Wellbeing Support Is Yours to Choose: What the Evidence Shows
AT A GLANCE: Wellbeing Support Is Yours to Choose
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In This Article
A colleague mentions her coach. A friend talks about her therapist. Someone references a programme offered only to people a few levels above everyone else. It’s easy to assume that support like this is for specific people, at a specific point, and to rule yourself out.
You probably already know some form of support exists. NHS talking therapies, counselling and employer wellbeing schemes are all familiar in theory, but rarely explored or taken up. Underneath that awareness sit a few assumptions: that support like this is only available once things reach a crisis point, that reaching it means asking someone else first, and that going private would cost too much. None of those assumptions hold up against the evidence. Group coaching, therapy, independent coaching, digital tools and peer support are all used by women directly, without needing a referral, a crisis point, or an employer’s programme to access them.
Why Wellbeing Support Can Seem Meant for Someone Else
You probably already know wellbeing support exists: coaching, therapy, structured programmes. But it often comes with an assumption about who it’s for. Coaching can seem meant for senior roles, or for people in a particular group at work. Therapy can seem meant for people who’ve reached a crisis point. And when support seems to belong to someone else, it’s easy to rule yourself out.
Neither assumption holds up against the evidence of who actually accesses each kind of support, covered through this article. The question becomes less about whether you need support, and more about whether you’ve decided you qualify for it.
Workplace Coaching Is One Example, Still Concentrated at the Top
Workplace coaching is structured, one-to-one or group support provided through an employer, usually focused on performance, leadership or wellbeing. For the people who receive it, the evidence is strong. Reviews of workplace coaching studies have found consistent improvements in performance, goal attainment, confidence and coping (Jones, Woods & Guillaume, 2016; Theeboom, Beersma & van Vianen, 2014).
But it’s also one of the least evenly available forms of support. The ILM’s 2011 survey of UK coaching culture found that 85% of organisations target coaching mainly at senior and management levels. Only 52% offer it to all employees.
The gap is wider still for women’s health at work. Research by Towergate Health & Protection, now part of Everywhen, found that one in five UK employees, around 6.8 million people, get no coaching or awareness support at all on gender-specific health issues at work.
If you’re below management level, you may not know coaching is happening elsewhere in your organisation, or how much it’s supporting the leaders who have access to it. But there are other forms of support available to you, whether or not your work runs through an employer: independent coaching, therapy, digital tools and peer support, each one chosen by you, to match what you need. The access gap within workplace coaching is explored in more depth in Bridging the Coaching Gap.
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Group Coaching, Therapy and Peer Support Work Outside Any Employer
Independent coaching is an option where you’re in full control of who, when and how it happens. Therapy works in a similar way: found through a GP referral, a private practice, or an app, and chosen on your own terms.
Self-guided digital tools and structured peer support follow the same pattern. Reflection exercises, tracking tools and online programmes are there to use whenever you decide to. Group coaching is something you find and join yourself, rather than being enrolled in it by an employer.
There’s consistent evidence that women are more likely than men to seek out and choose their own approaches to health and wellbeing. A review by Bishop and Lewith (2010) found that being female is one of the most consistent predictors of using complementary health approaches, and Sharp et al. (2018) found the same pattern in England. Self-selected coaching works in exactly that way: you choose it, you direct it, and it fits your life. So even though fewer women hold the leadership roles where workplace coaching is offered, women are well placed to benefit from the support they choose for themselves.
Women Already Take the Initiative to Find Support
Workplace programmes that offer support don’t always get the uptake their availability would suggest. Industry estimates suggest only 3 to 5% of employees eligible for an Employee Assistance Programme use it in a given year, and this isn’t an isolated pattern: 82% of UK organisations report a take-up rate between 0 and 25% across their entire workforce (Employee Benefits reader poll).
This gap comes down to trust more than interest. Two thirds of UK adults say they wouldn’t feel comfortable raising a mental health or wellbeing issue with their employer (Nuffield Health/Censuswide, 2022). So an unused EAP says more about how support is offered than about whether people want it. Waiting to be offered support, through a specific channel at a specific time, rarely matches how you’d go looking for it yourself.
Robroek et al. (2009) found that participation in workplace health programmes is itself selective: people who take part tend to already be more engaged with their own health, rather than representing a typical cross-section of the workforce. Support gets used by the people who go and find it, whichever form it takes.
