Psychologists play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of employees at the workplace. Companies are now investing in the mental health of their employees now more than ever. With the recent data on workplace burn-out, suicides, depression and anxiety, employers see to it that they are taking good care of their employees to preserve talent, increase productivity, and save lives. One of the key investments that they are making is to hire a psychologist to equip their employees with the needed skills for workplace well-being. But many employers are confused between outsourced psychologists and in-house psychologists. In this blog, we’ll be talking about outsourced psychologists, in-house psychologists, and what are the benefits of both
Psychologists in the workplace; Is It Possible?
Yes, psychologists can be present in the workplace. When your company avails for a mental health program through hiring a psychologist to cater to mental health-related concerns in the workplace. These issues can be burn-out, suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety which is common among employees. Employers and employees alike don’t have to see their hired psychologist 24/7 but they can contact the psychologist during office and even outside office hours. Psychologists part of a corporate company usually schedule quarterly or annual mental health check-ups to the company employees to ensure their well-being as well as their employee satisfaction points. They can work with HR to consolidate mental health-friendly workplace policies and benefits. Psychologists in the workplace can also provide reports on current data about workplace well-being. Moreover, they play a vital role in employee retention and progression. One of the best psychologists to hire when it comes to workplace mental health are organizational psychologists. Other accredited psychologists can also do the job given that they have the qualifications to handle mental health in the workplace (e.g HR consultant and psychologist).
How do Psychologists work in corporal settings?
It depends on how the company hires the psychologist. It can be an in-house psychologist or an outsourced psychologist. Both two will have similar job descriptions. Their main goal is to increase mental health well-being in the workplace, share mental health awareness, and treat clients who have mental health concerns. Also, if the psychologist is also a licensed psychiatrist, he can prescribe meds if the client is in need of them. Psychologists help guide clients in treatment and follow up on their progress. They may also need to change or modify treatment depending on the gradual results that the client gives.
So What’s the Difference Between In-House and Outsourced Psychologists?
We know that companies can hire psychologists in the work setup they want them to do. Companies can either have in-house or outsourced psychologists. We will delve deeper into what these two have in common and what makes them distinct from each other.
In-house psychologists
When a company wants to have one or two psychologists working exclusively or in partnership with their company, these are called in-house psychologists. They have their own office inside the company and can be consulted during office hours. These are the psychologists that help in treating mental health concerns (whether personal or workplace-related). They also help in improving the mental health of the employees through conducting mental health training. Most of the in-house psychologists have valuable knowledge of industrial and organizational psychologists. In-house psychologists also collaborate with HR for reports on employee satisfaction and help construct workplace policies.
Outsourced Psychologists
When you’re in the human resources department, you must be familiar with the word “outsourced”. When you outsource, you’re actually availing of a service outside of your company. Psychologists have their own specialities and a number of them have their own private practice. When you outsource mental health trainings, consultations, and interventions, you’re looking for quality psychologists that are well-versed in those areas. This also means that you have to pay them per-project basis. You can select what kind of psychologist that you want for your company. Some of the psychologists that employers hire for their businesses are organizational and clinical psychologists. These types of psychologists can cater to the well-being needs of employees. The best thing is that you can call them when they’re needed such as in quarterly mental health training and when an employee needs individualized psychological intervention.
What Happens in Counselling with Psychologists in the workplace
Counselling or therapy have sessions that divide the activities for patient’s well-being. Here is the breakdown of therapeutic activities per session.
- Pre-assessment forms (first session)- the patient will answer the intake form, informed consent, ug initial screening for anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
- Initial Assessment (second session)- the psychologist or therapist in charge will introduce himself, get to know the patient, discuss the therapy, and ask the patient about their problem.
- Diagnosis and treatment plan (third session) – the psychologist briefs the patient about the diagnosis and what they can do during the next sessions. The psychologist also gives a self-intensive treatment plan for the patient to individually work on.
- Updates on the treatment plan (4th session and beyond) – the psychologist checks the patient for progress during the sessions and suggests other methods should the patient have struggles in following the treatment plan.
Optional: Booster sessions – these are enhancement sessions wherein the psychologist checks on the patient for gradual improvement and prevent regression. The patient also has the freedom to proceed to another kind of therapy to solve another inner conflict or improve personal development.
So Which is Better: In-house or Outsourced Psychologists?
Outsourced psychologists are better for companies that want to diversify the treatment of their employees (if they have mental health concerns). In-house psychologists are good but not ideal to a company that wants effective treatment for their employees. In the counselling process, it’s important that the client’s personality and the psychologist’s therap[eutcu style match. When you have an in-house psychologist, the employees can only be treated through that in-house psychologist which may not match with the client. It is normal for clients to switch psychologists in order to find one that they are comfy with. Therefore, outsourced psychologists are better.
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