Ease of access, around-the-clock availability, comfort, and reduced stigma comprise just some of the leading benefits responsible for making telehealth services so prevalent today. Yet it’s these same components that make in-person—or more specifically, on-site—services just as essential to providing effective wellbeing support.

For the fact of the matter is, while virtual counseling has significantly expanded access to and use of mental health services in recent years, barriers nevertheless prevail. This includes a global scarcity of mental health personnel per population (the WHO estimates that there are only 13 mental health workers per 100,000 people globally—which drops to fewer than one in lower-middle-income countries like India, home to 14 percent of the population alone); growing waitlists; and a lack of education or awareness of services.

Even one of telehealth’s notable strong suits, flexibility, has its limitations, as some individuals—such as parents and caregivers, dependents, spouses—may not have access to a private space in which to attend a virtual or telephonic appointment, or the means or the time to get there in between work and other personal obligations. In addition, while online counseling acts as a workaround to stigma, it does not necessarily address or reduce it: meaning that those who harbor internalized stigma toward mental health and help-seeking may continue to avoid accessing services.

On-site counseling reconciles these challenges. By providing employees with work-site access to professional, customizable support suited to their particular needs, industry, and workplace, employers can effectively:

• Bypass long wait times associated with traditional counseling
• Raise workers’ awareness of employer-sponsored wellbeing support
• Guarantee individuals’ continual access to services
• Reduce internalized or perceived stigma
• Motivate and empower employees to take proactive care of their wellbeing
• Maximize the impact of counseling on employees’ long-term health and workplace performance

With Amplify, an extension of Workplace Options’ wellbeing program that services organizations with dedicated professionals to provide both on-site and online support to staff, employers can aspire to generate more trust in, awareness and utilization of their wellbeing resources; expedite the time it takes for employees to receive the help they need and achieve desired results; and cultivate an overall culture of wellbeing in which all feel inspired to look after their own health and that of their peers.

By offering a “familiar face” through which employees can directly access or get connected to the right support, employers can effectively remediate several obstacles at once. Regarding the issue of time and location, for instance, providing on-site access to a comfortable source of support means that employees can receive the timely intervention they need without having to leave work early, arrive late, or miss work entirely. This alleviates the pressure they face to find a nearby provider that aligns with their schedule, which often cuts into their time at work anyway or deters them from accessing support altogether. Such a visible embodiment or reminder of available services also means more awareness and engagement, consequently helping to create an environment in which more feel safe and empowered to seek help, observing that doing so is clearly accepted and encouraged by their employer—thus minimizing stigma.

Thanks to the extensive training service providers receive on the organization’s culture and full suite of services, employers who invest in Amplify also ensure that employees receive informed and impactful support, including accurate referrals to the resource(s) most suited to their needs. Such training ensures that on-site professionals can not only identify which solutions would best fit participating employees’ situations but can also identify work-related challenges that employees may not themselves see.

According to one recent study of more than 33,000 cases of on-site intervention, though only 7 percent of participants sought support for a work-related issue, risk or presence of performance- or absence-related challenges were identified in about a third of cases. This suggests that on-site counseling may be more effective than off-site modalities in improving genuine “employee” or “workplace” wellbeing, as a whopping 90 percent of cases showed recovery by follow-up, including an 84 percent decrease in lost work time and a 47 percent reduction in presenteeism per employee. The study also found that on-site intervention yielded an average recovery rate of 75 percent for all cases involving clinical depression, anxiety, and substance misuse, demonstrating its effectiveness in resolving not just work-related but all health-related issues and maximizing the impact even short-term intervention has on the employee’s overall wellbeing.

With at least 50 percent of workers ranking in-person, work-site counseling as crucial to their employers’ mental health efforts, investing in a solution like Amplify is essential for demonstrating employers’ commitment to employee wellbeing—not just because of the proven clinical impact it can have, but because it signals to employees that they are seen, heard, and that their input is truly valued.

While telehealth services offer convenience, accessibility, and reduced stigma, they alone cannot fully address the barriers that continue to restrict access to necessary care. On-site counseling provides a unique solution to these challenges, delivering trusted, immediate, and easily accessible support right where employees spend more than a third of their day: the workplace.

By bridging the gap between virtual and in-person care, Amplify ensures that employees receive the timely, personalized support they need, fostering a culture of wellbeing where everyone feels empowered to prioritize their health and take proactive steps to maintain optimal wellbeing.