“Yes, I’m stressed and barely sleeping. But that’s reasonable given what’s going on. My mortgage rate keeps going up month after month, I can really see the effect of inflation on how much I’m spending, and now my boss is talking about re-structuring so I’m worried about my job. How could talking with someone about it help? I don’t need a counsellor.”

We recognize that for many people speaking with a counsellor doesn’t seem like a helpful thing to do and it may feel quite daunting. Why would that help? is a very reasonable question. A recent study found that there was one main skill that counselling teaches that makes it helpful – ‘psychological flexibility.’^[1] Psychological flexibility consists of three components – all of which can be built through seeing a counsellor.

• The first is Awareness. This means noticing what is happening in the present moment… What thoughts are you having? What feelings? And what sensations are you noticing in your body?
• The second component is Openness. This means allowing any difficult thoughts and feelings that you notice just to be, without battling them. Interestingly, it’s often the battle with the difficult thoughts and feelings that grows the difficulty.
• The third component is Valued Engagement. This means knowing what matters to you, and taking steps in that direction. It involves being in contact with your goals and your values.

Awareness, Openness, and Valued Engagement can all be learnt and developed. We can change the way we think – counselling is very good at helping us do that. And when we bring these three elements more into our life, we find we have more choice and control. We are more aware of what it is worth putting our energy into.

Let’s return to the person I quoted at the beginning of this article – the person who is experiencing many stresses, and doesn’t see any point in counselling. A friend convinces them to call us, and they arrange some counselling sessions. After their first session they recognise that simply stressing about rising interest rates and cost of living doesn’t help – but action does. So they get some specialist financial counselling from us which helps them lessen their debt levels. They then speak with a nutrition counsellor, they start eating more healthily and exercising more, which in turn helps them sleep more soundly. They also speak with a career counsellor who helps them plan for their next career step.

Above all, they learn they have more say over how they feel and think than they imagined they did. They are more in control of themselves and their life. That’s why you speak with a counsellor!

International Women's Day is held each year on the 8th of March. This year's theme is #EmbraceEquity.

A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.

For more information about how you and your organisation can get involved including customisable Social Media content, see the International Women's Day Website.

AccessEAP IWD Panel Events

AccessEAP is excited to be running panel events for International Women's Day in partnership with The Kraft Heinz Company. Our influential speakers will share their stories and experiences with equity, diversity and inclusion.

If you are reading this, you probably work in an organisation, and if you work in an organisation you almost certainly are very aware of the passing of time as measured by a clock. On my computer screen I see the clock on the bottom right-hand corner. It’s telling me I have an hour until I need to stop writing this article so I can be somewhere else.

We arrive at meetings at agreed clock times, we catch planes, trains, buses and meet with our friends in restaurants all at agreed clock times. So it can seem that a clock and time are the same thing.

But different cultures have different ideas about time. Some cultures are more clock-time oriented, and others more activity or event-time oriented. The first looks to the clock to measure how long a task should take – it’s a more mechanical approach. The second is more focused on the group sense of how long an event takes – it's focused on how the community feels about the event and the changing environment in which the event takes place (for example, the changes as the sun rises and sets).

And then there are other time senses that we have. We all experience biological rhythms – like sleeping and waking, appetite changes, fluctuations in our body temperature, and the menstrual cycle.

Then there’s our subjective experience of time. When we are bored, time can feel like it’s dragging, and a task will never end. And then, when we are racing to complete a task it can feel like time has sped up. And when we are emersed in something we love doing, it can feel like time stops, and when we finish what we’re doing we realise hours have past.

From time to time we all encounter situations where we need to have a constructive conversation with someone. It may be that your job requires you to have these conversations with people on a regular basis. A common myth is that raising the issue might make things worse. However, a carefully constructed conversation might save things from getting worse.

Here are some tips for initiating a potentially difficult conversation:

1. Be Confident with your Concerns

It can be easy to stop ourselves from raising concerns by minimising their importance. For example, we may tell ourselves we are “just being silly” or we are “being too sensitive” or “it’s not such a big deal really”. If it is impacting on you or someone else negatively, it is important. Be clear with yourself about the reasons why you are initiating the conversation.

