Finding the right employee counsellor is like finding the right pair of comfortable shoes. If the size isn’t right it can cause harm, and so does an incompatible counsellor! Choosing the wrong counsellor comes with its consequences and no organization is ready to face it. Finding an employee counsellor online is as easy as online shopping but are you finding the right employee counsellor? There’s a huge difference between finding a counsellor and finding the right counsellor. The challenge is to find the perfect counsellor and this blog will give you the exact information you need. It will provide insights about- What is the role of an Employee Counsellor. Characteristics of an ideal employee counsellor. How to choose one and its types.
No matter how prestigious an organization is, if the employees aren’t satisfied with their work it is highly impacting the organization’s growth. If an organization fails to provide the right care to the employees and if the workplace is not an emotionally safe space for employees they end up feeling disengaged, there is a lack of productivity, lack of focus and cohesiveness within the team. It is like a vicious cycle of work affecting the employees emotionally, in turn damaging their personal lives it goes on and on.
Unproductive emotions arise from daily transactions at work and personal life. These emotions affect our energy levels and of people around us. Since emotions (productive or unproductive) are highly contagious it directly impacts our capability for problem-solving and decision-making. Emotions are sometimes hard to get and we have solved this puzzle for you. To understand better read the trilogy model* of Emotional Safety by Mind Celebrations. The blog can be accessed Understanding Mental Health Assessment

Employee Counsellor
Employee Counselling is the process of engaging with employees providing them a safe space to share their difficulties at work or in personal life without fear of repercussions or reprimand. It is also an opportunity to improve employee’s performance at work, increase productivity and make them more efficient resulting in a happier workforce. As a responsible organization; employees and their mental well-being must be the top priority for the enhanced functioning of the team members and in turn the organization. The good mental well-being of employees helps in developing belongingness, trust and productivity within the team which accelerates business growth. To understand how can employees take care of their own at a personal level read our blog- Self-care at Workplace
An Employee Counselor is an individual who solely focuses on facilitating all the employees of an organization.
What is the role of an employee counsellor ?
- Identify the gaps within the organization to increase its growth.
- To closely work with the manager and collaboratively work on coming up with better interventions for the organization.
- To counsel the employees one-on-one by strictly maintaining confidentiality and providing the safe space they need.
- Understanding the dynamics of the organization and working on boosting employee’s productivity and quality of performance.
- Developing mental health-informed policies for the organization to improve and enhance employee wellbeing.
- Providing constant mental health support by psycho-educating the employees and providing them with research-backed work hacks to improve their performance.
- Delivering workshops and training for the employees on stress management, work-life balance and the importance of practicing mental wellness.
What are the characteristics of an ideal Employee Counsellor ?
- Active Listening
- Empathy
- Non Judgemental Attitude
- Unconditional Positive Regard
- Provides a safe space
- Acceptance
Now that we have a clear understanding of the role and characteristics of employee counsellor half work is done here. Before getting in touch with an employee counsellor it’s important to know what role they are getting assigned to and what to expect from them to benefit best from their services.How to choose the right employee counsellor:
- Check their Credentials: What is their recent educational qualification, and years of experience and see if they have the required skill set. Apart from this what other values do they bring to the table? Check if they are the right fit for this role. Thoroughly research their referrals and affiliations. It’s also important to check their legitimacy at work. It ensures that your employees are in safe hands and protects them from any harm happening in future Also reduces the risk of the organization’s reputational damage in case of any severe circumstances. After all, prevention is better than cure! Why is it important? It ensures good quality service offerings and better outcomes. See if they are meeting your regulatory requirements. Y our employee’s emotional well-being is indirectly their responsibility and reserving your employee’s trust is your duty as an organization. So having the right one is the best choice for your organization.
- Check their therapeutic approach: Understand what approach they prefer in a therapeutic setting, their style of working, their expertise and the techniques they will be using in their practice. It talks about their way of functioning in the work setup and it’s important to understand if it matches the working style of your organization. This way it’s easier for the counsellor, the employees as well as the organization to connect and grow together. Check thoroughly what services are they offering. It helps ensure an organization’s investment in counselling services results in excellent benefits. Also, let us know if it aligns with the organization’s values and culture.
- Seek Chemistry Call: Meet the counsellor in person before finalizing. Schedule a demo consultation with them before deciding whether to go ahead or not. It provides an opportunity to try the counselling services, helps reduce the stigma within employees and allows them to freely attend sessions. Enables early intervention and prevents the severity. Also allows the organization to assess the counsellor and their quality of services.
- Look for Transparency: Ensure employee counsellors communicate clearly and effectively with your employees and that their presence is benefiting the organization’s growth. It shows organizations willingness and genuine care towards their employees. Also makes it easier for employees to connect with the counsellor and catalyse the whole process.
What are the types of Employee Counselling beneficial for your organization?
- Executive Coaching: is a One-on-one coaching service provided especially for the senior members to improve their leadership skills and achieve business milestones.
- Team or Group Counselling: It is an excellent opportunity for the team members to connect and help in understanding the company dynamics more fluently. Facilitating team cohesion, communication, and collaboration.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Counselling: Promoting inclusive workplaces and addressing DEI-related issues. Amazing opportunity for the organization to create their workspace a psychologically safe space, gaining their employee’s trust and providing them a space to express themselves with freedom that improves the quality of the team and increases cohesiveness.
- Work-Life Balance Counselling: Helping employees manage personal and professional responsibilities. Helps improve their productivity, reduces absenteeism and makes the employees more aware of their role at the organization.
- Stress Management and Wellness Educating employees on stress management techniques and promoting overall well-being. Providing them with hacks to deal with work pressure helps them maintain good relationships with the organization’s clients.
- Leadership Development Counselling: Identifying and developing future leaders provides the employees an opportunity to take control over their lives and work. Builds confidence within them fostering a positive outlook towards work.
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills Training: Enhancing effective communication and interpersonal skills. It helps employees to communicate correctly without any hurdles, helps the organization build their reputation and employees build their confidence in their work.
We at Mind Celebrations extensively work on building Proactive Mental Fitness through our Employee Assistance Program curated with utmost care and research. To know more get in touch with us at reach@mindcelebrations.com or visit us at www.mindcelebrations.com Authors (Dr Kanan Khatau and Gurdarshan Singh) are co-founders of Mind Celebrations – the first preventive Mental Healthcare initiative for organizations and employees.
What is Employee Counselling?
The process of engaging with employees provides them a safe space to share their difficulties at work or in their personal lives without fear of repercussions or reprimand.
What are the characteristics of an ideal Employee Counsellor?
- Active Listening
- Empathy
- Non-judgemental attitude
- Acceptance
- Unconditional positive regard
- Provides a safe space
What is the role of an employee counsellor?
- Identify the gaps within the organization to increase its growth.
- To closely work with the manager and collaboratively work on coming up with better interventions for the organization.
- To counsel the employees one-on-one by strictly maintaining confidentiality and providing the safe space they need.
- Understanding the dynamics of an organization and working on boosting employee productivity and quality of performance.
- Developing mental health-informed policies for the organization to improve and enhance employee wellbeing.
- Provide constant mental health support by psycho-educating the employees and providing them with research-backed work hacks to improve their performance.
- Delivering workshops and training for the employees on stress management, work-life balance and the importance of practicing mental wellness.
How to check the credentials of a counsellor?
What is their recent educational qualification, and years of experience and see if they have the required skill set. Apart from this what other values do they bring to the table? Check if they are the right fit for this role. Thoroughly research their referrals and affiliations.