NewAccess for Small Business Owners is a free and confidential mental health coaching program, developed by Beyond Blue to give small business owners, including sole traders the support they need.
The program uses Low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LiCBT) that allows participants to recognise the way they think, act, and feel and break unhelpful thoughts.
Over six sessions, coaches with a small business background will work with you to overcome difficult issues, providing you with practical skills to manage stress and get you back to feeling like yourself.
At your first appointment your coach will complete an initial assessment with you, and develop a program tailored to your individual needs.
NewAccess for Small Business Owners is available nationally by phone or video call.
How NewAccess for Small Business Owners works
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Why have Beyond Blue created NewAccess for Small Business Owners?
Running a small business is a unique experience which can involve stress and pressure coming from many directions. If left unaddressed, these demands can sometimes place you at risk of severe or longer-lasting mental health challenges.
Many business owners feel obliged to work when unwell, take work home or find it difficult to justify allocating time for yourself, let alone for your mental health. And there are always many barriers that can make seeking help difficult, such as:
- stigma
- cost
- lack of time
- limited availability of services during business hours and in convenient locations, and prioritisation of business over self.
Understandably, a lot of small business owners are reporting that COVID-19 has negatively affected their mental health.
To address this need, Beyond Blue’s NewAccess for Small Business Owners program aims to provide a much needed and practical support option for you.
Am I eligible?
NewAccess for Small Business Owners is for anyone aged 18 or over who owns a small business, from any industry including sole traders. For the purposes of program eligibility, a small business is defined as ≤ 20 employees.
A person is not eligible for the program if they are:
- currently seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist
- dealing with severe/complex mental health issues.
An initial assessment conducted by a clinically supervised Coach is used to identify if NewAccess for Small Business Owners is the most appropriate service to support your mental health needs.
Please note, if your symptoms or condition are found to be too severe or complex for this program, you will be referred to a more appropriate service or back to a GP.
Learn more and enquire about NewAccess for Small Business Owners today here.