2. Focus on the Behaviour

Let the person know that it is their behaviour which is upsetting or concerning to you. 

As a part of our Wellbeing Calendar's Theme of Finding Balance, below is an activity to help you focus on what you can control.

1. On a piece of paper, draw two circles – one inside the other.

2. The inner circle is the Circle of Influence where you write worries you can control.

3. The outer circle is the Circle of Concern where you write worries you cannot control.

4. The points in your Circle of Influence are where we can make proactive change in our lives by calling on our connections and strengths for a positive result. The more we focus on our Circle of Influence, the happier and more in control of our lives we will feel.

AccessEAP is your Employee Assistance Program (EAP), your proactive mental health and wellbeing service here to support you. Confidential and free for staff, we offer access to counselling, coaching and training. Utilising EAP has become even more important in recent times, with people facing long wait times for counselling appointments through their GP and with the reduction of the Medicare-funded psychology sessions occurring at the end of this year.

During the pandemic, the government increased the number of Medicare-funded psychology sessions each year from 10 to 20, recognising the impact the pandemic was having on the mental health of Australians. In the 2021-22 financial year alone, 1,023,241 additional sessions were provided by psychologists¹, highlighting the real need for support. This increase will end on the 31st of December 2022, reverting to 10 sessions.

The decision to reduce the number of Medicare sessions was based on a study from the University of Melbourne. The study suggested the current system was not providing equitable access for lower socio-economic groups and those living in regional areas. The government will convene a forum of experts and people with lived experience of mental illness early next year to assess the recommendations of the University of Melbourne report.

The danger of reducing the Medicare-funded sessions before that review is completed is increased anxiety in the community and more barriers for those with mental health concerns to receive adequate support. At AccessEAP, we acknowledge that people may be concerned and recognise that this change may affect you or people within your organisation. With the reduction of sessions, we encourage the use of EAPs to help bridge the gap with long wait times and to add another layer of support.

We are here ready to support you. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.

AccessEAP wishes you all the best for the Festive Season. We appreciate the opportunity to be your pro-active mental health and wellbeing service and would like to thank you for continuing your partnership with us. Through utilising the service, you have helped make the lives of vulnerable children and families a little easier. As a profit-for-purpose organisation our surplus profits go to programs that support vulnerable women and children. For more information about the H.O.P.E. Program, see here.

Please be assured our counselling and onsite services are available 24/7, 365 days a year however our other business functions observe the Australian public holidays and a break from 26th December to 13th January 2023.

As we reach the end of the year, reset with our 12 Wellbeing Tips for the Festive Season. AccessEAP is here to support you through the festive season and into the new year. Call us on 1800 818 728.

Download a copy here.

The AccessEAP 2023 Wellbeing Calendar and Quarter 1 Pack has launched! Finding Balance within our personal and professional lives can be tricky so we have created the Quarter 1 Pack to help get you started. 

The theme for Quarter 1 is Finding Balance, highlighting the following key awareness days: 

• 24th January: International Day of Education 
• 13th February: Anniversary of National Apology Day 
• 8th March: International Women’s Day 
• 17th March: World Sleep Day 
• 21st March: Harmony Day

Download the Quarter 1 Pack - Finding Balance
Access the calendar and the Q1 Pack (Poster, Infographic & Activity) via the Employee Login Area - https://www.accesseap.com.au/employees/index.php

Email Template and Suggested Training & Services
The calendar along with leader resources and suggested training & services is available via the Employer Login- https://www.accesseap.com.au/employers/index.php 

We’ve all done it. It seemed like the right thing to say or do at the time – maybe we thought it would sound witty or be deeply appreciated. Or maybe it was a knee-jerk reaction. Whatever the circumstance, we have all experienced those moments when the outcome is so very different to what we imagined, and then when we ask ourselves “Why did I just do that?” we don’t have an answer… and we then criticise ourselves for acting in the way we did.

