Essendon has thrown its support behind Aaron Francis after the defender took time away from the club to deal with his mental health.

Senior coach Ben Rutten said Francis was expected back at the NEC Hangar next week.

"Franc's' going pretty well. He won't play this week due to personal reasons," Rutten said.

"He's hopefully going to return to the club next week, that's the plan.

"We're certainly very much supportive of Aaron and his journey through his mental health stuff.

"I think that's something he's really leading from example with that … his openness and honesty.

"We're certainly right behind him as a footy club and very much supportive of Aaron.

"We're expecting him back next week, but we'll have to just still wait and see."

Francis has previously taken time off to manage his mental health issues.