Why Six Sessions of Counselling Won't Treat Clinical Depression
The standard EAP allotment is three to six counselling sessions. For an employee in a clinical depressive episode, that number is not a starting point - it's a mismatch between the tool and the problem.
What clinical depression actually requires
Major depressive disorder is a medical condition with a recognized treatment pathway: an assessment to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes, a treatment plan that frequently includes medication, and - critically - monitoring. Antidepressants take four to six weeks to show effect, often need dose adjustment, and the first prescription is not always the right one. That process alone outlasts a six-session counselling block.
Why the session model breaks down
Counselling helps a person process, cope, and build skills. It is real and it matters. But a counsellor cannot prescribe, cannot order bloodwork to rule out a thyroid cause, and cannot manage a medication trial. When the underlying condition is medical, talk alone treats the symptom the employee can describe, not the illness driving it. The six sessions end, the employee is discharged as "supported," and the depression is still there.
The handoff that doesn't happen fast enough
At this point the responsible EAP does the right thing: it refers out. But "refer to a psychiatrist" in most of Canada means a waitlist. The employee who came forward - which is the hardest step - now waits months for the care they actually needed, often while still at work and struggling.
This isn't a criticism of counselling. It's a case for putting a medical layer behind it, so that when six sessions aren't enough, the next step is weeks away - not a year.
When counselling isn't enough, employees shouldn't join a waitlist. CorpCARE provides fast, physician-led assessment and treatment for the conditions that need it.
Sources
- Lam, R.W. et al. "Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2023 Update on Clinical Guidelines for Management of Major Depressive Disorder in Adults." Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11351064/
- "Expanding patient access to psychiatry and mental health supports: early impacts of the Nova Scotia Health Rapid Access and Stabilization Program." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12819779/
- Canadian Institute for Health Information. "Desperate for health care: Access challenges have physical, emotional impact on Canadian families." 2025. https://www.cihi.ca/en/desperate-for-health-care-access-challenges-have-physical-emotional-impact-on-canadian-families