Employee Assistance Program - counselling services for staff

The University provides confidential free counselling services to support the wellbeing of staff as they go through normal life changes or to help them respond to crisis situations.

Staff members (fixed term and continuing employment) are entitled to four one-hour counselling sessions with a professional counsellor per year, to assist them in managing and exploring issues which impact their lives such as:

• work pressure
• work-family issues
• relationship problems
• personal trauma (such as grief and loss)
• alcohol and other drug or addiction problems
• critical incidents (e.g. accidents/robberies/assaults).

Additional sessions may be approved in individual circumstances - please talk to your faculty/unit case coordinator.

There may also be situations in which managers may recommend or suggest to staff that they seek counselling support. When this happens, it is entirely up to the staff member concerned to decide whether or not they wish to attend.

The counselling service is run by PPC Worldwide, an external organisation which specializes in the provision of employee assistance services to government and private organisations. The team are all professionally qualified psychologists with peak industry body accreditation and substantial experience.

All consultations are completely confidential, but you may authorise PPC to contact your supervisor or another staff member where this would assist you to address your situation or concern.

Contact PPC directly to arrange counselling - the counselling can take place face to face at a convenient location, over the phone or by email, depending on your preferences.

For more information or to make an appointment call PPC on 1300 361 008 Monday to Friday, 8.30 to 6pm.

In the case of emergencies, the PPC number can be contacted 24 hours a day 7 days week.

Frequently asked questions