Important things you need to know before your first EAP appointment
Your employer has provided you with a specific number of counselling sessions under our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and we look forward to supporting you in your time of need.
Before attending your first EAP counselling session it is important you know our terms and conditions for using our service. We have set them out in this document. Your attendance at your first session indicates you have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.
If you prefer, download a PDF version of this information here:
Important things you need to know before your first EAP appointment.pdf
Our service
EAP sessions are goal-oriented, aimed at providing problem solving support to you and can be utilised for your personal and work- related concerns.
We are a separate organisation from your employer. This allows our service to be independent, impartial and confidential (to the extent permitted by law and these conditions)
EAP counselling is not long-term mental healthcare support, and it does not provide formal psychological assessment or diagnoses.
Consultants are unable to provide reports about your personal and workplace issues, your mental wellbeing, legal, workplace compensation proceedings, or your fitness for work.
Service delivery is limited to the sessions allocated to you by your employer (your allocation). Enquire via our 1300 687 327 number for our policy on extra sessions if you wish to request additional sessions beyond your allocation.
The contract between Converge and your employer may allow access to services by your family members. We reserve the right to withhold service to children where professional practice and ethical considerations suggest that this would not be in the best interests of the child or children.
Each session is fifty (50) minutes, beginning at the start time of the session. Additional time will not be provided in lieu if you arrive late, or you end the session early.
Some organisations do approve extra sessions under specific circumstances. Enquire via our 1300 687 327 number for our policy on extra sessions to check if you qualify for additional sessions beyond your allocation.
Consultants cannot act as advocates for you with your employer.
We cannot guarantee your choice of consultant. We will try to connect you to a preferred consultant but cannot guarantee this outcome.
If you wish to cancel a session, you must give us, or your consultant, a minimum of 24 hours’ notice prior to the start of the session.
Late notification of cancellation will result in the loss of the session as part of your entitlement. Note that same day bookings are also subject to the late cancellation policy. Failure to receive an SMS reminder does not constitute a valid reason for not cancelling within the required timeframe.
Our consultants reserve the right to end a session if you are found to be under the influence of alcohol or other substances, behave in an aggressive or threatening manner, and do not comply with safety directions if required.
If you are attending a telehealth appointment we ask that you be in a private space where possible and where interruptions are unlikely, and you are on a device (such as your phone or laptop) that has enough power and internet to get through the session.
You have the right to request a change of consultant but this will not normally be regarded as a reason to grant extra sessions above your allocation.
By accessing the service you agree to be contacted via SMS and email to participate in customer feedback surveys. You have the right not to participate in this survey, and the right to not receive requests for participation. Should you not wish to receive such requests, please contact our privacy officer at privacy@convergeintl.com.au.
Manager Referred Services
Should you be referred to Converge EAP services by your employer’s “Authorising Manager” please note that your name, and dates of access, may be released to your company for administrative purposes such as billing.
By accessing EAP sessions, you are providing consent for this to occur.
No other information regarding your contact will be provided without your direct verbal or written consent except as outlined in mandatory reporting and emergencies which are explained below.
Family Assist Services
As a provider of EAP services to children and young people under our Converge Family counselling services we are committed to the wellbeing of families and our youth. Given that our counselling services are delivered by a quota of sessions that are not long-term intervention there are certain presentations that do not clinically lend themselves to such a session quota. This is particularly relevant to younger children who most often require continuity of care over a longer period of counselling assistance. Where Converge believes that it is not clinically appropriate or in the best interests of a child or young person to be seen under EAP services we will, instead:
Discuss this with the presenting parent(s)/ guardian(s).
Offer support and strategies to parents/ guardians in managing presenting concerns.\Provide onward referral options to external services.
Note: In the case of younger children, the initial session will involve the parent(s)/guardian(s) only. Our Client Services Team will advise you on this at intake.
Your information and privacy
We are a separate organisation to your employer. This allows our service to be independent, impartial and confidential (to the extent permitted by law and these conditions).
You must provide us with all information that we reasonably require for the purposes of your appointments, and promptly tell us if any information has changed or is no longer correct.
We will comply with all relevant privacy legislation in relation to your personal information. This includes rules related to collection, use, access, correction and anonymity. Please refer to our Privacy Policy (on our website).
Converge does not permit the recording, by any device, of any session by a consultant or customer (employee) under any circumstance as this presents a breach in Privacy Legislation.
A customer’s case may be discussed, using deidentified details, within professional supervision.
Anonymous statistical information may be reported to a client (your organisation) however any such reports are written to protect your identity.
A limited number of Converge employees will have access to your information for administrative purposes. Converge employees are bound by non-disclosure agreements.
Mandatory reporting and emergencies
Due to mandatory legal and ethical obligations, consultants must report criminal activity or threats of harm to yourself and others to relevant third parties including emergency services, police, other health professionals and/or your designated “Emergency Contact”. These obligations may, in exceptional circumstances, include information being provided to your workplace if we believe that other employees or members of the public may be at risk of harm. In a very few organisational contracts, EAP Consultants are required to report any customer disclosure of illicit drug use. This information is available directly from your organisation if required.
You have the right to refuse services from a consultant. If you exercise this right after the commencement of the session, the consultant is still required to adhere to his or her reporting obligations under law.
If emergency services are accessed on your behalf, you will be responsible for payment of costs that we incur in accessing any emergency services.
It is a requirement that all consultants take notes during the session. These notes are subject to Converge’s Privacy Policy and these Terms and Conditions. All notes are stored and maintained in accordance with Privacy legislation and record keeping regulations. Your notes can be requested at any time by contacting the Privacy Officer (see our Privacy Policy).
Providing feedback
If you have any concerns or feedback about the services you received from Converge, you are able to submit feedback to us via telephone or our website
When we receive feedback from you, we will deal with your concerns in accordance with our feedback management process.
When providing feedback, you give permission for our professional review staff to access your information to investigate any concerns that you have raised.
We reserve the right to update and amend our feedback and dispute resolution processes at any time. Any updates or amendments to our feedback and dispute resolution procedures will apply to your feedback submitted to us after the updates or amendments take effect.
If you have any questions about these terms and conditions or our service, please contact us on 1300 687 327.