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Our company has a therapist

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Re: Our company has a therapist

#3

Post by tunesmith »

This sounds pretty dangerous - even if the executives of a company claim that it is confidential, why should the employees believe it? Therapists talk about their patients in a very general sense all the time, and even if they don't, an employer is going to want to have some idea of how the therapist's job is going. In a small company, it would be far too easy to put two and two together, and then react in a way that is in the "company's best interest" yet not in the employee's. I'd feel less comfortable confiding in a company-hired therapist than I would confiding in HR - it seems the better alternative would be to offer a heightened health insurance package that covers frequent therapy, along with a liberal "time off for doctors appointments" policy.

Re: Our company has a therapist

#4

Post by sergers »

Many large corporations I have worked for offer similar services for years

My current job offers me yearly therapist/psychiatrist dollars that can be utilized as part of benefits packages as well as online phone chat with therapist and counselors. they have been offering this for at least 8 years (maybe even earlier, but they just didnt advertise it)

It is done through 3rd party services through our company health insurance and benefits package.

actually going to see a psychiatrist is completely confidential, as i goto any psychiatrist i find and i simply get re-reimbursed the dollars. my company is not involved at all and doesnt know about it (unless there is a re-imbursement issue which i have to engage HR to figure out, but they still do not know the details of who i went to see and why, i just give them a receipt to chase down with the insurance company)

and the online/chat/phone counselling is completely anonymous besides mentioning the company codes during signup (not distinct to me, same code used by 20,000+ employees and i can signup using any alias that my company does not know).

these services are also extended to my immediate family aswell.

edit: i would not trust a company employed psychiatrist ever as some have outlined their experiences, that person is on the company dollar and you are not in a real confidentiality scenario. essentially they are just advisors/counsellors in HR on the company dollar with company interests in stake, not your personal health, typically without any confidentiality agreement.

utilize services through your health insurance and never directly with your employer.

edit2: just wanted to add that just in general, if health insurance/benefits packages are important to you and weighs in on taking the job, ensure that the health insurance is through a 3rd party company not in which your employer would directly re-reimburse you at their discretion. there should be a distinct line between.

Edit3: Confidentiality issues aside, I especially would not want to discuss potential therapeutic/psychiatric/mental state issues with someone you might interact with at work outside of your session ( bump into them while getting coffee in the cafeteria at the office, see them interacting with other employees casually cause they are colleagues and not a patient).

Need a separation personally

Re: Our company has a therapist

#5

Post by rdl »

The normal version of this is "employee assistance program", but that's mainly designed for people with drug/alcohol/etc. problems. Often provided by the health insurance companies, or other benefits. It probably is paid for with <$1/employee/month by the employer.

Re: Our company has a therapist

#9

Post by detaro »

swagmeister wrote: post #7

My first instinct is to hate on this idea because it removes choice. But sometimes, even when given a choice, people don't help themselves. The ethical integrity of the therapist would have to be very strong though.

What choice does it remove?
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