHSP change my relationships with my Manager or HR?
No. The MHSP is provided as an additional and independent source of support. You should continue to communicate with your line Managers and HR Department where appropriate.
Can Managers use the service to help them to support staff more effectively?
Managers can use the service, for either their own personal or work-related issues as with any employee, in their own right. Additionally, they can consult the counsellors confidentially about how best to support the people who work for them.
Can Managers recommend that I use the MHSP?
Sometimes people will call the service at the prompting of someone else – a colleague, their Manager or someone in HR, for example. Your Manager may suggest that you call for help if he or she is concerned about you.
Can my organisation insist that I use the MHSP?
No. Contacting the MHSP is voluntary. Even if your Manager says that you should call, it is still your choice whether you make contact and what feedback you choose to give, if any.
Online service
vClub
The vClub online portal and ‘My vClub’ App give you access to hundreds of downloadable self-help sheets. You can also listen to podcasts, sign up to newsletters and access secure, confidential online counselling. To access vClub, please use your personal account details. If you do not already have these, please see your organisation’s promotional materials for the general username and password needed to set up your own personal profile. To access the ’My vClub’ App you will need to be a member of vClub already. Just use your personal account login details.
Confidentiality
Is the service confidential?
The MHSP is a confidential service. No information about individuals or specific problems will go back to the organisation.
Are there any limits to the confidentiality?
The MHSP will only intervene – and if necessary break confidentiality – if you, someone else, or your organisation is in danger of being harmed by your, or someone else’s actions.
How confidential are work-related issues?
Work-related problems are treated just as confidentially as all other issues.
Quality
What standards does the MHSP operate to?
Validium, who run the MHSP service, are a registered provider with the Employee Assistance Professionals Association and work to their quality standards. The company is also registered to the standards of ISO 9001, for Quality Management and ISO 27001 for Information Security.
Feedback
What information is passed back to my organisation?
The only information the organisation will receive is in the form of high level statistical and reporting information, essentially to confirm whether the service is being used and the types of calls. No individual identifying information is provided.