Baltic Apprenticeships are the largest independent training provider in England. Baltic build sought-after tech & digital skills through online training.
In January 2023, Baltic Apprenticeships invested in Spill to make sure they were providing their employees with the wellbeing support they needed.
“We know that life can be hard, complicated, and fast paced, and we wanted to make sure that our employees were taking a moment to breathe and look after themselves,” says Beth Gavin, People and Culture Manager.
Confidential therapy sessions in just a few clicks
“Since January, we’ve had 27 people complete a therapy course (6 sessions) and 40 people complete one-off sessions. But more importantly, our overall rating for the service is 9.9/10, which is pretty impressive and highlights the positive impact the sessions are having on our team’s wellbeing.
We love Spill because it is so accessible for our teams, they can log-on and arrange a session in 30 seconds. It's also completely confidential, which I think encourages our team to use the service as little or as often as they would like.”
“I've always felt my CBT with the NHS was really impersonal and clinical, and made me quite uncomfortable.
Before Spill, I was struggling to cope with processing my emotions — I didn't have anyone to talk to about what I was feeling without feeling judged. I was in a toxic cycle of burnout, particularly with work. I found it really hard to be motivated and get tasks done, because I felt so anxious that I’d make mistakes.
Immediately after my first Spill session, I think I could have cried with relief — it really felt like a weight off my shoulders, and even after one session I knew that it was going to really help me. It's hard to describe how that feels when you've started to accept that nothing will be able to help your mental health.
My therapist made me feel incredibly comfortable from the get-go. He's very patient, as in he's always aware of when I'm deep in thought and need a second to process things, and when to ask questions for me to explore how I'm feeling.
My self-esteem has probably seen the biggest change - I'm learning not to let other people determine my self-worth now. I trust my own instincts, thoughts and feelings so much more, because through Spill I've been able to reassess the need for approval and to 'fit in', and that's really freeing.
In work, I feel back to my old self. I'm much more able to be creative and innovative, and that's because I trust my own ideas now. I'm also far more confident going into meetings because I'm more comfortable in my own ability to do my job well. It's really lifted any imposter syndrome I had before.
I'm incredibly grateful to Baltic for providing this opportunity: considering the impact it's had on me, it's quite emotional to think that if they didn't offer this I could have struggled with mental health for the rest of my life. It's incredible to think how much impact a short course of sessions can have.”
Life-changing support that's reduced absence
“As People & Culture Manager, I felt extremely proud and lucky to work for a company who were excited to provide mental health support to our teams. Private counsellors in the UK generally charge up to £150+ per therapy session, and the average waiting list to access mental health services through the NHS is 14.5 weeks. Our teams now have free and accessible mental health support, I honestly believe it's life changing for some people.
Our mental-health-related absence has significantly decreased over the last six months. And a lot of our Managers have attended manager clinics, which has definitely empowered and equipped them to better support their teams.
We receive a lot of positive feedback in our engagement surveys about the mental health support we now provide.”
“Before using Spill, I was struggling with severe anxiety and depression. I was becoming distracted and unable to focus at work.
I have tried phone talking therapy previously — and found this format unhelpful — so I was hopeful that Spill video therapy could help me, and I felt relieved once the session was booked.
During sessions, it can be difficult talking about such sensitive topics, however, I felt fully supported and comfortable throughout. Both of the therapists I spoke with made the whole experience much less intimidating, as therapy can often feel.
Afterwards, I felt as though I had gained a new perspective. I am now able to better understand my feelings and physical symptoms, and although I still struggle, I feel better equipped to tackle these issues.
I have been much more focused and productive at work, as well as feeling more confident in speaking about how I feel with my manager.
The waiting time for therapy on the NHS is very long, which can make lead to people feeling even worse. Spill offers professional therapy much faster and is extremely helpful. I think this is the best benefit that a company can give.”
“I would recommend Spill to any organisation. It's empowered our team to take control on their own mental health.”
“I’d been struggling with some relationship issues for quite a few months, which were making me feel extremely down and made it difficult to get out of a negative headspace.
Though I was still able to complete the work I needed to do, everything felt like more effort and I found myself being completely exhausted and worn out by the end of the day.
I was worried my problems weren’t going to be considered serious enough to warrant using Spill. But my initial nerves were eased by my friendly therapist.
I’m now feeling much more positive and have a new perspective on a lot of things. I still have some difficult days, but I feel like the therapy I received helped me through the worst of it and gave me techniques to deal with the lower days when they come round.
I feel more engaged and I am far more productive now. Tasks don’t take me as much time to complete because I’m able to focus fully on what I need to.
The fact this was offered for free as a benefit through work is one of the best things my company could do for its employees. Financially I’m not sure I could’ve managed to pay for therapy and get the help I needed.”
