Counselling & guidance
Work Psychology
What is Work Psychology?
- What is Work Psychology for?
- Designing healthy work, preventing strain and counselling in the professional context
- Is Work Psychology legally regulated?
- Practised by clinical or health psychologists with work-psychology qualification, anchored in occupational safety law (ASchG, evaluation of psychological strain).
- Does Work Psychology treat illnesses?
- No, no treatment of illness; focus on prevention and counselling
Work psychology deals with the interplay of people and work: how work is designed healthily, how strain is recognised and reduced, and how people stay capable and satisfied at work. It is aimed at healthy employees and at companies, not at treating illness.
Typical topics
- stress and overload at work
- burnout prevention
- team conflicts and leadership
- work organisation and workplace design
In Austria, work psychology is also anchored in law: companies must evaluate psychological strain at the workplace (Occupational Health and Safety Act), and work psychologists support them in doing so.
Work psychologists are usually clinical or health psychologists with a work-psychology qualification. If a mental illness of clinical relevance is involved, they refer to psychotherapy, clinical psychology or medicine.
What is allowed
- Assess psychological strain at the workplace and recommend measures
- Counsel and accompany employees and managers
- Support teams, conflicts and work organisation
Where are the limits?
- No treatment of mental illness
- No substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment
- Refers to the responsible services when clinical relevance appears
How to recognise quality
- Registered as a clinical or health psychologist
- Verifiable work-psychology qualification
- A clear separation of counselling and treatment
- Confidentiality towards the employer
How it works
- Mandatevia the company, prevention service or directly
- Analysisassess strain and needs
- Measuresrecommendations, counselling and support
Costs & insurance
Via the companyusually free for employees
Private practicefees set freely, approx. 100 to 180 € per session
Insurancenot an insurance benefit
Tax deductibleas a business expense if work-related