Talked for Work vs Acacia Connection

Traditional employee assistance programs have long focused on short-term counselling. But with the growing recognition of both physical and psychosocial risks (coupled with stricter Workplace Health and Safety or WHS policies), today’s organisations need a more holistic, all-in-one approach to employee wellbeing.

Talked for Work and Acacia Connection are both known for having a wide range of employee care services. Explore how they compare in this guide.

Key features at a glance

Talked for Work

Talked for Work is a clinically driven wellbeing platform designed especially for Australian organisations. It’s built on the Stepped Care framework, which means employees receive support tailored to their needs, whether that’s preventive, early intervention, crisis support, short-term counselling, longer-term psychological support, or assistance beyond mental health.

Human connection is also central to Talked’s services. Even with advanced clinician matching tools and technology, Talked ensures that employees work with real, qualified health professionals, including GPs, psychologists, counsellors, and mental health nurses.

For more personalised support, Talked offers three customisable packages for businesses, each with default inclusions and optional add-ons. Explore Talked for Work’s Pricing Page for more information on Talked’s Essential Care, Enhanced Care, and Complete Care plans.

Acacia Connection

Acacia is an established EAP provider supporting organisations with short-term counselling, manager training, employee recruitment and exit support, and other safety-related services.

It has no defined tiers or plans, so it’s completely up to you which services you’d like to include and exclude in your contract.

Clinical triage

Talked for Work

An expert and human connection is a vital first step in getting appropriate support. That’s why Talked offers a clinical triage service that promptly connects employees with Talked’s team of nurses via chat, phone, or video.

This allows employees to communicate any concerns or distress they might be experiencing, so their nurse can give them proper recommendations and referrals.

Acacia

Acacia provides triage as part of its critical incident management services. However, it’s unclear whether this triage is also available to employees who aren’t in crisis or who are unsure if their concern requires clinical support.

Therapist choice

Talked for Work

You are free to choose your psychologist, counsellor, or psychotherapist by browsing Talked’s therapist directory. Or, you can use Talked’s AI-powered matching tool to quickly generate recommendations based on your concerns and preferences.

Finding a therapist you feel safe, aligned, and comfortable with is key to effective support, and Talked makes that process easy and flexible.

Acacia

Acacia doesn’t offer an option to choose your own therapist. While its Appointment Hub allows you to request a counselling session by sharing your availability and the reason you’re seeking support, the clinician you see is ultimately assigned by Acacia’s team based on the information you submit.

Psychology & counselling sessions

Talked for Work

Through Talked's personalised mental health services, employees gain access to Talked's clinical team consisting of fully-registered psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists. Employees can use their therapy credits not just for work-related counselling but even for serious mental health conditions or disorders, relationship issues, neurodivergence- or gender-related challenges, and anything around mental health.

All Talked therapists are based in Australia and registered with relevant Australian peak bodies, ensuring support that’s locally informed and aligned with national clinical standards.

Acacia

Acacia also engages both psychologists and counsellors, with psychologists typically handling crisis-related support. Acacia also has what is called a "Connect Lines' Intake Team" which handles specialised helplines such as their First Nations Connect Line, LGBTQIA+ Connect Line, and Domestic and Family Violence Connect Line. However, all sessions are designed for short-term intervention only.

For more complex issues or formal diagnoses, employees will have to be referred to external service providers for ongoing or specialised care.

Continuity of care

Talked for Work

Enabling continuity of care is one of Talked’s key strengths. After an employee has used up their employer-funded therapy credits, they can easily continue seeing the same therapist by using Medicare or a private health insurance policy with psychology extras cover. And because all Talked therapists are Australia-based and registered, most are eligible to provide sessions that qualify for Medicare rebates and private insurance claims.

Acacia

Acacia does not accept Medicare or private health insurance claims. As such, employees must wait for their counselling credits to reset before they can access additional sessions.

Preventative and early intervention resources

Talked for Work

Talked recognises that wellbeing support shouldn’t be limited to times of crisis. That’s why a key part of its offering is a comprehensive wellbeing library, filled with proactive resources on self-improvement, resilience, and mental and physical fitness. These materials come in various formats, such as articles, videos, audio guides, self-assessments, and more, making it easy for employees to engage in support that suits their learning style.

