Staff Counselling
Staff counselling is an external and independent service offered to staff of the University of Glasgow.
This is a free and confidential service offering:
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Expert advice
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Invaluable information
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Specialist counselling
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Support
The provider is: Positive People Company (PPC) 0800 282 193
About the Employee Assistance Programme:
Our EAP is provided by the Positive People Company, PPC.
The EAP can help with all sorts of different personal and work related queries; some from anticipated life events and some from events which take you by surprise. The service helps individuals by providing emotional support through the telephone and face to face counselling, as well as providing extensive information and access to specialist advice on their website. The programme is provided free of charge to all employees. You will also have access to an online resource where you can seek information and advice on a wide range of topics concerning work-life, personal support, and health and well-being. The information, in the form of hundreds of fact sheets and useful links, is drawn from a number of professional sources and presented in a format that’s easy to read and download.
What to expect when you contact PPC for telephone or face-to-face counselling services:
In order to access these services, simply dial 0800 282 193.
PPC – Positive People Company
(External provider of counselling services to University of Glasgow employees)
What happens when I phone PPC?
- Your call will be answered by a service representative from the PPC triage team. This person is not a counsellor, but will have been trained by PPC to do telephone assessments.
- As PPC has contracts with many different employers, you will be asked for basic details relating to your place of work. PPC uses this information to provide employers with reports on service usage. No identifying information is passed on to your employer.
- The assessment will gather information about the difficulties you are experiencing. This will help to determine what level of treatment/intervention will be most appropriate.
What is involved in telephone counselling?
- All telephone counsellors are based in Oxford. They aim to call you back within 2hrs of your assessment phone call, although this depends on how busy they are at any given time.
- Formal telephone counselling involves 30 minute sessions by phone, and there is unlimited access to this facility on an ad-hoc basis. Your telephone counsellor will also be able to determine if face-to-face counselling is required.
What is involved in face-to-face counselling?
- If face-to-face counselling is agreed at assessment, PPC will aim to contact you within 48 hrs to arrange this. Face-to-face counsellors employed by PPC are based at various locations throughout Glasgow. You are allocated according to your area postcode for your convenience.
- On average, your first face-to-face session will take place within 5 days of your allocated counsellor being in touch with you. There is a maximum of 6 face-to-face sessions available. Each session will last 45-50 minutes.
What are the professional backgrounds of PPC counsellors?
- All PPC counsellors have at least a Master’s level qualification in their specialty and are BACP registered practitioners.
- PPC counsellors generally take a solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) approach with their clients. For more information on what SFBT involves, have a look at www.sfbta.org or www.brief.org.uk. You can also ask your counsellor for information on their approach.
I have never accessed mental health services before and am a bit unsure…
It is natural to feel a little apprehensive about speaking to a counsellor for the first time, either on the telephone or in a face-to-face setting. For instance, sometimes people worry that the problems they are experiencing are trivial, embarrassing or difficult to share. Please be assured that your counsellor is used to hearing about a whole range of personal circumstances and difficulties. Their job is to create a confidential and supportive space where you feel listened to and understood, regardless of the problem.
What other services can I access through PPC?
You also have access to an online resource where you can seek information and advice on a wide range of topics concerning work life, personal support and health & wellbeing. There is information for all employees, as well as helpful topic sheets specifically designed to help managers. The information, in the form of hundreds of fact sheets and useful links, is drawn from a number of professional sources and presented in a format that's easy to read and download. All you will need to do is logon to www.ppcworldwide.com and enter your organisational username and password which is:
Username: glasgow
Password: university
NB these are case sensitive so must be entered all in lower case.
To access the information sheets, select your chosen topic from Your Life Navigator. Next, click on the "dial" on the outer circle to see the details of the information sheets available on that topic.
At the bottom right of the home page you will see Your Services which gives you more information on the types of counselling services available to you. Remember, the telephone number to contact for counselling services is 0800 282 193.