Why workpace therapy?

Why Workplace Therapy?

Freud said ‘to love and to work’ although he paid more attention to the former. Counselling has largely argued the importance of our relationships but generally overlooked the importance of the workplace. This is ironic considering it dominates the majority of our lives and according to a UK workplace survey, constitutes to 59% of stress. Family stress is experienced by 46% of workers, money worries by 45%, health concerns by 38% and relationships issues by 35% 1. That is why it’s important we question how we operate at work. How much of ourselves can we really bring to our teams, our conversations, if we’re overwhelmed, overworked, overtired and overdriven? We all want to be perceived as competent, coping, but this can sometimes come at the cost of our own mental health. If we reach burn out or are preoccupied with some other worry, we are less likely to be productive, present and performing to the best of our ability. We need to spend more time considering the impact of our situations as there’s no escaping that most of what we do is often out of our awareness. In fact, 95% of our working day we’re operating from our subconscious adopting habits and patterns without even realising it. That said, we’re predominantly in autopilot which isn’t always in the interest of our authentic self or choice.

Companies need to attune to their own needs as well as that of their employees as organisations are only as healthy as the minds and personalities within them. A survey carried out on 3000+ employees revealed that almost half (45%) said their workplace failed to offer them help with stress. Only 8% reported being offered counselling services which is surprisingly low considering the demand. Employees aren’t the only one’s suffering either. Nearly two-thirds of SME business owners admit to deprioritising their mental health in order to achieve financial success. In fact, 96% of owners bottled up their emotions in order to override the overwhelming demands of running their businesses¹. Why then are business owners saying they don’t need therapy or won’t use it?

Given what’s said, the workplace is a very significant part of our personal world. Although it may appear very distant from the therapeutic relationship, companies can really benefit from its people going inside themselves. Our inner processes are often overlooked, but are sure to be reflected in our relationships at work. Without a doubt working life impinges significantly upon relationships at home and in leisure. Healthy workplaces are ones that pay attention to this, they pay attention to the way a mind works, they acknowledge that people bring ‘all that they are’ ² to work.

Put simply, the relationship between employer and employee is this: one person willingly or unwillingly taking on a role in order to provide a service for the other. Each person should have a shared interest in the survival, health and growth of the other. Hopefully it contains mutuality despite the relationship appearing unequal in terms of power or control but hopefully both are striving for health and positivity. Implementing counselling within the workforce can help send the message that you care for your employees. By employers demonstrating the investment of psychological understanding they can maintain a healthy service and start to benefit as a direct consequence. ³