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”.
Queensland social worker and therapist Ursula Adams. Credit: Dan Peled
“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.
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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.
