Stress and overload
When a person feels that their various responsibilities are piling up and they can no longer regain their balance.
Support can help identify the main sources of pressure, clarify priorities and develop realistic strategies.
Businesses · Saint‑HyacintheSocial work
Social work and support for employees
An accessible resource to support your employees when a personal, family or work situation starts to have an impact
Behind every employee is a person with a personal, family and work reality that can sometimes become difficult to balance.
Stress, conflict, separation, grief, overload, family difficulties, neurodiversity, adjusting to work or returning after an absence: some situations can gradually affect an employee’s well-being and functioning.
The Clinique IPS du Palais in Saint-Hyacinthe gives businesses the opportunity to provide their employees with access to an experienced social worker, in a professional, confidential and easily accessible setting.
The goal: to intervene quickly, help the person better understand their situation and work with them to develop concrete solutions suited to their reality.
Why
Why give your employees access to a social worker?
A difficulty experienced outside of work does not necessarily stop at the company door.
Conversely, a work-related difficulty can have significant repercussions on personal and family life.
Social work intervention makes it possible to consider these different dimensions together.
The goal is to provide a resource quickly, before a difficulty takes on a bigger role.
Among other things, it can help an employee to:
- step back from a situation;
- better understand what is contributing to their difficulties;
- identify their priorities;
- develop concrete strategies;
- improve certain relationships;
- better communicate their needs;
- get through a period of change;
- regain a better balance;
- identify the resources they may need;
- be referred to another professional when the situation requires it.
Employee Assistance Program
A service that can be integrated into your employee assistance program
The arrangements can be adapted to the organization’s reality.
The business can thus offer its employees local, quick access to a professional when the need arises.
The Clinique IPS du Palais can offer social work consultations as part of:
- an employee assistance program;
- a corporate agreement;
- a complement to an existing EAP;
- direct access offered by the business;
- a set number of consultations per employee;
- an occasional referral by human resources or management.
Situations
In what situations can an employee seek help?
Personal or family difficulties
A separation, a family conflict, parenting difficulties or a situation involving a loved one can have significant repercussions on concentration and day-to-day functioning.
The social worker can support the employee to help them get through this period more easily.
Relationship difficulties
Some situations can become particularly demanding when conflicts or communication difficulties keep recurring.
The intervention makes it possible to step back from the interactions and develop new ways of approaching the situation.
Grief and difficult events
The loss of a loved one or certain major events can temporarily change how a person functions.
Professional support can offer a space to get through this period and gradually identify the strategies needed to carry on with one’s activities.
Changes
Adjustment and changes at work
A change of position, a new team, a restructuring, new responsibilities or a period of professional transition can require a significant ability to adapt.
The social worker can support the employee to help them:
- better understand what they are going through;
- identify the difficulties they are facing;
- develop coping strategies;
- improve certain aspects of communication;
- determine their needs;
- regain their bearings in their work environment.
Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity in the workplace
Better understanding differences in functioning
Not everyone learns, communicates, organizes themselves and processes information in the same way.
Some neurodivergent people may face challenges with, among other things:
- organization;
- planning;
- managing priorities;
- certain social interactions;
- communication;
- adapting to change;
- the sensory environment;
- understanding expectations;
- managing several requests at the same time.
Élise has particular experience in supporting neurodiversity in children and adults as well as their loved ones.
In a work context, support can help the employee better understand how they function and identify strategies suited to their reality.
Neurodiversity: supporting managers too
With the consent of the person concerned and when an intervention of this kind is appropriate, a business may also wish to be better equipped to support the functioning of a neurodivergent employee.
Needs may involve, among other things:
- communication;
- clarifying expectations;
- work organization;
- predictability;
- managing change;
- certain interactions;
- understanding the employee’s strengths and difficulties.
The goal is not to ask the employee to function exactly like everyone else, but to look for strategies that support their functioning in their work environment.
However, organizational interventions and accommodation measures must be determined based on each situation and the obligations that apply to the employer.
Return to work
Absence and return to work
Easing a period that can be complex
Returning to work after an absence can be an important step for an employee.
Social work support can help the person reflect on the difficulties encountered and develop strategies that support their adjustment.
When other professionals need to be involved, the social worker can also refer the person to the appropriate resources.
Depending on the reason for the absence and the person’s situation, several concerns may be present:
- apprehension about returning;
- loss of confidence;
- difficulty getting back into a routine;
- worries about expectations;
- balancing different responsibilities;
- relationship difficulties;
- adjusting to new conditions.
Our approach
A systemic approach
A work-related difficulty does not always exist in isolation
Among other approaches, Élise uses a systemic approach.
This approach considers the person within the different environments in which they live:
- Work
- Family
- Couple
- Relationships
- Responsibilities
- Social environment
These dimensions can influence one another.
