Why counselling is more than a box to tick on your workers comp claim

Counselling for workers comp

How therapy can support real healing, not just paperwork compliance

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you—or someone close to you—has been injured at work. Maybe it was physical. Maybe it was psychological. Either way, the world can start to feel a little sideways after that. Between the paperwork, assessments, appointments, and reports, it’s easy to feel like you’ve become a file number. A claim. A task to be processed. And somewhere in that tangle of checklists and obligations, you might find a box that says “attending counselling.”

It’s tempting to treat therapy as just another thing to tick off:

✔ Assessment booked

✔ Medical certificate updated

✔ Therapy session attended

But how about we look at it differently ……

Because counselling isn’t just another hoop to jump through for your claim. It’s one of the few parts of the system that’s actually for you. Not about your paperwork. Not about compliance. But about your healing.

Let’s take a closer look at why therapy deserves more than a “tick and forget” mindset—and how it might just be the key to genuine recovery, resilience, and growth.

The psychology of injury: Why it’s not just in your head

First things first—if you’ve been through trauma at work (whether it was a serious incident, chronic stress, bullying, or something else entirely), your mind and body have both been affected. Psychological injuries are real, and they often show up in the body just as much as the mind.

You might be:

• Constantly on edge

• Struggling to sleep

• Avoiding certain people or places

• Feeling numb, teary, or angry for “no reason”

• Worrying that you’re “too sensitive” or “not coping”

These aren’t flaws. They’re signs that your nervous system is still in survival mode, trying to protect you from further harm. Therapy isn’t about diagnosing what’s “wrong” with you. It’s about recognising what’s happened to you—and giving you space to recover.

Beyond symptom management: What counselling actually does

It’s not uncommon for workers comp clients to be sceptical of therapy. Understandably so—if you’ve had to fight to be believed or felt like a number in a system, sitting down to talk about your feelings might seem pointless or even patronising.

But counselling—when done right—isn’t about vague questions and nodding. It’s about helping you reconnect with yourself after trauma has thrown everything off course.

Here’s what good therapy can offer:

• Validation of your experiences, without judgment

• Tools to manage anxiety, sleep problems, or flashbacks

• Support to process what happened and make meaning of it

• A safe space to rebuild confidence and re-establish your identity

• Strategies to cope with returning to work—or finding a new path

• Hope that healing is possible, even when it doesn’t feel that way yet

This is especially important when trauma has left you feeling powerless. Counselling helps put some of that power back in your hands.

Post-Traumatic Growth: Yes, it’s a real thing

You’ve probably heard of PTSD, but have you heard of PTG—post-traumatic growth?

It’s a lesser-known but well-researched concept that describes the positive psychological change that can occur after trauma. That’s not to say trauma is “good”—it isn’t. But with the right support, many people report:

• A deeper appreciation of life

• Clearer priorities

• Stronger relationships

• A new sense of strength

• Greater emotional intelligence

• More meaning in work or life

Therapy plays a huge role in fostering that growth. Not by forcing positivity, but by creating space for you to process pain, integrate the experience, and choose how you want to move forward.

Therapy as a return to wholeness, not just work

Many workers comp clients focus on getting back to work—which makes sense. Returning to work can feel like a return to normality, routine, and financial security. But it’s important to recognise that you are more than your job.

Counselling helps support you, not just your workplace identity. It looks at your whole life:

• How the injury has affected your relationships

• What you need to feel safe again

• What makes life worth living outside of work

• How to reconnect with joy, purpose, or calm

Whether you’re heading back to the same job or starting a new chapter, therapy can help you rebuild from the inside out—not just so you can function, but so you can flourish.

When you don’t “click” with a therapist

Let’s be real—not every therapist is the right fit. If you’ve had one session and left feeling unheard, misunderstood, or worse, it’s OK to try someone else.

You don’t have to keep seeing someone just because it was approved by the insurer. You’re allowed to request a change. Finding the right person—someone who gets your experience and makes you feel safe—is one of the most important steps in making therapy work.

You are not being difficult. You are advocating for yourself.

In Summary: Give counselling a real chance

Yes, attending therapy might be a condition of your claim.But that doesn’t mean it can’t be something powerful for you.

Counselling isn’t about fixing you—because you’re not broken. It’s about supporting you to make sense of what happened, reconnect with your strength, and find a path forward that honours what you’ve been through and what you’re capable of becoming.

So next time you see “attend counselling” on your claim checklist, don’t just tick the box.

Open the door.

And see what healing might be waiting on the other side.