EAP Counselling for Your Staff and Their Families

EAP Counselling: Private, Short-Term Support for Your People

EAP stands for Employee Assistance Program. It is support a workplace offers its staff. EAP counselling gives your people one-to-one time with a qualified counsellor, away from the job.

Picture a worker who is grieving, stretched thin or worried about family. They keep turning up, but their mind is elsewhere. EAP counselling gives them time to talk with someone outside the workplace.

Many workplaces include an EAP in their staff wellbeing plan. Read our guide to learn what an employee assistance program is and how it works.

Who can use EAP counselling?

Employees and their immediate family members can use EAP counselling at Ararat Wellness. Trouble at home can show up at work. Work stress can follow people home too.

EAP counselling can support people across a workplace, from the paddock to the front office. Your workplace agreement sets who is covered and how many sessions are included.

Short-term support with a clear next step

EAP counselling is short-term by design. It aims to help a person take stock, set a goal and build coping strategies.

Some people need more time. Your EAP counsellor can talk through options such as private counselling or a referral to another service. If loss is the main concern, see our grief counselling support.

Want to offer EAP services to your team? Call us for a chat about what fits your workplace.

Inside an EAP Counselling Session: Talk, Plan, Next Step

An EAP counselling session is a one-to-one conversation at the person’s own pace. The counsellor listens first, then works with the person on a plan that fits their life.

A course of EAP counselling may look like this:

1. First session: talk about what is going on, set goals and cover the limits of confidentiality.
2. Middle sessions: try practical ways to cope. Your EAP counsellor may use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
3. Final session: look back at what helped, plan next steps and talk about any referral.

Every person’s needs are different, so the plan can change along the way.

Face to face in Ararat or online from home

Staff can meet a counsellor at our practice at 64 High Street, Ararat. Workers on farms, on the road or in small towns can use secure telehealth from anywhere in Australia. Learn more about online counselling for rural Australia.

Telehealth is not suitable for all situations. Your counsellor may suggest an in-person session or another service instead.

Meet your EAP counsellors

The counsellors below belong to the Australian Counselling Association (ACA). Counsellors are not psychologists. Counselling is a self-regulated profession in Australia, and ACA members follow the association’s Code of Ethics and Practice.

Karen Ceccon is Director of Ararat Wellness. She holds a Master of Counselling, a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) and a Diploma of Counselling. She is a Level 4 ACA member and a member of its College of Supervisors.

Lauren Walker is a Registered Counsellor with the ACA. She holds a Diploma of Counselling and is studying a Bachelor of Social Science. Lauren uses CBT, ACT, Narrative Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy and expressive approaches.

Meet the Ararat Wellness counselling team on our team page. Want your staff to know what to expect? Share this section when you introduce EAP counselling at work.

Private Sessions, Clear Limits: How EAP Confidentiality Works

EAP counselling is confidential. Your employer is not told what is said in a session. There are some limits, and your EAP counsellor explains them at the start.

What your employer can and cannot see

HR managers ask what they will hear back. Staff ask the same thing from the other side. This table sets it out.

Your employer can see	Your employer cannot see
Details of your EAP agreement, such as who is covered	What anyone talks about in a session
How staff can book	Session notes or client records
Usage numbers with no names, if your agreement includes them	Names of staff or family who use the service, unless the person agrees

The same rules apply if a manager suggests a staff member book a session. The manager does not hear what is said.

When can a counsellor share information?

The ACA Code of Ethics and Practice (Version 16, 2022) covers this in clause 4.7. It refers to cases where a counsellor has good grounds to believe “serious harm may occur to the client or to other people”. Any sharing should be kept to what is needed.

In practice, details may be shared when:

• There is a serious risk of harm to the client or someone else.
• The law requires it, such as a court order.
• The client gives written consent, for example so the counsellor can contact another service for them.

Where it can, the counsellor talks with the person first. The code says this decision is normally made after talking with a counselling supervisor.

Share this table with your team so everyone knows where they stand.

Psychosocial Duties Still Apply: What Victorian Employers Should Know

EAP counselling supports your people. It does not replace your health and safety duties. EAP services are one part of a wider plan to manage psychosocial hazards at work.

Your psychosocial duties in Victoria

The Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 started in Victoria on 1 December 2025. WorkSafe Victoria says employers must now “identify psychosocial hazards, take reasonable steps to eliminate or control the associated risks, and review risk controls”.

WorkSafe names hazards such as bullying, sexual harassment, aggression or violence, and exposure to traumatic events or content. EAP counselling can support people affected by these issues. Talk with WorkSafe Victoria or a safety adviser about what your business needs to do.

Think about who in your team works alone, drives long distances or deals with the public. Those roles can carry their own pressures. EAP counselling gives those people a confidential place to turn.

Setting up EAP services at your workplace

Every workplace is different. For setup and pricing, visit our EAP provider services for regional Victoria. You can also call us or send us an enquiry to talk about cover and what an EAP with Ararat Wellness includes.

How your staff book a session

Staff book EAP counselling by calling Ararat Wellness or sending an enquiry. It takes four steps.

1. Check with HR that your workplace has an EAP with Ararat Wellness.
2. Call us or use our contact page. Name your workplace so we can confirm access.
3. Choose an in-person or telehealth session.
4. Meet your counsellor and talk about what you need.

Pin these steps on the staff noticeboard or add them to your induction pack. That way your people know where to go for support.

Disclaimer: This page is general information only. It does not replace advice about your own situation. Individual experiences of counselling vary. Counselling does not guarantee a particular outcome. If you are in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000 in an emergency.