Self Space EAP overview

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Self Space call themselves “the world’s first on-demand mental health service on the high street”. Founded in 2018, they now work with over 200 companies and have a team of 70 qualified therapists offering in-person and online sessions.

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Self Space differentiates itself by focusing on on-demand therapy that can be booked quickly and easily online, and delivered at one of their “lush spaces” in stores around London. They also offer a range of events such as talks, book clubs, walking clubs and leadership retreats – making them a great option for companies who want to offer modern wellbeing perks that employees can take part in offline.

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In general, Trustpilot reviews from users are positive with the only sticking point being the online booking system and poor comminication causing appointments to be missed. A few users mention “inexperienced therapists” and poor customer service, but the majority of negative reviews are from therapists working at Self Space claiming to be overworked, under-supported and expected to follow clinically unsafe practices. Let’s take a look at Self Space’s offering in more detail.

Counselling on Self Space

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Self Space’s offering is focussed on therapy sessions which can be booked easily online and held either virtually or in-person from one of their physical sites. They offer availability “morning, noon, and night – even on weekends” across a range of modalities and specialisms.

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Individual sessions pricing currently starts at £90 for a 50-minute session, with bundles available for businesses to use over the course of a year. Sessions are available online or in-person, but currently the spaces provided are all in central London.

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Self Space also offer a therapist matching service. Employees can fill out a form answering a few questions on how they’re feeling and any preferences and get a personalised recommendation for 2-3 therapists might be a good fit.

Other services on Self Space

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Integrations

Self Space does not currently offer any integrations for either employees or admins. Employees must visit the Self Space website to book sessions, and admins must manage their plan from there as well.

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Confidentiality

Self Space is a confidential service. Company admins will not know which employees are using the platform, or any information from the conversations with coaches or therapists.

Best reviews for Self Space EAP

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Good therapist matching

The positive user reviews for Self Space mostly focus on the relationship with individual therapists on the platform, resulting from a good matching system and the ability to have repeat sessions with the same therapist.

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Cool spaces for in-person sessions

Users also highlight that the physical spaces for therapy sessions are warm, welcoming and very modern compared to clinical or stuffy rooms they’ve experienced before. The high street presence is very convenient for employees and companies based in London.

Bad reviews for Self Space EAP

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Bad therapist experience

While there are a few reviews from users mentioning inexperienced therapists, the majority of negative reviews on Trustpilot and Glassdoor are from the counsellors themselves. Common themes are long hours, lack of training and poor standards when it comes to safeguarding and clinical practice.

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Poor booking system

Several reviews criticise the online booking system causing mistakes when booking appointments and poor follow-up communications, leading to missed appointments and wasted spend (alongside a frustrating experience for anyone who’s in need of quick support).

Self Space is a more premium service for companies looking specifically to support employee mental health with access to on-demand therapy, training and self-guided content. It’s a good option for London based businesses where employees can drop in to the physical therapy rooms and take advantage of the in-person talks and events.

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Self Space is one of a small number of EAPs that shares therapist bio’s and allows employees to choose a practitioner that suits their specific situation and resonates with them personally. This often leads to a more positive therapy experience, and higher platform usage.

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There are two issues that are highlighted by the reviews. Self Space’s online booking system is causing errors and missed appointments, with a small number of users complaining about speaking to inexperienced or poor quality counsellors. However, the majority of negative reviews are from the therapists themselves who have had a bad experience working with Self Space and are concerned about the service they are expected to provide (especially relating to safeguarding, training and supervision).

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If you are looking for EAPs that provide a broader range of wellbeing services for employees, try one of the other top 5 EAPs.