Yeo, Lansford and Rudolph (2025) found that knowing support is there for you is linked to better mental health and better work performance. Self-Determination Theory offers a reason why choice matters too (Ryan & Deci, 2000): support you choose and direct yourself builds your own autonomy, competence and sense of connection. That’s the same mechanism behind every route covered in this article, whether it’s a workplace coach, a therapist you found independently, or a digital tool you picked up yourself. When you have the choice over what kind of support to use, you’re more likely to get involved in it and stay with it.
Assuming support is reserved for specific people, or for a specific point when things get worse, isn’t supported by the evidence. Group coaching, therapy, independent coaching, digital tools and peer support are all used by women directly, regardless of role, seniority or circumstance. The next step is choosing which one fits you.
Explore This in the Women's Wellbeing LabThe Women’s Wellbeing Lab is where you can take the next step, with tools and support that fit around your life.You do not need to be in crisis to deserve support. Wanting to improve your wellbeing is enough of a reason to start. |
FAQ: Wellbeing Support Is Yours to Choose
What is wellbeing support?
Wellbeing support covers everything from stress and change to habits, time management, personal growth and decision-making. It includes structured support like coaching and therapy, as well as self-directed tools and peer support. It can come through an employer, a professional you hire directly, or a tool or group you find and use on your own. Some women don’t take it up, because they assume it isn’t meant for them, or that they can’t access it.
What does this mean for me, personally?
These findings describe patterns across large groups of women, rather than predicting anything for one person. What it means for you is that there’s a range of options, and you can find the one that suits your circumstances, budget and preferences. That’s exactly why the Women’s Wellbeing Lab has three levels of support: Essentials, self-paced and low cost; Connect & Reflect, with a Monthly Reflection Session that might be one-to-one or in a small group; and Guided Growth, with monthly one-to-one coaching included.
Does workplace coaching actually work?
For the people who receive it, yes. Reviews by Jones, Woods and Guillaume (2016) and Theeboom, Beersma and van Vianen (2014) found workplace coaching improves performance, goal attainment and coping. But it’s mainly offered at senior level (ILM, 2011), and those roles are still held mostly by men: women hold 36% of leadership roles in FTSE 350 companies (FTSE Women Leaders Review, 2026). So women are less likely to be offered coaching at work, and choosing support for yourself, outside work, can make a real difference too.
What is coaching in the workplace?
Workplace coaching is structured, one-to-one or group support provided through your employer, usually focused on performance, leadership or wellbeing, and it has a strong track record for the people who receive it. It’s typically arranged and paid for by the organisation, rather than by you. Independent coaching is the other route, where you choose who you work with directly.
What are the benefits of coaching in the workplace?
Reviews of workplace coaching studies found consistent improvements in performance, goal attainment, confidence and coping (Jones, Woods & Guillaume, 2016; Theeboom, Beersma & van Vianen, 2014). Other research links it to better wellbeing at work, stronger self-efficacy, and more positive attitudes toward your job. These benefits are found across different industries, roles and seniority levels, wherever coaching is used.
Is workplace coaching the same as mentoring?
Coaching and mentoring often get used interchangeably, but they work differently. Coaching helps you find your own answers, through structured reflection and questioning. Mentoring usually involves someone more senior sharing advice and guidance from their own experience. At work, both tend to come through the same route: an employer’s programme.
What is workplace wellbeing support?
Workplace wellbeing support can include coaching, counselling, an Employee Assistance Programme, or broader wellbeing initiatives offered through your employer. In practice, take-up tends to be low: industry estimates suggest only 3 to 5% of eligible employees use their EAP in a given year. That’s rarely because people don’t want support. Many don’t feel comfortable raising a wellbeing issue with their employer, for fear of what it could mean for their career (Nuffield Health/Censuswide, 2022). So many women look for support outside work instead.
What is group coaching?
Group coaching brings several people together with a coach at the same time, reflecting on similar themes side by side, rather than working one-to-one. Hearing other people reflect and share can build a real sense of belonging and self-compassion, whatever you bring to the session. In the Women’s Wellbeing Lab, a Monthly Reflection Session costs less than a one-to-one coaching session, which makes it easier to try coaching if budget is a consideration.
What are EAP alternatives?
An Employee Assistance Programme is one route to workplace support, but take-up is low: industry estimates suggest only 3 to 5% of eligible employees use theirs in a given year. Independent coaching, therapy, digital tools and peer support groups are all commonly used alternatives. The Essentials level of the Women’s Wellbeing Lab is one of them: self-paced wellbeing tools you can use in the context of your own life, rather than having to make a lot of space, time and energy for them.
