We are pleased to introduce Safe Harbour, a new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) from Counselling for Social Change, providing accessible, professional wellbeing support for charities, purpose-led organisations and small businesses across Cornwall and the South West.
Why Safe Harbour?
People working in purpose-led organisations often care deeply about what they do. They may be supporting vulnerable people, working in communities, responding to difficult situations or trying to create positive change with limited resources.
It's important work, but it can also be emotionally demanding. Stress, burnout, compassion fatigue and other pressures don't always appear as a crisis. Sometimes they build gradually, becoming harder to manage over time. Having somewhere to turn to early can make a real difference.
Safe Harbour gives organisations a way to provide that support for their people.
What is an Employee Assistance Programme?
An Employee Assistance Programme gives employees and organisations access to support when work or personal challenges affect wellbeing. Through our project, Safe Harbour, your employees can access confidential 1:1 counselling for a range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, workplace challenges, bereavement, relationship difficulties and life transitions.
We also provide group supervision for teams working in emotionally demanding roles. Supervision gives people regular, facilitated space to reflect on their work, consider the emotional impact of what they are experiencing, learn from one another and think about how they can continue their work sustainably.
Alongside this, organisations can access wellbeing resources and practical support, including wellbeing toolkits, crisis-response guidance, signposting resources and optional training workshops.
This means an EAP can support both the individual and the wider organisation. It can provide somewhere to turn to when someone is struggling, while also helping organisations build a culture where wellbeing is considered proactively rather than only when a problem becomes a crisis.
We believe support should be available early, when someone first recognises that things aren't quite right, rather than waiting until difficulties become overwhelming.
A different kind of EAP
Safe Harbour has been developed by Counselling for Social Change, a charitable organisation that has provided accessible, trauma-informed counselling since 2012.That experience shapes how we work.
Our approach is person-centred, humanistic and relationship-led. We recognise that people are not simply employees: they bring their experiences, relationships, circumstances and wider lives with them to work.
For organisations, this means a wellbeing service that takes the time to understand the people and environment it is supporting, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution.
We also understand the particular pressures that can come with working in purpose-led organisations. When your work is centred around helping others, it can be easy for the wellbeing of the people doing that work to become an afterthought.
We don't think it should be.
Supporting people before challenges become crises
Good wellbeing support is about creating an environment where people can ask for help, reflect on what they're experiencing and access appropriate support when they need it.
Providing access to counselling can form part of a wider approach to creating healthier and more sustainable workplaces. It can give employees somewhere confidential to talk , while helping organisations encourage earlier support.
Who is Safe Harbour for?
Safe Harbour is designed for:
- Charities and voluntary organisations
- Purpose-led and socially responsible businesses
- Small businesses
- Organisations whose teams work in emotionally demanding roles
Built around people
At the heart of Safe Harbour is the belief that wellbeing support should feel accessible, compassionate and human. That means creating a service where people can ask for help without feeling judged, and where organisations can feel confident that their employees are being supported with care and professionalism.
We're looking forward to working with organisations that share that commitment.
Find out more
If you'd like to find out more about Safe Harbour, how it works and what it could offer your organisation, why not get in touch with our team. Whether you're looking for support for your employees or simply want to understand what's available, we're happy to have an informal conversation.
Safe Harbour
The Support Behind Change.