A lot of those moments come down to not paying thoughtful attention to our and others’ emotions. Emotional Intelligence is “The ability to monitor your own and others’ feelings, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide your thinking and actions” (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

Let’s unpack that.

First, it’s the ability to be aware that you or someone else is feeling something. We are always feeling something. Even feeling neutral about something is feeling something. So it’s the ability to recognise that feelings are always with us and to pay attention to this.

Second, it’s the ability to discriminate what you or someone else is feeling. You notice you are feeling something, and then you pause and ask yourself – what is that? Aim to put a label to it. Is that tightening in your stomach anger, anxiety or excitement? When we practice, we can get quite good at assigning labels to emotions. We might be able to label an emotion as ‘embarrassed anger’ or ‘nervous anxiety’ or ‘fearful excitement.’ Getting more fine-grained in identifying how we and others might be feeling helps us with the next step.

November 18th is White Ribbon Day. It's an opportunity to bring people together – in person or online - to raise awareness and commit to action to prevent violence against women. Learn more about the day and how you can keep the momentum going forward on the White Ribbon Website here.

On October 17^th State and Federal governments released the National Plan to end violence against women and children. This is a 10-year plan that includes a framework of actions to end violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society including governments, business and workplaces, media, schools, and communities must work together towards a shared vision of ending gender-based violence.

Read more about the plan and how AccessEAP can support you and your organisation in our article- Release of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032.

This November Support Act is partnering with triple j and the Australian Recording Industry Association for AusMusic T-Shirt Day. It's a great way to show support for Australian music - and the people who make it. The day will be held on Friday the 18th of November and will help raise funds to provide crisis relief and mental health services to artists, crew and music workers who are doing it tough.

"Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is an annual day of fun and awareness to celebrate Aussie music and raise urgently-needed funds for music workers in crisis. After the last few shocking years of bushfires, pandemic, floods and now the sky high cost of living, the music industry needs your help more than ever before." Visit the AusMusic T-shirt Day Website here.

The Support Act Wellbeing Helpline is a free, confidential counselling service that is available to anyone working in Australian music (all genres), or the Australian Performing Arts, who needs to talk to someone about any aspect of their wellbeing. It is delivered in partnership with AccessEAP, and is staffed by professional counsellors who offer expertise in all areas related to mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, addiction) as well as issues which can be mental health-related (such as loneliness, relationship breakdown, financial worries, illness and workplace conflict).

The service is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days per year by calling 1800 959 500 within Australia. Find out more information about the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline here.

Embedding link: https://vimeo.com/672144321

MYTH 1 - What about Confidentiality? Someone will find out, my boss and colleagues will know.

Although the EAP counselling sessions are paid for by your employer, the counsellors are independent and anything you discuss with a counsellor is confidential unless; there is a risk of harm to you or someone else or disclosure is required by law. While we do need to collect a few details from you when booking your first appointment, your personal information is kept confidential. AccessEAP has refused to work with organisations who cannot accept our confidentiality code of conduct. Your organisation respects the privacy and confidentiality of the services provided to you to improve your wellbeing.

MYTH 2 - If I have a problem my friends and family will talk/help me through it.

Although you may receive support from family and friends one difference between speaking with a counsellor and a close friend is that the counsellor has a broad knowledge and understanding of human behaviour. Sometimes it also just helps to speak with someone objective who isn’t emotionally involved with you or the situation.

The words ‘Self-Care’ are used to describe those things we do to sustain ourselves through difficulties and help us feel buoyant. A useful way to think of it is that we have various ways in which we can nourish ourselves. There’s the way that is most obvious – the food we eat.  And then there are other ways – the music we listen to, the books that we read, the artwork and scenery that we look at, the conversations that we engage in. All these activities feed us through our senses.

