A health cash plan may reimburse some eligible therapy costs, but the practitioner criteria, annual limit, referral or authorisation rules, receipt requirements and claims route depend on the member's own policy. Check those details with the provider before booking. For employers, the useful role is to make an existing benefit easier to find and understand without promising eligibility, confidentiality, reimbursement or clinical outcomes that the scheme cannot guarantee. This guide addresses a documented communication problem. Simplyhealth reported in 2025 that 34% of British workers did not use their workplace health benefits and that many benefit users experienced access barriers. This figure covers workplace health benefits generally. It is not a therapy specific or cash plan specific unused benefit rate. FCA value measures data also reports aggregate market claims information, but a claims ratio does not show which individuals needed therapy or why a particular category was not used. For members, the practical checklist is to find the current policy documents, identify the relevant mental health or therapies category, check the available amount or session limit, confirm the plan year reset date, ask which practitioner registers are accepted, establish whether referral or authorisation is required, check what the receipt must contain and understand how reimbursement is calculated. Confirm these details before booking because products, employer arrangements and renewal terms can differ. Therapist choice also requires two checks. First, verify the practitioner's registration or accreditation on the relevant public register. Psychotherapist, counsellor and therapist are not protected titles in the same way as the protected practitioner psychologist titles regulated by the HCPC. BABCP accreditation is a relevant credential when someone is seeking cognitive behavioural therapy. Second, confirm that the member's cash plan accepts that exact credential. A legitimate practitioner may still fall outside a particular reimbursement policy. The employer case is benefit activation rather than a promise of savings. HSE reported that work related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 22.1 million working days lost in Great Britain in 2024/25. Deloitte estimated a substantial annual employer cost from poor mental health and reported higher average returns for earlier, preventative workplace mental health interventions than for later stage support. Those findings support clear, timely routes to help, but they do not prove that this guide or a cash plan claim will reduce absence, prevent illness or produce a specific return. Employers can act by publishing policy specific limits and reset dates, naming mental health benefits clearly, explaining the verified privacy position, removing unnecessary access gates where the scheme permits, communicating through more than one channel, training managers to signpost rather than assess, publishing accepted practitioner criteria and describing session limits accurately. Ask the provider what anonymised category level information is available and what privacy safeguards apply before interpreting low use. Sanah Younis is the Founder and Lead Therapist at The Lyceum Clinic, BABCP accredited, with over a decade in clinical practice. The guide is clinically reviewed and written in British English. It includes a member checklist, therapist verification steps, employer actions, a communication calendar, references, urgent support information and an explicit financial and insurance disclaimer. The Lyceum's current fees are £110 for online CBT and £140 for face to face CBT in Chiswick, Ealing and the Richmond venue. A cash plan provider, not the clinic, decides whether any amount is reimbursable under a member's policy. Frequently asked questions. Can I use a health cash plan to pay for therapy? Some plans reimburse eligible therapy costs, while others provide a telephone service or provider arranged sessions. Confirm the benefit, practitioner requirements, limit and claims route directly. Can I choose my own therapist? Some plans permit this, while others use accepted registers, panels, referrals or authorisation rules. What should I ask before starting? Ask about the category, limit, reset date, referral or authorisation, accepted credentials, receipt information and reimbursement calculation. Does my employer see a claim? Privacy arrangements vary, so read the scheme terms or ask the provider exactly what is reported and to whom. How can employers help? Publish accurate policy specific information, explain the direct route, state the verified privacy position and repeat the information at useful times. How do I check a therapist? Verify the individual on the relevant register, then confirm that the same credential is accepted by the cash plan.