Counselling services

Through UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), you have access to unique, solution-focused confidential counselling services and clinically developed resources to help you and your family resolve a wide range of issues. TELUS Health's (formerly known as LifeWorks) professional EFAP counselling services are available in six different formats – from in-person counselling to texting.

In-person counselling is available in English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Hindi, Farsi, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian. Telephone counselling is available in over 180 languages through advanced translation services technology provided by Language Line and hearing impaired clients can be served through Telephone Devices for the Deaf (TTY).

First steps

You and your eligible dependents’ first contact with TELUS Health can be by phone at 1-866-424-0770 or First Chat (an instant online chat service accessible through your computer or mobile device). TELUS Health is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When you call TELUS Health, an Intake Counsellor will spend some time talking with you to:

• gather your contact information,
• confirm your eligibility in the program,
• conduct a risk assessment, and
• conduct a service needs assessment.

The intake team will then recommend appropriate services to meet your specific needs. If a counselling session is required or requested, they will schedule something within five business days. You can specify any requirements you have for a counsellor (such as language, gender, area of expertise, location) and your preferred method of counselling (in-person, telephone, video, etc.). If your requirements are quite specific, you may need to wait longer than five business days for an appointment.

After your first counselling session, any additional sessions will be booked directly through your counsellor and you do not need to call the TELUS Health phone line to book a subsequent appointment.

If you are in an emergency or crisis and require immediate counselling services, call 1-866-424-0770 and select the emergency option to speak to a crisis counsellor. If you want to arrange an in-person counselling during this call, an appointment will be guaranteed within 24 hours.

In-person counselling sessions

If you choose to pursue in-person counselling sessions, you will meet one-on-one with a trained counsellor. Counselling sessions are around 45 to 50 minutes in length. During the initial call to request services, the intake counsellor will ask you a series of questions to assess your risk level and help understand your current situation. They will then schedule an appointment with the most suitable counsellor. The general wait time to see a counsellor in person is within five business days (non-emergency counselling).

There is no predetermined limit to the number of counselling sessions you can attend; however, the EFAP offers short-term, goal focused counselling and if the counsellor determines that you would benefit from the expertise of a counsellor to address long-standing or chronic issues, you may be referred to an external provider.

Other support formats

TELUS Health's professional EFAP counselling services are available in six different formats – from in-person counselling to texting.

Note: Dependents younger than 16 (18 for First Chat) will need to call TELUS Health at 1-866-424-0770 to connect with counselling services and will require parental consent.