“We Can’t Help You”: When Neurodivergent Employees Are Let Down by EAPs
The reality of traditional corporate mental health support
Imagine finally working up the courage to ask for help, only to be told, “We can’t support you.”
This is the heartbreaking reality for many neurodivergent employees attempting to access support through their organisation’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
Over the last year, five different managers have confided in me that their employees, after disclosing a diagnosis of autism or ADHD, were turned away by EAP providers. The reason? The EAP “didn’t have the right specialist” or simply “wasn’t equipped” to help.
This isn't just poor service. It’s exclusion.
The Hidden Crisis: EAPs Failing Neurodivergent Employees
EAPs were designed to support employees in times of need. But for many neurodivergent professionals, they are anything but supportive.
During a recent chat with Tamzin Hall, Neurodiversity Consultant, Coach and Trainer, she shared just how widespread this issue really is:
“They get told, ‘We can’t help. We haven’t got a specialist.’ Or they’re paired with someone who just isn’t equipped to support neurodivergent individuals. Often, they’re given CBT or generic counselling, which focuses on the past, when what they need is strategy, structure and forward motion.”
It’s not uncommon for people with ADHD or autism to walk away from these sessions feeling more isolated and misunderstood than before. Many end up looking for help elsewhere, too late, too exhausted, or simply giving up altogether.
Why This Matters: Legal, Financial and Human Costs
This issue isn’t just ethical, it’s legal and financial too.
🔹 Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to provide reasonable adjustments and appropriate support for neurodivergent staff. If an EAP cannot fulfil this, and no alternative is offered, the business may be exposed to disability discrimination claims.
🔹 With the Employment Rights Bill changes coming into force, the stakes are rising. Employers will be expected to provide evidence that reasonable adjustments were made and that suitable support was offered from day one.
🔹 The financial cost of getting this wrong? Consider one case Tamzin shared: a neurodivergent employee was hired by a well-known Fintech company, only for her occupational health needs to be ignored. She spent eight months on full pay, without doing a single day of work, due to lack of proper support.
🔹 Tribunals are already happening. Peloton recently lost a case after failing to make simple adjustments for an autistic employee who asked for more frequent breaks due to sensory overload.
And let’s not forget the human cost: employees who feel rejected, misunderstood or punished for how their brain works.
The Bigger Picture: Statistics That Should Make Employers Stop and Think
📌 15-20% of the UK population is neurodivergent (ACAS)
📌 65% of neurodivergent employees do not disclose their condition at work, often fearing stigma or exclusion (CIPD)
📌 Neurodivergent people are three times more likely to experience mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression
📌 Only 22% of autistic adults are in any kind of employment in the UK (ONS, 2021)
📌 9 in 10 neurodivergent workers feel their workplaces do not understand their needs
When EAPs don’t understand neurodiversity, the result is a mismatch between support offered and support needed. And that’s a risk no business can afford to ignore.
What Needs to Change
EAPs are often reactive, generic, and built on outdated models of “one-size-fits-all” support. For neurodivergent employees, this simply doesn’t work.
Support must be:
✅ Neuro-affirming
✅ Delivered by specialists who understand ADHD, autism and related conditions
✅ Focused on strategies, not just feelings
✅ Inclusive from the start—not offered as an afterthought
ReechUs Is Here to Help
At ReechUs, we’ve seen the damage done when neurodivergent employees are turned away from the very services meant to support them. That’s why we’ve built something better.
Our mental health and wellbeing programme is inclusive, proactive and holistic. Every professional on our team is neuro-trained—we know how to support individuals with autism, ADHD, and more in a practical, empowering way.
From specialist coaching and therapy to manager training and workplace assessments, ReechUs exists to make sure nobody is left behind.
If your current EAP provider says, “We can’t help”—
ReechUs can.
Need a support system that actually works for neurodivergent employees?
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