You did the right thing. You set up an Employee Assistance Program because you genuinely care about your team’s wellbeing. You announced it, maybe even sent a reminder or two.
And then… almost no one used it.
You’re not alone. EAP utilisation rates typically hover between 4 and 10 percent across most organisations, with some studies showing rates as low as 1 to 2 percent.1 That means the vast majority of employees who could access free mental health support simply don’t.
As someone who works in mental wellness, and as someone who has personally used an EAP, I’ve seen both sides of this problem. I think it’s worth having an honest reflection on why these programmes, despite good intentions, often fail the very people they are meant to help.
The Stigma Is Still Real
Let’s start with the obvious. There is still significant stigma around seeking mental health support, especially at work.
The numbers back this up. Research shows that 67 percent of managers report stigma exists in their workplace around stress, anxiety, and mental health issues.2 And it’s not just perception. Employees are picking up on real attitudes. Studies have found that between 67 and 81 percent of CEOs, HR leaders, and employees agree that companies view someone with mental health issues as weak or a burden.
Even when employees intellectually know that struggling is normal, that stress, anxiety, and burnout are incredibly common, there is often a gap between knowing that and feeling safe enough to pick up the phone and call a number their employer provided.
For many people, reaching out feels like an admission of weakness. Like they can’t handle it. Like they’re somehow failing at being a professional adult.
This is particularly true in high performing environments where people pride themselves on resilience and self sufficiency. The very qualities that make someone excellent at their job can make them the least likely to ask for help.
The Privacy Question That Never Goes Away
Here’s the concern I hear most often, sometimes spoken directly, sometimes just implied:
Will my employer know I used this?
Officially, no. EAPs are confidential. But that official answer doesn’t always land the way it should.
The fear is widespread and not irrational. Research from the American Psychological Association found that 39 percent of workers worry that disclosing a mental health condition to their employer would negatively impact them at work. Among workers who already feel psychologically unsafe, that number climbs to 57 percent.3
When the service is provided by your employer, paid for by your employer, and promoted by your employer, there is often a lingering doubt. Even if that doubt isn’t technically justified, it’s real. And when someone is already feeling vulnerable, that doubt is often enough to stop them from reaching out altogether.
I’ve spoken with people who genuinely needed support but chose to struggle alone rather than risk, even theoretically, their employer knowing they were going through something. That’s not a failure of the individual. That’s a failure of the system to build enough trust.
The Pressure to Resolve Things Quickly
This one is harder to talk about, but it matters.
EAPs typically offer a limited number of sessions, often between three and eight. That’s the model. And within that model, there can be an unspoken pressure to move quickly, reach resolution, and wrap things up.
Here’s the problem: Research suggests that most people need 15 to 20 sessions for symptoms to meaningfully improve.1 Yet the average EAP delivers just 2.5 counselling sessions per person.
The maths simply doesn’t work.
I experienced this disconnect myself. I was going through a difficult period and accessed an EAP. My counsellor was professional and well intentioned. But from early on, it was clear we were working toward an endpoint. The sessions felt structured around getting to “done”.
When we ended our work together, I still had things I wanted to talk about. I still felt there was more to process. But the framing of the work, the implicit message that we needed to finish efficiently and avoid dependency, made me hesitant to ask for more. I didn’t feel I had permission to need additional support.
So I didn’t ask. And I walked away feeling like I had been through a process rather than actually been helped.
I don’t share this to criticise my counsellor. I think he was operating within a system that prioritises throughput over outcomes. I share it because I suspect my experience isn’t unusual, and because it shapes how I think about what meaningful support actually looks like.
What People Actually Need
When I think about what would have helped me, and what I now try to offer the teams I work with, a few things consistently come to mind:
Enough time. Not unlimited time, but enough that people don’t feel rushed. Enough to build trust before diving into hard things. Enough that finishing isn’t the primary goal.
Real human connection. Not a hotline. Not a rotating cast of professionals. Someone who knows your name, remembers what you spoke about last time, and genuinely cares how you’re doing.
Genuine separation from the employer. Not just technically confidential, but structured in a way that feels private. With no doubt, no lingering questions, and no reason to hesitate.
A focus on sustainable support rather than quick fixes. The goal isn’t to discharge someone as fast as possible. It’s to help them build skills, habits, and self awareness that support them long after the conversations end.
Why Coaching Can Feel More Accessible
There’s another factor worth mentioning. The framing matters.
When someone accesses an EAP, they’re often doing so because something feels wrong. They’re stressed, overwhelmed, or burned out. The act of calling can feel like admitting they have a problem they can’t manage on their own.
Coaching is often experienced differently.
Coaching is framed around growth rather than pathology. It focuses on navigating challenges, building resilience, and developing sustainable habits. High performers work with coaches. Athletes have coaches. Leaders have coaches. For many people, coaching feels proactive rather than reactive, and that framing alone can lower the barrier to reaching out.
That said, coaching isn’t appropriate for everyone or every situation. Some people who reach out for coaching are actually dealing with deeper mental health concerns that require counselling or therapy. A competent and ethical coach needs to recognise this and refer on when necessary.
This boundary matters.
Coaching should never attempt to replace therapy when therapy is what’s needed. Respecting that line is essential, both for client safety and for the integrity of the support being offered. When coaching is delivered responsibly, with clear scope and referral pathways, it can sit alongside clinical support rather than compete with it.
For many employees, especially those navigating everyday stress, early burnout, or work life strain, coaching offers support that feels safer, more human, and easier to access. For others, counselling remains the right path. Both have a place, and knowing the difference is key.
A Different Approach
This is why I built Still Willows the way I did.
The teams I work with receive ongoing access to coaching, not a handful of sessions with a stranger. Employees book directly with me, and I never share who is using the service with their employer. Leadership receives high level, anonymised insights about team wellbeing themes and nothing more.
It’s not a replacement for therapy when therapy is what’s needed. But for everyday stress, creeping burnout, and the “I’m fine but not really fine” that so many people experience at work, it’s support that people actually use. Because it feels safe. Because it feels human. Because there’s no pressure to wrap things up before someone is ready.
If Your EAP Isn’t Working
If you’ve invested in an EAP and utilisation is low, it doesn’t mean your team doesn’t need support. It likely means they don’t trust the system enough to access it, or the system isn’t designed to meet them where they are.
That’s not a criticism of you for choosing it. It’s simply an honest look at why the model often falls short.
If you’d like to talk about what a different kind of support could look like for your team, I’m always happy to have that conversation. No pressure and no pitch, just a real discussion about what your people might actually need.
References
- Meditopia. (2025). EAP Statistics and Utilization Rates in 2025. meditopia.com
- Uprise Health. (2024). Five Strategies to Increase EAP Utilization. uprisehealth.com
- American Psychological Association. (2024). 2024 Work in America Survey. apa.org