When to refer
Understanding when to refer an employee for Counselling and Psychological support can be a difficult task for a manager due to fear or lack of understanding around mental health and the idea that a manager needs to know all about mental health. Mind Matters offers support to managers to assist them in making a referral. An example would be when a manager contacted a Mind Matters Case Manager for guidance. The employee had worked for the company for some 15 years, was well respected by his colleagues and only ever had a few odd days off work. In recent months leading up to the referral, the manager was aware that the employee was irritable, and colleagues had started to report this change in behaviour.
The manager’s attempt to address this had resulted in the client being argumentative and then being absent from work for a period of long-term sick leave. The Case Manager held an initial consultation appointment with the employee during which it transpired that the client had experienced a number of bereavements. The employee accepted the offer of grief counselling combined with Solution Focused Brief therapy so that they could gain an understanding of their emotions and start to consider the future. The employee returned to work after the third session with the remaining sessions focused around supporting the return to work.
