Product Overview

Summary: This Counselling Services Safe Operating Procedure sets out a clear, confidential and trauma‑informed process for providing psychological support to workers in line with Australian WHS psychosocial risk obligations. It helps organisations respond consistently and safely to mental health concerns, critical incidents and employee distress, while protecting privacy and managing legal and clinical risks.

Australian workplaces are now required to manage psychosocial hazards with the same rigour as physical risks. This Counselling Services Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, end‑to‑end framework for how counselling and psychological support are accessed, delivered, documented and reviewed within your organisation. It clarifies when and how workers can seek help, how managers should respond to distress or disclosure, and how referrals are made to internal or external counselling providers (including EAPs) in a way that is safe, ethical and compliant with WHS and privacy laws.

The SOP addresses common pain points for organisations: inconsistent manager responses to mental health concerns, uncertainty about confidentiality boundaries, unmanaged vicarious trauma in high‑risk roles, and ad‑hoc critical incident debriefs that may inadvertently cause harm. By standardising intake, risk assessment, escalation, record‑keeping and follow‑up, this procedure reduces organisational risk while improving worker wellbeing and trust. It is designed for use across industries, with particular relevance for sectors exposed to trauma, conflict, or high emotional labour such as healthcare, community services, education, emergency services, government and customer‑facing roles.

Implementing this SOP helps businesses demonstrate due diligence in managing psychosocial hazards, supports early intervention and safe return to work, and ensures that counselling services are integrated into broader WHS, HR and clinical governance systems. The document is written in clear, practical language so that both managers and clinicians understand their roles, limits and legal obligations, making it a robust foundation for your organisation’s mental health and wellbeing framework.

Key Benefits

• Ensure compliance with emerging WHS psychosocial risk requirements across Australian jurisdictions.
• Standardise how workers access counselling support, improving consistency, fairness and transparency.
• Reduce legal, clinical and reputational risk by clarifying consent, confidentiality and escalation pathways.
• Support early intervention and safer return‑to‑work outcomes following psychological injury or critical incidents.
• Integrate counselling services into broader wellbeing, WHS and HR strategies for a more cohesive mental health framework.

Who is this for?

• WHS Managers
• HR Managers
• People and Culture Leaders
• Return to Work Coordinators
• Injury Management Coordinators
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Coordinators
• People Leaders and Line Managers
• Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)
• Clinical Governance Managers in counselling providers
• School Principals and Wellbeing Coordinators
• Practice Managers in healthcare and community services
• Emergency Services and Critical Incident Response Coordinators

Hazards Addressed

• Psychosocial hazards such as work‑related stress, burnout and fatigue
• Exposure to traumatic events and critical incidents (e.g. violence, fatalities, abuse disclosures)
• Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue in helping and frontline roles
• Bullying, harassment, discrimination and workplace conflict
• Occupational violence and aggression impacts on psychological health
• Isolation and loneliness in remote, hybrid or FIFO work arrangements
• Stigma and fear of reprisal associated with disclosing mental health concerns

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Terms (counselling, psychosocial hazard, critical incident, vicarious trauma)
• 3.0 Legislative and Standards Framework (WHS, privacy, professional practice)
• 4.0 Roles and Responsibilities (workers, managers, WHS, HR, counsellors, EAP providers)
• 5.0 Access to Counselling Services (self‑referral, manager referral, mandatory referral)
• 6.0 Intake and Triage Process (initial contact, eligibility, urgency assessment)
• 7.0 Risk Assessment and Escalation (suicide risk, harm to others, child protection, family and domestic violence)
• 8.0 Confidentiality, Consent and Information Sharing
• 9.0 Counselling Session Protocols (delivery modes, documentation, boundaries, cultural safety)
• 10.0 Critical Incident Response and Psychological First Aid
• 11.0 Managing Psychosocial Hazards and Vicarious Trauma in High‑Risk Roles
• 12.0 Referral Pathways to External Services (GPs, psychiatrists, community supports, specialist services)
• 13.0 Integration with WHS, RTW and Injury Management Processes
• 14.0 Record Keeping, Data Security and Reporting (de‑identified trends, utilisation data)
• 15.0 Communication, Promotion and Reducing Stigma
• 16.0 Training and Competency Requirements for Managers and Counsellors
• 17.0 Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement of Counselling Services
• 18.0 Related Documents, Forms and Templates (referral forms, consent forms, critical incident checklists)

Legislation & References

• Safe Work Australia – Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and harmonised state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and equivalent state and territory regulations (psychosocial risk provisions)
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities
• National Mental Health Commission – National Workplace Initiative guidance (where applicable)
• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
• Health Records legislation (state and territory specific, e.g. Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW))
• APS Code of Ethics and relevant professional codes (e.g. AASW, PACFA) for counselling practice governance
• AS ISO 45003:2021 Occupational health and safety management — Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks