Established in 2012, this has been a busy period for Professional Help Limited. The organisation prides itself on supporting organisations to ensure their people reach their fullest potential and that all employees are well supported and cared for, even in tough times This is certainly something they have been well placed to assist with in the past year or so, particularly in areas of employee mental health and well-being support.

Rebecca Walker, Marketing, Communications & Partnerships Manager, describes how Professional Help provide Employee Assistance Services which deliver confidential and impartial advice, support, and counselling to help reduce stress in the workplace, improve employee performance and build resilience in both individuals and teams.

The aim of the employee assistance and staff counselling services is to provide timely and high-quality support to employees in order to improve wellbeing and prevent or mitigate the negative impact on mental and physical health of unsupported work and personal life stresses. This is done through the provision of a dedicated helpline, email support and 1-to-1 counselling.

‘Our Employee Assistance Counselling services provide much needed support for staff who are struggling in some form or other with their mental health and the helpline and counselling gives them some much needed emotional first aid to enable them to cope better and be at their best.’

‘Most of us struggle with our mental health at some point in our lives and the last year and a half has affected us even more. Mental health is at the forefront of all our minds in the wake of the pandemic and it’s now more important than ever for employees to feel supported in the workplace and be able to have open conversations around mental ill health’

Rebecca, who joined Professional Help in September 2020, has a background in marketing, business and project management and has had previous experience and involvement with the support available from Cumbria Business Growth Hub; ‘I was aware of the Growth Hub through previous employment and that it offers great support to help Cumbrian businesses grow and develop.’

Professional Help is going through a period of growth and one aspect Rebecca is keen to strengthen is the company position within the marketplace therefore Rebecca identified that a fresh marketing strategy, brand and website was needed for the business. Aware that funding support was available for marketing through the Growth Hub, Rebecca made contact and was allocated business adviser Adrian Luckham. Together they made the decision that the most effective use of the Growth Hub support for the business would be through using the match funded 60/40 subsidy. Specifically, the subsidy was to be used for the redevelopment of the business branding and pay towards a new website.

When asked about her experience with a Growth Hub adviser, Rebecca said; ‘Adrian really helped me understand again how the Growth Hub funding worked, the application process and what was needed to submit this successfully. Adrian’s input and advice also helped me put together a marketing brief to send out to design agencies in the area and identify what we needed from them for the application. The support from Adrian has been really valuable throughout and I am really pleased to say that our application was successful, and the project is now underway.’

Rebecca continued that she had also been lucky enough to tap into Adrian’s extensive marketing and strategy expertise which has enabled her to develop a marketing strategy in which to take the business forward.

‘Through the development of a new brand and website, we can relaunch Professional Help in a way which will enable us to stand out against our competitors, gain new partnerships and fit with our vision of growth. This will give us the opportunity to sell what we do with a fresh look and with the same great professional and supportive service.’

She concluded; ‘I highly recommend Cumbria Business Growth Hub to other businesses; I am, and have been for a long time, a champion of Growth Hub support. Whether you are a small start up business or a more established business – it’s great to know that there is such worthwhile support you can call on.’

For more information on Professional Help go to www.professionalhelp.org.uk