‘It’s horrific’: Myer investigates mental health provider as counsellors claim unpaid fees

Myer is investigating its mental health provider D’Accord OAS as half a dozen more counsellors come forward claiming the counselling giant owes them thousands of dollars.

The Victorian government has also distanced itself from D’Accord OAS, which allegedly threatened counsellors with retribution after they complained of going months without payment.

This masthead last week revealed that 18 D’Accord OAS counsellors had either faced months of delays in receiving payment or had not been paid at all. The company said they would be struck off a professional register and reported for their conduct after they raised their concerns.

Six more counsellors have since come forwards, accusing the company of exploiting them while they provide frontline mental health services to domestic violence survivors and sexual assault victims.

“I’m shocked,” said mental health social worker Colleen Cahill, who claims D’Accord OAS owes her $10,000. “I’ve been running a business for 50 years, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this. For some people, this really matters; they’ve got kids and a mortgage to pay.”

D’Accord OAS provides counselling services to victims of violent and traumatic incidents on behalf of corporations, local councils and medical centres across the country as part of the booming $400 million employee assistance industry.

Cahill said the company was traumatising its own counsellors.

“It’s horrific,” she said. “You aren’t getting paid, then you have to go begging for money, and then you are ignored.”

The comments echo those of 23 other D’Accord counsellors spoken to by this masthead across Australia, including Ursula Adams, Audra Glavas and Tresna Lammonby from Queensland, Victoria and WA.

The company’s sole director, Gino Carrafa, dismissed the concerns of counsellors trying to recoup their debts as he went on multiple lavish Mediterranean holidays over the past three years, allegedly telling them to “f--- off”, “get f---ed” and “I know where you live”.

Carrafa, a registered psychologist, denied the allegations last week, labelling them “rubbish”.

“D’Accord does pay its contractors,” he said on Wednesday in response to the latest claims from counsellors.

Carrafa again accused counsellors of having poor business practices and failing to file invoices properly or on time.

“Some contractors, for example, have submitted invoices six months after sessions have been conducted, and some companies have not paid on time often two months behind and in one instance $106,000 was owed after four months of waiting going into the fifth month,” he said.

Former D’Accord OAS counsellor Peter Hope said he spent a year trying to recoup debts from the company after being a first responder to sudden deaths, suicides and industrial accidents.

“They just try and get people to shut up and disappear,” said Hope. “It gave me the shits to finish my professional career in that way after 40 years of work in the game.”

“I’ve written off the money, but he owes me respect.”

Myer, one of D’Accord OAS’ top clients, has launched an investigation into the claims against the company, which it used to counsel staff after the Bondi Junction stabbing. The department store giant declined to comment.

The Victorian government’s Transport Accident Commission has also distanced itself from D’Accord OAS. The commission used D’Accord OAS as a subcontractor under an agreement with Corporate Health Management to run employee assistance services. In June, a D’Accord OAS subcontractor alerted the commission to outstanding invoices.

Corporate Health Management chief executive Michael Lotherington said its contract with D’Accord OAS ended last year.

“Employee and contractor welfare is fundamental to our business,” said Lotherington. “We know that when they are looked after properly, that translates directly into better care for the clients and their employees.”

But dozens of counsellors say they are still owed thousands of dollars for work they did for major companies, including Bendigo Bank, on behalf of D’Accord OAS. Bendigo Bank declined to comment.

One counsellor, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her future work, said she was repeatedly let down by D’Accord OAS, which would pledge to look into the payments and then go silent, forcing her to choose between caring for vulnerable clients and working free.

“Because I’d already engaged these clients – three of them were in family violence situations – I did not feel like I could just drop them,” she said. “That somebody could do this – it just cuts across so many of my values”.

Mental health worker Meg, who asked only to be identified by her first name, said D’Accord OAS’ actions were anathema to the services it was providing. “It’s a blight on the profession,” she said.

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