How to start:

1. Take a moment to remember a conversation or interaction that really nourished you. What were you talking about? Who were you with? Perhaps it was with close friends or colleagues talking about a topic that really mattered to all of you? Maybe you came away from it feeling calmer, or clearer, or more alive?
2. Then take a moment to remember a conversation or interaction that left you feeling drained – perhaps you felt somehow diminished by it.
3. You can apply this same exercise to the music you listen to, the books and articles that you read, what you spend time looking at (which can include what you wear), as well as, of course, the food that you eat.
4. Having made a mental (or actual) list of what nourishes you and what doesn’t – the next step can be to decide what a really healthy, sustaining way of living looks like for you – food, reading, conversations, music, what you look at, what you wear.

Nourishing ourselves like this helps us face and work with the inevitable difficulties of life and work. Rates of burnout and fatigue are rising in Australia. The latest ELMO survey of Australian workers (reported in April this year) found that almost half are feeling burnt out – a 10% increase on the same period last year. The increase is attributed to our increased workloads – 24% said they had taken more responsibilities in their jobs, and 32% feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they need to do. This is coupled with 44% of survey respondents saying they want things to change and are seeking greener pastures – they are planning to look for a different job this year.

Self-care is an activity we can do both individually and collectively as a whole organisation. As an individual you can ask yourself what ways of living nourish you. As a leader or manager, you can ask your employees how they are finding their workplace and workload, and what nourishes them.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan is an important part of our journey of cultural responsiveness and sensitivity, enabling us to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation.

We recognise the need to offer the opportunity to speak with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Counsellor or a Culturally Sensitive Counsellor. We have an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Dedicated Support Line to facilitate a culturally safe referral for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We partner with a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisations and are currently offering EAP services to the staff of an Aboriginal community organisation, working with them to ensure our training is culturally appropriate and is being delivered by either an Indigenous facilitator or co-facilitator.

We are on this path with the guidance of Aunty Gail Daylight, a proud and strong Aboriginal woman from the Kamilaroi Nation.

 Aunty Gail is a proud and strong Aboriginal woman from the Kamilaroi Nation, is married and has 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

There are many different personal boundaries at work that, when acknowledged and respected, make for a fairer more equitable work environment. Here, we focus on the importance of respecting workload boundaries - an issue we are hearing more of.

What is a boundary? The dictionary definition is “a line which marks the limits of an area; a dividing line”. So inherent in the word boundary is knowing our own and other people’s limits.

Let’s look at two examples.

• After Jim said ‘yes, sure, I’ll take care of that’ to the sixth person that day, he realised he had a problem. How was he going to get all this done? There was still his own work to do, and he’d promised to help all these other people. Another late night…
• Sarah was great at strategy and planning – came as second nature to her. She had risen up the ranks fast. She liked working long hours, and expected others to do the same. It wasn’t unusual to receive an email from Sarah that had been sent after midnight asking for work to be completed that same day, regardless of the other work the person had planned.

While there are many differences in their behaviours, one thing that is similar between these two people is their lack of acknowledgment of and respect for workload boundaries.  In Jim’s case, it’s lack of acknowledgement of his own boundaries. There is a saying that any strength, when taken to extremes, becomes a weakness. Jim’s wish to help others is commendable – we all like it when a colleague offers to assist us with something. But in Jim’s case, he is helping so much that his own work is suffering – and it’s quite possibly negatively affecting his own wellbeing.

In Sarah’s case, again, the ability to work long hours and bring others along for the ride can certainly help boost productivity and produce great results – but taken to extremes, it leads to others burning out, and perhaps becoming resentful that their own priorities are not being acknowledged.

It’s ok not to be ok. It’s even more ok than ever to not be ok through our current pandemic. When you find yourself consistently challenged in ways you’ve never really experienced before, over an extended period of time, it’s easy to feel drained. We are in a period of time that we can say is unique for most of us as our lives change and evolve in response to the pandemic. At the moment that you find yourself reading this take a pause and acknowledge that in spite of all the challenges you have done the best you can do, and that’s more than can be expected. Remember, “It’s ok not to be ok”.

