Company: Anytime Counselling, Australia Wide
Company Description: The online counselling service for Aussies who want to enjoy life, and not just live it. NDIS Counselling | Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) | Individual Counselling
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year – Consumer Services – 10 or Less Employees
 Nomination Title: Anytime Counselling
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2022 of the nominated organization, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the appropriate spaces below:
Written answers to the questions
- Briefly describe the nominated organization: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 198 words used.
Led by founder and Director Tina Kendall-Davis, Anytime Counselling is a remote counselling service offering all Australians the chance to access mental health services, no matter where they live or what they do.
Tina was compelled to launch Anytime Counselling after losing her father to a stress-related health condition. She also witnessed the barriers that clients faced when seeking help – particularly women and professionals and promised herself that saving just one life would be enough.
We take mental health from a reactive to a proactive space; to break down stigma and to make counselling an everyday activity like heading to the gym. For Australians living in remote and regional areas, mental health is still associated with failure or seen as a low priority. To counteract this, our services are accessed by self-referral, with complete anonymity at a time that suits, without long waiting lists that delay support.
We currently service clients with a team of 17 empathetic and experienced counsellors and have a panel of 180 to draw upon once the business has expanded. We partner with organisations, health services and the NDIS scheme providing support to individuals, employees, couples and teens (see attachments 4 and 5).
- Outline the organization's achievements since July 1 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
1. Our relaunched website is the shopfront to our business, giving clients choice and control over their mental health journey (attachment 1). The content is tailored towards specific events (such as International Women’s Day) and programs. We recently created a bespoke microsite to launch an Employee Assistance Program specifically for miners and FIFO (https://australiasminingeap.com.au/ - attachment 2), an industry where the suicide rate is well above average. Using the sub-brand AnyMine Anytime, we can provide much-needed counselling and support to those working in this tough industry and literally change lives.
2. Extending our service into the Wagga Women’s Health Centre has enabled us to support hundreds of women affected by rape, assault, neglect, domestic violence and teen pregnancy. Similarly, we work with Country Hope to help less privileged families living in rural environments stay close to their loved ones when needing hospital care in the city. Country Hope covers flights, accommodation costs and counselling services, and we support families wherever they end up - often without payment.
3. Quality counsellors are the cornerstone of our business. Currently, we work with 17, but we have an approved panel of 180 eager to get started (attachment 3). We recruit all counsellors as people first and foremost - those willing to go the extra mile, and happy to prioritise the needs of their clients. They choose us for our flexibility and passion, and we choose them for their outstanding ability to positively impact others with therapy outcomes that last.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
Our uniquely flexible online model will always be predicated on real people. While theoretically competing with USA-based Better Health, our standout difference is that we refuse to use bots to service a 24/7 customer promise. We have increased user engagement, a low bounce rate and a clickthrough rate of 6.4%, compared to the 2.5% industry standard. When a client feels able to holiday for the first time in years, or shares how we have literally saved their life, that is meaningful success to us.
Extending into health services and business organisations through the Employee Assistance Program has made high-calibre counsellors more accessible. Prior to this, clients lacked choice and faced extensive wait times. NDIS clients particularly can now benefit from counselling in the comfort of their choosing. Our new venture into the mining sector means we now have a real chance to shift the dial on the approach to mental health in this poorly-serviced, highly affected industry.
Anytime Counselling attracts the very best counsellors by offering a uniquely flexible business model and the ability to select clients that best suit their experience. When a counsellor lost her entire house in the Queensland cyclone last year, she was able to carry on working and earning money – all she needed was a wifi service. Additionally, ongoing professional development is a high priority, and Tina is currently organising a bespoke training program from worldwide trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk. This is unique in the Australian industry (attachment 6).
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 216 words used.
Attachment 1: Anytime Counselling website screenshot: Our new website has made it even easier for clients to make contact and retain anonymity. They benefit from choice, accessibility and flexibility by choosing a plan that suits their needs - anytime, any place, anywhere.
Attachment 2: Anytime Counselling – AnyMine Anytime screenshot: Bespoke microsite created for the Miner’s Association Employee Assistance program. Aimed at reducing the high levels of suicide and to provide ongoing mental health support in a challenging industry.
Attachment 3: Anytime Counselling team photo – Growing our waitlist of highly experienced counsellors from 17 to 180 speaks to the desirability of counsellors to work for Anytime Counselling.
Attachment 4: Director of Wagga Women's Health Centre testimonial: We have helped hundreds of abused and broken women find their feet again through anonymous counselling services. This testimonial reflects the importance of our partnership and the work we do.
Attachment 5: NDIS Expo photo: As we further expand our service offering into the NDIS sector, even more clients can direct their therapeutic funding towards therapeutic support tailored specifically for them
Attachment 6: Bessel van der Kolk training: Ongoing professional development is a high priority, and we are currently organising a bespoke training program from worldwide trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk. This is unique in the Australian industry.
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