Privacy, flexible scheduling and clear coverage details help staff seek mental health support sooner
Many employees wait until strain reaches their sleep, relationships or recovery time before using workplace counselling benefits, says a Vancouver counsellor who urges HR teams to make coverage, privacy and scheduling details easier to find.
Mohit Bassi, an independent counsellor offering online counselling across B.C., told Canadian HR Reporter the delay often starts with how well people function under pressure.
"People can become very good at carrying strain while continuing to perform. If work is getting done, it can be easy to keep postponing support until sleep, relationships, or the ability to recover outside work starts to suffer. Uncertainty about what benefits cover, finding a suitable counsellor, and making time can also make it difficult to begin," says Bassi.
Hesitation persists where support is widely offered. Dialogue Health Technologies Inc.'s 2025 State of Workplace Well-being report found 80% of employers offer an employee assistance program (EAP), yet 65% of employees have never used theirs for mental health support.
Earlier help need not mean long-term therapy, Bassi says.
"I'd like people to feel they can seek support before things become unmanageable, without needing to justify that they are struggling enough. That doesn't mean everyone needs ongoing therapy. Timing, goals, and frequency should reflect the person's needs and be decided with their counsellor."
Privacy and scheduling shape access to counselling
Part of what holds people back is worry about who will find out. In a November 2023 Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) poll of 3,217 Canadians, 23% cited fear of confidentiality breaches as a barrier to using an EAP.
Practical arrangements matter as much as coverage, Bassi says.
"A benefit is harder to use if someone worries that accessing it will become visible at work, or cannot attend without explaining a personal issue to their manager. Clear information about what is confidential, what information each party receives, and any exceptions matters. So do appointment options that fit people's lives and access to a private space for an online session. Online care alone doesn't solve either problem."
Such concerns are not new. CHRR has previously reported on longstanding employee fears that EAP use will not stay confidential, a perception linked to lower usage.
How HR can improve access to counselling
Easing those fears starts with clear information, Bassi says.
"Make the practical details easy to find: which professionals are covered, annual limits, whether a referral is required, how claims work, and how employees can ask questions privately. Explain the difference between an EAP and extended-health coverage. Support reasonable flexibility for appointments without requiring employees to disclose the substance of therapy."
That difference is often lost on staff. A 2023 TELUS Mental Health Index found that two in five workers in Canada don't know what an EAP is.
HR's role has limits, Bassi cautioned: "I would be careful with the idea of employers 'ensuring' effective use. They can improve access and working conditions; the therapy itself belongs to the employee and clinician. Seeking support should not become a performance measure."
That boundary also carries legal weight, as CHRR's coverage of how requiring an employee to attend counselling can backfire on employers has shown.
Counselling cannot replace healthy work
The same restraint applies to what employers should expect in return, Bassi says.
"For workers, accessible counselling can offer space to understand what is happening, consider choices, and work on difficulties affecting their lives. Employers may benefit when people have meaningful support, but I wouldn't promise a particular productivity or retention result. Counselling also cannot compensate for an unsafe workload, poor management, or a harmful workplace culture. Benefits work best alongside attention to those conditions."
His caution echoes the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, a voluntary framework the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) launched in 2013 to help organizations prevent psychological harm at work.
"Using extended health benefits can help in personal and professional life, while honouring the privacy and confidentiality of the client and their unique needs," Bassi says.
