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EAP support for your employee’s family
EAP support for your staff’s immediate family members. By supporting the wellbeing of their loved ones, you give your employees peace of mind. This, in turn, helps them stay focused and fully engaged at work.
Expert support provided to your employee’s immediate family members
Delivered by our 2,000+ experienced and qualified clinical and coaching team
2nd
Most utilised EAP service (Counselling for Family)
10,000+
Family members supported in FY25
EAP Support for Your Employee’s Family
Family Support forms part of Converge’s broader Employee Assistance Program (EAP) ecosystem, extending confidential counselling and wellbeing support to employees’ immediate family members. By supporting the people closest to your employees, organisations can help reduce family-related stress, strengthen wellbeing at home and give employees greater peace of mind at work.
Family support integrated into a broader EAP ecosystem
Confidential counselling for immediate family members
Expert human support backed by technology
Support for organisations of all sizes
National network of wellbeing, coaching and specialist professionals
Our Digital EAP Wellbeing Tools supporting employees & their family
The Converge App
Dedicated insight articles on family dynamics and relationships
Bank of engaging modules and challenges
24/7 booking for Family Support & other EAP streams
Explore the App
Employee Wellbeing Portal
Dedicated tipsheets exploring themes on family and relationships
Family Support awareness session delivered by an expert
Booking and live chat for EAP support
→ Defining EAP support for family
What is EAP for Family Members
EAP family counselling extends our free and confidential wellbeing support to the immediate family members of your employees. This service is designed to support employees’ family members who are facing mental health and wellbeing challenges.
Why is this important? Challenges that impact immediate family members can affect our own mental health – and more specifically, your employees. As such, we recognise that difficulties at home often impact performance, focus, and mental health at work. Therefore, providing support to immediate family members is crucial. And that’s where our EAP for family members can meet the need.
With proactive and reactive wellbeing family counselling services available, Converge is best placed to support your employees’ immediate family members. When you partner with Converge, your staff and their families will have access to our nationwide support of over 2,000 mental health experts (100% virtual and 95% face-to-face).
Eligible immediate family members may include spouses, partners, parents, guardians, children, dependants, siblings and people living in the same household, depending on your organisation’s EAP policy.
When should family members seek counselling?
Don’t wait until a crisis occurs.
Support can be useful when someone is:
Feeling overwhelmed
Experiencing conflict
Adjusting to change
Caring for a loved one
Wanting stronger relationships
• Free and confidential support for eligible family members
Employee Counselling and Family Counselling: Understanding the Difference
Together, they create a stronger support network
Employee wellbeing doesn’t exist in isolation. When employees have access to counselling and their immediate family members can also receive confidential support, organisations can address challenges both inside and outside the workplace. This holistic approach helps reduce stress, strengthen family wellbeing and enable employees to remain focused, engaged and productive at work.
Converge’s Employee Assistance Program supports both employees and their eligible immediate family members through dedicated counselling streams. While both provide confidential, professional support, they are designed to meet different needs.
Learn more about employee counselling
| Feature | Employee Counselling | Family Counselling |
|---|---|---|
| Who it supports | Supports employees with work and personal challenges. | Extends confidential EAP support to eligible immediate family members. |
| Key benefits | Helps improve mental health, resilience and workplace performance. | Helps families navigate relationship challenges, parenting concerns, caring responsibilities, general mental health and wellbeing, and life transitions. |
| Common areas of support | Confidential support for issues including stress, anxiety, relationships, financial concerns and career challenges. | Supports the wellbeing of employees by reducing stress caused by family challenges. |
| How support is accessed | Available through the Converge App, Employee Wellbeing Portal and phone. | Available through the same trusted Converge EAP ecosystem. |
→ Watch: Learn about EAP support for immediate family
Learn about our EAP counselling for family members… in 90 seconds
Watch our short explainer video on EAP family counselling to learn about this specialised service we offer. We explain how to book an appointment, eligibility requirements and the benefits of offering this EAP stream to your staff.
Who is Family Counselling for?
Employees supporting a family member
Family members struggling with their wellbeing
Families experiencing conflict
Younger children and teenagers who need support
EAP Family Counselling in Numbers
10,000+
Immediate family members support through Converge EAP
26,000+
Appointments of EAP family counselling booked in FY25
87%
Of staff and their family said their Converge consultant understood their challenges
89%
Of employees who accessed EAP family counselling established a positive relationship with their consultant
→ How we can help immediate family
EAP for Family Members: Why you should offer our support to your Employees’ Family Members
Your employees’ wellbeing is critical to your business’s success, but personal and family challenges can significantly affect their focus, productivity, and overall performance. When a family member is struggling with mental or physical health issues, the stress on your employees can be significant, sometimes leading to feelings of isolation and symptoms of stress, and even burnout.
That’s why we offer family counselling services for your employees’ immediate family members. By addressing the challenges affecting their loved ones, we help reduce the emotional and physical burden placed on your workforce. This helps them stay engaged and productive at work.
Support for employees’ immediate family members through confidential counselling services.
Reduce the impact of personal and family challenges on employee wellbeing and workplace performance.
Help alleviate stress, overwhelm and emotional burden caused by a loved one’s difficulties.
Enable employees to remain engaged, focused and productive by supporting the wellbeing of their family.
11,000+
Cases of EAP family support delivered in FY25
As we always say: “Supporting families, supports employees”.
Why EAP for Family Members Matters for Your Organisation
Sane Australia reports that approximately 20% of the population suffers from a mental health disorder. This impacts everyone around them: parents, siblings, guardians, partners and more. For many people, patient confidentiality means they may not know what is impacting their loved ones. Equally, when a family member is struggling, your employee may become a de facto carer, which often comes with stress, anxiety, and significant pressure. But ultimately, when those around us suffer, we empathise and worry, which can increase our own stress.
