Telus Health is a multinational corporate wellbeing company contracted by major private companies and government agencies to provide workers with free wellbeing tools to deal with stressful situations (so that management doesn't have to deal with those.)
I've used this service for quite a few years now. Most of the counsellors I got were all very nice, but also unhelpful. Many of them have little knowledge or qualifications. Others are experienced counsellors but their expertise isn't in the field you need them for, and you wonder why you're connected with them. Most of them listen to you for sure, let you vent, but too many show no interest or attention and respond with ready-made sentences, like, I'm so sorry to hear, oh that's terrible, aha uhm, but there is no true empathetic listening or anything genuine when they say that they feel for you. You can feel when a person feels for you.
Many of the items of 'advice' or 'tools' they give you is just common sense, something that your friends/family would tell you or you already know. E.g. don't take things personally, breath in an out, contact HR, talk to the person who did this to you, journal, talk to your friends and family, do a list of pros and cons, use a budget sheet, discuss this with your spouse. Other times the information they provide you with is easily available by looking up Google.
Not sure if they get paid much, but quite a few of the counsellors I've spoken to when I was really distressed were not in a professional setting but cooking at home, driving, walking from one place to another. That's the antithesis of what a professional counsellor or health professional should be doing. If a counsellor is doing their chores while talking to a client, their focus is not the client, is the money they get for picking up the call.
The last counsellor I got said that she'd provide me with some helpful stuff at the end of the call, then she muted herself, she was cooking, was irresponsive for a minute, so she was perhaps at the toilet or talking to someone else, then came up and said the usual, so sorry, it sounds terrible, have you had the same problem at work before? Like no. Then she said that she cannot help me because she doesn't know me, (yes, she said that) and asked if I wanted to book another session. I said no because I work FT and it has to be weekends or evenings, and she lost her interest. You don't need to know anyone to help them, especially if you are a professional counsellor. A counsellor is a low-level professional, and I wasn't consulting on mental health or anything that you need to be careful, like someone who has depression or mental illness, but about work-related stuff for goodness' sake. You need to have, I don't know, some sort of professionalism and empathy. She is not the only one. Too often they want to use all your sessions to milk you and continue doing nothing and uttering platitudes with no real empathy or interest in you. Empathetic listening is at the core of counselling, so why they cannot do the bare minimum? They aren't volunteers, but are paid for the service. They have profiles on Linkedin and/or private practices. Yet, they seem to be cut out by the same tailor. One wonders why these people choose a career that clearly doesn’t suit their natural qualities.
I have several work colleagues who have mentioned to me the same negative experience with Telus Health. They all say the same thing, that it was a waste of their time, that they don't help you, they hear you but don't listen. So this is not only my own experience.
There is no option at the end of the call for us to rate the counsellor's service. In most cases, at least for me, they call you, so it's understandable that they don't ask you for feedback. There is no quality control :) Even when I've been transferred to the counsellor directly from the phone operator, there hasn't been a request for feedback. That's good for them because... look at the reviews on Trustpilot!
Be careful, they record the calls if they are in their office and have to ask for permission to do that. You can say no, of course. If they don't mention anything upfront you can easily ask them before the conversation starts. Also, it is unclear how or who handles your personal data. Don't provide information that is not strictly necessary, like your name and phone. Otherwise, the counsellor fishes for it during the consultation or so they say, that the company demands them to do that.
For people without an inner circle, Telus might provide some relief as, worst case scenario, they listen to you and are nice overall, and it costs you nothing. In the best possible scenario, they will be helpful and offer several sessions that might help you to deal with specific issues. Yet, contact them without any expectations or you'll be disappointed. If you have mental health issues, just talk to your GP, because some of the counsellors here will drive you bananas :).
I want to finish with something positive. I've had 3 occasions where the counsellors were really helpful and truly genuine. They helped me make my mind, take a decision or just appease my upset. Also, the girls who pick up your initial call and book you in and do your profiling are always sweethearts.
