Can I Choose My Own Psychologist Under EAP?

Many Australian businesses and employers have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to provide employees access to company-funded mental health support.

If your organisation has an EAP, you may be wondering whether you can choose your own psychologist. In most cases, your preferred psychologist will need to be associated with your company’s EAP provider. There are however exceptions to this, which will be covered in this article.

How Does Seeing A Psychologist Work Under EAP?

Not all EAPs are the same. EAP providers offer different types of services; EAP policies and procedures vary between organisations.

Some EAP providers offer counselling with psychologists, while others assign other types of mental health practitioners like counsellors or social workers.

Many employers provide between 3-6 counselling sessions for each employee under their EAP. Employees can usually contact the EAP provider directly to book their sessions. However, it’s important to check your employee handbook or confirm with your HR department the type and extent of mental health support under your current EAP.

To help employees receive appropriate care, EAP providers will usually match you with a practitioner based on factors like location, availability, and areas of expertise.

Location

EAP providers will often try to connect you with a practitioner located close to where you live and/or work, providing convenience for in-person sessions.

If you opt for telehealth sessions, then your options may expand beyond your location and state.

Availability

Demand for mental health services across Australia is high, so who you get matched with will depend on availability. EAP providers will try to source practitioners in their network who are available at your preferred timings, and may suggest alternative timings if none are available.

Areas of Expertise

EAP providers will also try to connect you with practitioners with experience in treating your specific concerns. This may include work-related challenges, personal difficulties, relationship or interpersonal issues, or mental health concerns.

If you’re seeking support for more complex or persistent mental health difficulties, you may prefer an EAP provider that gives you access to experienced psychologists.

how eap providers match you with a practitioner

How to See Your Preferred Psychologist Through EAP

If you want to engage a specific practitioner or choose your own psychologist, you may be able to book sessions with them through EAP.

Check if your preferred psychologist is on your EAP provider’s list

First, check if your preferred psychologist is listed and available through your organisation’s EAP provider. If they are, you can simply request to be assigned to them or make a booking with them via your existing EAP.

Ask whether your employer can engage your preferred psychologist’s EAP provider

If your preferred psychologist is not accessible through your company’s current EAP provider, get in contact with them to find out which EAP provider(s) they offer sessions under.

You can then ask your employer or HR department whether they would be willing to engage your preferred psychologist’s EAP provider. This may not necessarily involve replacing their current provider — the new EAP provider may simply supplement your company’s existing EAP services.

If your company agrees to this, you may then access your preferred psychologist through this new EAP arrangement.

Organise a one-off individual agreement with your HR department

Some companies may not want to hire a second EAP provider, especially if it requires being locked into a contract.

Other companies may not even have an EAP program, nor have any plans to implement one.

Your preferred psychologist may also not work with any EAP providers, and only offer sessions privately.

In such cases, it may still be possible to organise a one-off arrangement with your HR department. You may request that they fund a specific number of sessions with your preferred psychologist. If appropriate, you may explain why you’ve chosen this specific practitioner – for instance, being the right match in terms of language, background or clinical expertise.

If you come to an agreement, your employer can provide one-off approval for you to see your preferred psychologist, whether they work through an EAP provider or at a private practice. Your company may decide to pay for your sessions upfront, be invoiced directly, or reimburse you after each session.

how to see your preferred psychologist under eap

Choose your own EAP psychologist at New Vision Psychology

New Vision Psychology is a private practice that has been providing EAP counselling services for Sydney businesses over the past 17 years. Recognising that businesses have different needs, we offer flexible arrangements with no lock-in contracts. Our experienced psychologists provide culturally sensitive counselling in 19 languages – English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Portuguese, Indonesian, Malay, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Sinhala, Shanghainese, Norwegian, and Croatian.

Engaging a private practice for your EAP has several advantages, including the ability to continue seeing the same psychologist even after your EAP sessions have ended. With some larger EAP providers, this may not always be possible because the practitioner may not be available for ongoing treatment outside of the EAP provider’s network.

If you’d like to learn more about our EAP or how to engage a specific psychologist using your company’s EAP, get in touch with us here or call 1300 001 778.