With our support, employees are better equipped to support their loved ones. This, in turn, helps your employees and your organisation by:
- Reducing distraction and presenteeism
- Increasing employee wellbeing
- Lowering stress-related absenteeism
- Improving engagement and retention
- Stronger psychosocial risk management
- Demonstrating genuine care beyond the workplace
“Mental health issues often have a ‘ripple effect’ on families, creating tension, uncertainty, troubled emotions and big changes in how people live their lives. Different family members are likely to be affected in different ways. These effects on the family are sometimes not acknowledged by health professionals.”
Sane Australia
How Family EAP Works
Converge’s family counselling services can be booked very simply via three different avenues:
Converge App
Book anytime anywhere through the Converge App, as well as access resources and modules to help protect employee wellbeing.
Employee Wellbeing Portal
Access our portal through any device 24/7 for self-help proactive resources and online booking!
Phone Support
In times of crisis or if staff prefer booking over the phone, our dedicated contact centre agents are here to support your people.
Here is the EAP family counselling booking process:
Step 1
Jump on the app or website and book an appointment via our online booking engine.
Step 2
If the appointment is for a minor under the age of 18, it must be booked by a parent or guardian and through our contact centre
Step 3
During the process, they can choose how they would like their counselling delivered: face-to-face, by phone, or virtually.
Step 4
From there, the family member will receive confirmation, and they’re all set for their EAP for family members session.
Proactive Support: Helping Family Members Prevent Challenges from Escalating
Family wellbeing isn’t just about responding when things reach breaking point. Converge’s EAP family counselling services are designed to provide early, proactive support that helps family members address concerns before they escalate into crisis.
With professional guidance, families can build healthier communication habits, strengthen emotional resilience at home, and develop practical strategies to navigate everyday stressors.
By supporting proactive wellbeing for the whole household, we help create more stable, supportive family environments. Thus, reducing pressure on your employees and enabling them to stay focused, engaged, and well at work.
What Issues Can Family Counselling Support?
- Helping family members build stronger, more supportive relationships and proactively manage disagreements before they escalate into conflict
- Offering strategies for balancing work and home life, reducing stress for your employees
- Providing guidance on parenting and supporting the needs of children, teenagers, and young adults
- Strategies to build resilience and improve overall wellbeing
- Relationship and family conflict, as well as parenting challenges (young children, teens, neurodiversity support), and communication breakdowns at home
- Separation, divorce, blended families, and caring responsibilities (elder care, disability, chronic illness)
- Anxiety, stress, and emotional regulation
- Life transitions (bereavement, relocation, illness)
Why choose Converge as your EAP provider
At Converge, we provide extensive wellbeing support to all organisations we partner with. Along with family counselling, we also provide financial coaching, general counselling, nutrition support, career coaching, and more.
Converge’s family counselling services form part of Australia’s leading integrated Employee Assistance Program, combining expert human support, digital wellbeing technology and specialist services through one trusted provider. Here is what you can access when you partner with Converge EAP:
2.7 million eligible users
2,000+ clinicians
National coverage
Digital Tools: App & Portal
95% face-to-face coverage
100% virtual coverage
24/7 appointment booking
Comprehensive reporting
A holistic, integrated employee wellbeing ecosystem
26,000+
Hours of EAP Family Counselling delivered in FY25
Frequently Asked Questions about Our EAP for Family Members
What is EAP family counselling?
EAP family counselling provides free, confidential mental health and wellbeing support to employees’ immediate family members, helping address personal and family challenges that may impact an employee’s focus, wellbeing, and performance at work.
Who can access EAP family counselling?
Eligible participants include employees’ immediate family members such as parents, partners, spouses, siblings, dependants, children, and others living in the same household. Family members do not need to live with the employee to access support.
What types of issues does family counselling support?
Family counselling supports relationship challenges, parenting concerns, stress and anxiety, communication breakdowns, life transitions, caring responsibilities, and proactive wellbeing—helping prevent issues from escalating into crises.
Is family counselling intended only for crisis situations?
No. Family counselling is designed to be both proactive and reactive, providing early intervention that strengthens communication, builds emotional resilience, and reduces the likelihood of more complex mental health or workplace impacts later.
How do family members book counselling sessions?
Family members can book counselling via the Converge App, the Employee Wellbeing Portal, or by calling 1300 687 327. Sessions are available face-to-face, by phone, or virtually, offering flexible access nationwide.
Why should organisations offer EAP family counselling?
Supporting employees’ families reduces stress-related absenteeism, presenteeism, and distraction at work, while improving engagement, retention, and psychosocial risk management—demonstrating genuine organisational care beyond the workplace.
How many family counselling sessions are included in an EAP?
The number of family counselling sessions available depends on your organisation’s Employee Assistance Program. Eligible immediate family members can access the same confidential, professional support included within your organisation’s EAP entitlement. Converge can provide details of the available sessions based on your workplace’s EAP package.
Is EAP family counselling confidential?
Yes. Family counselling provided through Converge is free and confidential for eligible immediate family members. No personal information or details discussed during counselling are shared with the employee or employer unless required by law or where there is an immediate risk of harm.
Can children access EAP family counselling?
Yes. Eligible children and dependants can access family counselling through Converge’s EAP. If the appointment is for someone under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian must arrange the booking through our contact centre. Counselling is tailored to the age, needs and circumstances of the child or young person.
Can family members access counselling online or by phone?
Yes. Converge offers flexible delivery options so eligible family members can receive support in the way that best suits them. Counselling appointments can be delivered face-to-face, via secure video, or over the phone, making support accessible regardless of location or personal preference.
Promote Support for Families
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