A family difficulty can have repercussions at work.
A work-related difficulty can affect the couple or the family.
The intervention therefore aims to understand the situation as a whole rather than looking only at an isolated problem.
Our approach
A solution-focused approach
Élise’s approach is also solution-focused.
The goal is not only to analyze what isn’t working.
This approach aims to gradually build concrete changes suited to the person’s reality.
The sessions also help identify:
- the person’s strengths;
- what they are already managing to do;
- the resources available;
- what works better in certain situations;
- the changes they want;
- solutions that can be put into practice quickly.
Confidentiality
Supporting without taking the place of the employer
She works primarily with the person to help them understand their situation and develop strategies.
The content of consultations remains confidential within the limits set by professional rules and applicable legislation.
A business therefore does not receive the content of the sessions simply because it pays for the service.
This separation is essential to preserve the employee’s trust in the service.
The social worker’s role with the employee is different from that of:
- human resources;
- the manager;
- those responsible for health and safety;
- the physician;
- the insurer;
- the professionals responsible for a CNESST file.
For the business
And for the business, what are the benefits?
Quicker access to a resource
When an employee asks for help, speed of access can be important.
A local agreement makes it possible to offer a clearly identified resource to which the employee can be directed.
An additional resource for HR and managers
Managers cannot become their employees’ psychosocial counsellors.
When a situation goes beyond their role, having a professional resource to refer the employee to can make the situation easier to manage.
Earlier intervention
A difficulty can sometimes be addressed when it is only just beginning to affect the person.
The goal is to promote access to support without necessarily waiting for the situation to become a crisis.
A comprehensive approach
Some difficulties at work originate elsewhere.
Other work-related difficulties have repercussions in every other area of life.
The social work approach makes it possible to consider these interactions.
A local resource
For businesses in Saint-Hyacinthe and the surrounding region, employees can have access to a professional directly at the Clinique IPS du Palais.
This proximity can make it easier to access consultations and ensure continuity of support.
Prevention
Psychological health and psychosocial risks
A business must put in place its own approach to preventing and managing these risks1.
Individual social work consultations can complement this approach by offering support to individuals, but they do not replace the necessary organizational measures.
Psychosocial risks at work may involve, among other things1,2:
- workload;
- decision-making autonomy;
- recognition;
- support at work;
- organizational justice;
- social relationships;
- certain situations of violence or harassment.
According to the INSPQ, “mental health problems at work generate significant rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as high staff turnover”3.
Existing EAP
A complement to your current EAP
Does your business already have an employee assistance program?
There is no need to replace it.
The Clinique IPS du Palais can also act as a complementary local resource, particularly when you want to:
- offer your employees another option;
- make in-person consultations easier to access;
- have a local resource;
- meet a specific need;
- offer services related to neurodiversity;
- have a professional to whom you can quickly refer an employee.
Customized
An offer tailored to the size of your business
Every organization has different needs.
The agreement can be structured based on:
the number of employees;
the desired frequency of use;
the number of consultations covered;
the referral arrangements;
the type of services desired;
whether or not there is an EAP;
other health services already available in the business.
This makes it possible to create a formula suited to SMEs and larger organizations alike.
Meet Élise
Élise — Social worker
A 2005 graduate in social work from Université Laval, Élise has more than twenty years of experience in the field of social intervention.
She worked in the community sector and then at a CLSC, notably in the Famille-Enfance-Jeunesse (family, childhood and youth) program, before devoting herself to private practice.
Today, she supports a diverse clientele through individual, family and couple interventions.
She also has particular experience in neurodiversity with children, adults and their loved ones, as well as in psychosocial assessment of incapacity.
Her approach is notably systemic and solution-focused.
She seeks to understand the situation as a whole while helping the person identify their strengths and develop concrete solutions that can be applied in their daily life.
Are you an employer or human resources manager?
Would you like to:
Offer quick access to a social worker?
Add a local resource to your employee assistance program?
Better support your employees during difficult times?
Improve access to services related to neurodiversity?
Create a formula tailored to your business?
We can discuss your organization, your needs and the various possibilities for collaboration.
Discuss your needs → Discover our other services for businesses Employee assistance program Psychological health at work
Clinique IPS du Palais
Services for businesses — Saint-Hyacinthe
References
- Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). Risques psychosociaux liés au travail, accessed September 30, 2026. cnesst.gouv.qc.ca
- CNESST. Facteurs de risques psychosociaux liés au travail, accessed September 30, 2026. cnesst.gouv.qc.ca
- Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). Fiche 1-B : Indicateur « Absentéisme maladie et présentéisme », in Recueil de fiches portant sur les indicateurs de la Grille d’identification de risques psychosociaux du travail, accessed September 30, 2026. inspq.qc.ca
The information on this page is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.