How does the Women’s Wellbeing Lab compare with hiring a coach directly?
If you’ve thought about hiring a coach, there’s something you should know first: coaching in the UK is unregulated. That means anyone can call themselves a coach, regardless of training, and rates and qualifications vary widely as a result. Integrity matters deeply to Elizabeth. It’s the reason she’s an accredited wellness and resilience coach, with a master’s degree in psychology, and she uses that knowledge and training to support women. For the full comparison, including cost and what each level includes, see How the Women’s Wellbeing Lab Compares to Apps and Coaching Programmes.
How does the Women’s Wellbeing Lab compare with an employer wellbeing scheme?
An employer wellbeing scheme is a great option, if you’re accessing it and it’s working for you. The Women’s Wellbeing Lab works alongside that, or on its own if you don’t have one. It isn’t tied to any employer, so it’s there whether you’re in a small team, a small organisation, self-employed, or anywhere without an employer-run scheme in the first place.
What happens in a Monthly Reflection Session?
The Monthly Reflection Session is a guided session Elizabeth runs each month, with three times to choose from, so you can find the one that suits you best. Depending on who joins, it might be one-to-one with Elizabeth, or a small group where you discuss your wellbeing area together. Because the times change, you’ll meet different women each month. It’s included in Connect & Reflect, Guided Growth members can join too, and Essentials members can buy a seat whenever they’d like one. The session is only available to members of the Women’s Wellbeing Lab.
Who created the Women’s Wellbeing Lab?
Elizabeth founded the Women’s Wellbeing Lab because she kept seeing the same gap: a lot of discussion about how women’s wellbeing hasn’t been well supported, and not many places where women are supported with it. She’s an accredited wellness and resilience coach, and everything inside the Lab is grounded in that training and in evidence.
References
Bishop, F. L., & Lewith, G. T. (2010). Who uses CAM? A narrative review of demographic characteristics and health factors associated with CAM use. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7(1), 11–28. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/nen023
Employee Benefits (n.d.). 82% of employers have employee assistance programme take-up between 0-25%. https://employeebenefits.co.uk/82-of-employers-have-employee-assistance-programme-take-up-between-0-25
EachPerson (n.d.). Employee assistance programme utilisation in the UK. https://www.eachperson.com/blog/employee-assistance-programme-utilisation-uk
FTSE Women Leaders Review (2026). Achieving Gender Balance: Five Years On. https://ftsewomenleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ftse-report-2026-second-final-online.pdf
Institute of Leadership & Management (2011). Creating a coaching culture. https://leadership.global/resourceLibrary/creating-a-coaching-culture-2011.html
Jones, R. J., Woods, S. A., & Guillaume, Y. R. F. (2016). The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(2), 249–277. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12119
Nuffield Health (2022). Employees struggle to raise mental health issues with their employers. https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/employees-struggle-to-raise-mental-health-issues-with-their-employers-despite-pandemic-driving-spike-in-concerns-around-wellbeing
Robroek, S. J. W., van Lenthe, F. J., van Empelen, P., & Burdorf, A. (2009). Determinants of participation in worksite health promotion programmes: a systematic review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 6, 26.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Sharp, D., Lorenc, A., Morris, R., Feder, G., Little, P., Hollinghurst, S., Mercer, S. W., & MacPherson, H. (2018). Complementary medicine use, views, and experiences: a national survey in England. BJGP Open, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen18X101614
Theeboom, T., Beersma, B., & van Vianen, A. E. M. (2014). Does coaching work? A meta-analysis on the effects of coaching on individual level outcomes in an organizational context. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.837499
Towergate Health & Protection (now Everywhen) (2025). Research on employer support for gender-specific health issues.
Yeo, G., Lansford, J. E., & Rudolph, K. D. (2025). How does perceived social support relate to human thriving? A systematic review with meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 151(9), 1089–1124. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000491
One thing worth flagging: I also noted in the saved doc that this chat’s earlier FAQ-shorts and long-form video script work is now superseded by what you’ve finished in the other chat, so nothing here gets mixed up with the final filmed versions.
About the author Elizabeth Simpson, MSc Psychology, Accredited Wellness and Resilience Coach I'm the founder of the Women's Wellbeing Lab. I hold a master's degree in the psychology of mental health and wellbeing and I'm an Accredited Member of the Association for Coaching. I help women improve their psychological, physical and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based tools that fit around their life. |
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