If you need to prioritise your self-care download our Personal Tool for Keeping Mentally Healthy.

Support is available. Reach out to us here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.

The Mission Statement for R U OK? is to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with their life circumstances. R U OK? has resources to help create the skills for great conversations that are a normal part of your everyday check-ins with colleagues and friends. It was started by Gavin Larkin, whose father committed suicide in 1995. In 2009, Gavin chose to champion just one question - “are you OK?” - to honour his father and to try to protect other families from the pain of suicide. Working with Janina Nearn, the R U OK? movement was born.

Asking R U OK? is not just for R U OK? Day (held each year, nationally, in early September). It’s a habit for all of us to cultivate every day of the year. Checking in on someone when we notice they might not be OK assists people to feel connected, supported and hopefully prevents them from spiralling downwards.

In addition to us as individuals checking in on the people around us, we can help create an R U OK? workplace culture. An R U OK culture means that you feel comfortable asking your colleagues how they are every day - and mean it! Be ready to have a chat if they say they’re not ok – take the time to be with them to listen. Trust your gut instinct if you sense someone isn’t OK – reach out to them and have a chat.  It’s a workplace culture where leaders role model caring behaviours towards others, taking time to listen. An R U OK? culture is having time for each other and asking someone if they’re ok if you sense that they aren’t.

What are you doing to contribute to the creation of that sort of culture?

It might be that a colleague’s behaviour changes in some way. They may seem withdrawn, not their usual chatty self, they may have taken a few days off work unexpectedly, or seem irritable, and this change in behaviour continues for a week or two. It’s important to be aware that if these signs continue to be present for more than a couple of weeks it is advisable that someone see their GP or make contact with a counsellor (perhaps through their EAP program).

#WomensHealthWeek 5-11 September 2022

With the stress COVID has placed on everyone's lives, along with other challenges faced in 2022, it’s now more important than ever to look after your overall health and wellbeing. This September, Women’s Health Week will be a great reminder to take time out to check in on your health and to keep making positive changes that can last a lifetime.

For more information and resources visit the Jean Hailes' Women's Health Week Website. It's time to put your health first.

With so many competing demands and expectations, the struggle to keep up with both work and home commitments can be extremely stressful. When stress persists to a point that a person feels they aren’t coping, it can affect the functioning of their day-to-day life as well as their overall wellbeing. The stressors of too much ‘juggling’ together with trying to do things well and be ‘good’ at everything is impacting women and their ability to sleep, think clearly and make decisions.

If you would like to arrange an appointment for yourself call us on 1800 818 728. Find out more about our counselling service here.

Life is always unpredictable and to some degree, confusing. And for many of us, this is one of those times. With the ongoing pandemic, natural disasters and personal changes in our lives, it can be hard to find a way of being that doesn’t draw us into feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.

And this is where Positive Psychology comes in.

Positive Psychology is not about pretending that everything is OK, and it’s not “look on the bright side!” That sort of ‘positivity’ is not helpful and can be upsetting in certain situations. Positive Psychology is the scientific study of what helps us to flourish. And when we flourish, we are much more likely to be more creative and be better at solving complex problems and meeting adversity. The term ‘flourish’ is often used in positive psychology. It means more than just managing and getting through life. Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, talks about flourishing as finding fulfilment in our lives, accomplishing meaningful and worthwhile tasks, and connecting with others at a deeper level.

These are ways of living that we can pursue, whatever is happening around us. Ways to move towards flourishing are summed up in the PERMAH model. You can read about PERMAH and other ways of living that help us live a full and meaningful life in our Positive Psychology tip sheet (access through the AccessMyEAP App).

Along with cultivating flourishing, it is also important to be kind to ourselves. All of us will, at times, face adversity. By cultivating self-kindness, self-forgiveness, and self-compassion, we are better able to handle and recover from adversity, and we are better able to practice kindness, forgiveness and compassion towards others. These, together with pursuing a flourishing life, can create a sturdy raft on which we can navigate unpredictable and confusing times.