Counsellor who lifts others up finds her own moment to shine

WHEN disability advocate and past Geelong Business Excellence Award winner Justine Martin challenged Suzanne Sprague to enter her business in this year’s awards, she couldn’t say no.

Sprague is the director of Emerald Tree Counselling, a Geelong West practice boasting a team of accredited therapists with expertise spanning a variety of specialised areas, including NDIS support.

The business also provides employee assistance programs, and partners with local organisations like Timbertruss, Meli, and gforce employment + recruit to provide mental health and wellbeing support to their teams.

“[Justine] just said to me ‘You cheerlead everyone else to live their best life, and you cheerlead everyone to run their business…you should do it yourself,” Sprague explained.

“This is me having the courage to do what I encourage everyone else to do.”

Quickly impressing the judges, the business has been named a finalist in three categories — Inclusive and Accessible Business, Employer of Choice, and Health and Wellbeing Promoting Workplace — in this year’s awards, which are supported by major sponsor LBW Business + Wealth Advisors.

The entry experience has offered Sprague a welcome opportunity to celebrate Emerald Tree’s progress over the past two decades.

“It went from what I thought was going to be a chore to something that really made me reflect on my business,” she said.

Sprague was thrilled to discover everyone she consulted while putting the submission together, including her staff and accountant, had positive insights to share.

“It’s provided heaps of opportunities to have conversations and they’ve been really awesome,” Sprague said.

She attributes the business’s success to maintaining a simple client-centric approach focused on building the experience of Emerald Tree’s staff and ensuring compliance with all legislation and professional requirements.

“We’re not here to service everyone; I’ve never been interested in taking over the world. I didn’t do this to have 10 sites open or anything else,” Sprague said.

Rather, she wanted a flexible workplace while she started a family that also offered an opportunity to provide “quality client-centred, heart-centred work”.

She soon realised this was a desire shared by many other working professionals, and now helps her own team achieve a healthy work-life balance that suits both their family and the needs of Emerald Tree’s clients.

As Sprague looks to the future, the sustainability of the business is front of mind.

“I have no plans on retiring. I love my clinical work, but it’s about making Emerald Tree more about Emerald Tree, not just about me,” she said.

The winners of this year’s GBEAs will be crowned at a presentation event at Geelong Arts Centre on October 30. For tickets, head to gbea.com.au