There has been a 70% rise in the number of accountants contacting the Chartered Accountants' Benevolent Association (CABA) for help over the past year.
CABA's annual Impact Report shows more than 3,000 people turned to the charity in 2012 for support with improving their work situation, personal finances or emotional wellbeing.
Of these, 1,694 used the inhouse enquiry channels and helpline, up 70% from the year before, and 657 people were provided with support services, an annual increase of 46%.
There was a 40% increase in the number of carers getting in contact, and 477 people were offered counselling via online, telephone and face-to-face options. The charity also paid out £602,000 in grants and donations to 255 accountants, their families or dependents.
Kath Haines, CABA chief executive, said: 'A broader range of people from the chartered accountant community are approaching us, with a wider range of problems. We have listened carefully to what our clients are experiencing and we have launched a range of new, high quality services. These services are free to current and former ICAEW members and their families, and they are specifically designed to help clients get through this downturn and the difficulties that come with it.'
Employment continues to be the second biggest reason people contact CABA and in 2012 calls and emails related to employment increased from 93 the previous year to 155.
Haines said the charity had received a lot of calls from people facing redundancy, including 'some from people who literally don't know how they will get through to the end of the week.'
The charity says its new 'Career Coaching' initiative, designed for accountants who want to get back into work after redundancy, has seen 51% of the 57 people who have completed the course finding work. A further 160 people are currently going through the programme.
Other new services from CABA include a 24-hour online live chat facility and a new online service for people with depression or anxiety issues called 'Beating the Blues'. Future plans include increasing support for ICAEW members working overseas, and improving case management and the measurement of CABA's intervention.
