Is there an alternative to an EAP?

Written by George Stevens, founder of Soother, therapist with a first class BSc in Psychology and Level 4 Diploma in Counselling Studies.

24.45 million UK employees, around three quarters of the British workforce, are covered by an Employee Assistance Programme. Almost none of them use it for therapy.

It usually gets put down to stigma. People not knowing, or wanting to admit they’re struggling, not wanting to phone a call centre. There’s truth in those and it’s the explanation the industry is most comfortable with.

But there’s a simpler and probably more worrying reason and I don’t think it gets said clearly enough, often enough.

Most EAPs are priced on the assumption that hardly anyone will use them.

Why don't employees use their EAP?

There are lots of reasons actually, sometimes stigma, sometimes people don’t want to ask for help, wait times, they don’t want to phone a call centre etc. etc. Reasons I think we’re all familiar with.

According to the industry body, EAPA, in the year to January 2023, 640,250 people contacted their EAP, that’s 2.6%.

434,250 were offered counselling, 1.8% of covered employees. And that’s offered counselling, not actually accessed counselling. Across all of them, EAPs delivered 1.375 million counselling sessions. Roughly three sessions per person offered counselling.

A maximum of 1.8% of people covered actually accessed therapy through their EAP. So for a team of 500, around 9 people access therapy and approximately 491 don’t.

There’s another reason for that and I think it's important to talk about.

How much does an EAP cost?

Prices typically range from £5-£15 per employee, per year. There are even examples of EAPs being free add-ons to other services.

The EAP pricing model is based on the assumption that next to nobody will use it.

Companies typically lock into long term agreements, pay a fixed cost and that’s that. Under that model, the more the EAP is used, the more therapists there are to pay per session. The less the EAP is used, the more profit the EAP makes.

This business model and these prices are incompatible with widespread, regular use and fair therapist pay for highly competent therapists. Something has to give.

So, is there an alternative to Employee Assistance Programmes? What can we do differently to EAPs? Is there an option where employees can access mental health support in a way that’s easy, so that they actually access therapy?

Is there an alternative to an EAP?

We are very clear and transparent about how our business works. Soother takes a small cut from each session that takes place. Companies either pay upfront for a chunk of sessions or simply pay as they go. The exact opposite to the EAP model. We only do well if people actually get support.

Why am I telling you that? Because I think it’s an important part of the problem, and an important part of how we’re solving it. As a company that believes in the benefits of therapy for individuals and workplaces, that feels like the most ethical approach. We promote and encourage therapy use. We have no incentive to limit or block therapy, ever. Profit can never come before actually supporting people.

Because of that, we actively promote our service. I go into workplaces and meet eligible employees in small groups, twenty minutes at a time. I show them how to book a session and I talk about what therapy actually is and isn’t. Some of that’s myth busting, most of it’s just humanising the thing, so people feel like it’s a safe and normal thing to do, which it is.

By the end, everyone knows exactly what’s available and exactly how to get it.

A model as cheap as EAPs only works if usage stays low. Usage stays low for three main reasons. People don’t know what they have access to, don’t know how to use it, or don’t feel comfortable using it. That isn’t a secret in the industry and it isn’t treated as a problem, but it is a big one.

Our onboarding removes all three.

Does workplace therapy actually get used?

As a result, within six months of launching our first partnership, 29% of eligible employees had accessed therapy.

A client also held an event to discuss their innovations, a key part being in wellbeing and specifically their partnership with Soother. They ran a small survey asking those in attendance whether or not they would access therapy if it was free through work and over three quarters of respondents said they would.

Compare that to the 1.8% we saw earlier.

It’s not just a loose claim because I’m a therapist and I believe in therapy, there is clearly a strong appetite for therapy that goes well beyond the number of people who actually access sessions through EAPs.

And if we can get this bit right, where people easily access support through their employer, it would be reasonable to think it would have a positive knock on effect on NHS waiting lists, leaving services open to those without an alternative route to support.

Who is Soother not right for?

With all that said, we aren’t right for everyone. Soother isn’t a tick box exercise, a set and forget. Companies that want to pay as little as possible to feel as though their people are covered, irrespective of the actual cover, aren’t right to partner with Soother. We work best where organisations genuinely want the best for their people.

Companies that want to do more than the minimum, that want to support their people inside and out of work, that want a mental health support system that people can actually use and benefit from, that want to reap the rewards not only on their balance sheet but in their everyday workplace culture. That’s who is well suited to partnering with Soother. If that sounds like you, say hello through our contact form or by emailing george@soother.uk.

Common questions about EAPs

What is an Employee Assistance Programme?

An EAP is a workplace benefit that gives employees confidential access to support, usually via a phone line. Most cover counselling alongside legal and financial advice. They're typically bought as an annual per-employee package, and often bundled into an insurance policy.

How many therapy sessions do employees get through an EAP?

Most EAPs offer a limited number of short-term counselling sessions, commonly around six. In practice the industry average is closer to three sessions per person who is offered counselling.

Is workplace counselling confidential?

It should be, and with Soother it is. There are some limits to confidentiality with regards to safety and the law, but employers see anonymised usage data only, not who has accessed support or what was discussed.

Do employees have to tell HR to access therapy?

Not with Soother. Once onboarded, employees book directly without going through HR or a manager.