In addition, Talked includes an in-app journal, allowing employees to reflect, track their thoughts, and stay connected to their mental health between therapy sessions.

Acacia

Acacia has a members-only app where employees can access self-help resources and tip sheets.

Psychosocial risk assessment, management, and monitoring

Talked for Work

Talked helps organisations meet both local safety policies and national Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations by providing expert support in assessing, managing, and monitoring psychosocial risks.

When needed, Talked can also deliver tailored training to build awareness and capability around psychosocial safety.

Acacia

Acacia offers hazards assessment, workplace surveys, mediation, and investigative services. The assessment part can be an incredible starting point for improving safety, but it isn't clear how Acacia helps with actual hazards and risks management.

On the other hand, mediation and investigative services can be helpful in managing and repairing conflicts between employees.

Welfare checks

Talked for Work

For employees who may be in urgent need of support, Talked can initiate a welfare check immediately or within 24 hours. This is often triggered by Talked’s triage team when signs of distress or risk are identified, but managers can also request a welfare-check if they’re concerned an employee may be in danger.

Acacia

If a manager is concerned about an employee, whether due to a workplace incident or a personal issue, they can request Acacia to conduct a welfare-style check through a clinician-led chat.

Medical advice & GP consultation

Talked for Work

Beyond mental health therapy and check-ins, Talked also offers 24/7 access to medical advice from qualified nurses. When additional support is needed, particularly for medications or prescriptions, employees can be referred to a GP directly through the platform.

Acacia

Acacia’s primary focus is on mental health and EAP counselling, and it does not offer integrated medical advice or GP consultations as part of its core services.

Real-time safety tools and services

Talked for Work

Talked offers real-time safety features specifically designed to support lone workers or employees in high-risk or unfamiliar work sites. Key tools include a 24/7 emergency assistance line, a “Check-on-Me” safety timer that alerts Talked’s Care Team if someone fails to check in, and manager-initiated welfare checks.

Acacia

Beyond its helpline and manager-initiated check-ins, Acacia does not currently offer additional personal or real-time safety features for employees.

Critical incident support

Talked for Work

Even with strong risks management in place, critical incidents can still occur. That’s why Talked offers a comprehensive critical incident response service, including immediate crisis support via phone or chat, deployment of on-site trauma responders when needed, and post-incident support and training to help teams recover and avoid similar events in the future.

Acacia

Employees covered by Acacia’s critical incident response service have access to a 24/7 helpline and post-incident support to help them manage the impact of traumatic events or workplace injuries.

Manager support & training

Talked for Work

Talked supports managers through coaching, workshops, and access to therapists experienced in workplace dynamics and people-management challenges, empowering them to support themselves and their teams effectively.

If a manager has any personal mental health concerns, they can also access confidential support from a qualified psychologist, counsellor, or psychotherapist.

Acacia

Acacia also supports managers through coaching sessions and a dedicated manager hotline for people management concerns. In addition, Acacia can facilitate and supervise reflective practice sessions, where managers can build skills in handling different workplace situations.

Dashboard and insights

Talked for Work

Talked offers a real-time dashboard with anonymised data on platform usage, presenting issues, and engagement trends. This helps employers track how staff are interacting with the different wellbeing services and spot emerging risks early.

Talked also provides quarterly business reviews, helping organisations fine-tune their wellbeing strategy based on actual employee needs and usage patterns.

Acacia

Acacia provides a live dashboard that gives insights into EAP usage and employees’ wellbeing concerns. Monthly or quarterly reports may also be requested.

Bottom line

Both Talked for Work and Acacia Connection go well beyond the offerings of traditional EAPs, delivering comprehensive support for employees and managers.

Acacia excels in short-term counselling, specialist connect lines, pre-employment assessments, and outplacement or employee exit support. Its flexible, à la carte service model also conveniently allows organisations to choose the offerings that best suit their needs.

Talked for Work excels in delivering both short- and long-term mental health care, including clinical psychology, crisis response, and ongoing post-incident support. Its integrated medical, GP, and personal safety services are also highly valued by members, offering truly holistic care.

If you need more information, feel free to request a demo or reach out to us anytime via team@talked.com.au.