The access problem

Wait time is one of the clearest barriers to EFAP use. A 2026 study of public mental health services found that people who waited less were more likely to attend their first appointment. When an employee reaches out during a period of distress and the first available appointment is one to three weeks away, the program no longer feels like support. Your Counselling ESS is designed around appointments within 24 to 36 hours, with same-day availability in many cases.

The trust problem

Employees often hesitate because they are unsure what gets reported back to their employer. A well-designed program explains confidentiality clearly before anyone needs care. Counselling details stay between the employee and therapist; employer reporting is aggregate and never tied to individual identities. Leaders make a difference too: in a Canadian study, employees whose managers completed mental health training reported more willingness to seek out and use the support available to them.

The quality and fit problem

Many traditional programs are built around a fixed menu and a short-session model. ESS is structured as a continuum of care: focused short-term support, ongoing therapy where appropriate, crisis intervention, social work case management, workshops, and critical incident response.

What good looks like

A multi-dimensional EFAP needs fast access, genuine confidentiality, flexible delivery, clinical depth, and billing that reflects actual use. ESS brings those pieces together so the program is easier to explain and more likely to be used. Small employers can put these principles into practice without creating a complicated benefits program. Our guide to starting an EFAP for a small business explains how to approach that process.

References

  • Attridge, M. (2019). A global perspective on promoting workplace mental health and the role of employee assistance programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 33(4), 622–629. doi.org/10.1177/0890117119838101c
  • Miras-Aguilar, M. M., et al. (2026). Waiting times in clinical psychology in public mental health units: Predictors of attendance at the first appointment and early dropout. Psicothema, 38(1), 13–22. doi.org/10.70478/psicothema.2026.38.02
  • Dimoff, J. K., & Kelloway, E. K. (2019). With a little help from my boss: The impact of workplace mental health training on leader behaviors and employee resource utilization. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), 4–19. doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000126