The gains of listening

Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) have been in operation in North American for decades and are now, along with other forms of employee counselling services, becoming firmly established in Britain. This book looks at the rise of counselling at work and addresses some fascinating questions. Why should employers be interested in paying for employees to have counselling? What kinds of personal problems do people particularly encounter in association with the workplace? Exactly what do counsellors do that helps to alleviate individuals' distress or resolve their dilemmas? Can the humanizing ethos of counselling make a significant impact on large organizations? As well as promoting the view that employee counselling can contribute to stress reduction and mental health enhancement, the book acknowledges the challenges that the ethos of management presents to counsellors. In a climate of rapid change and uncertainty over jobs, readers will want to consider the importance and potential of really listening to the issues involved in the interface between socioeconomic change and personal turmoil and responsibility.