At some time, everyone encounters a personal problem that may seem overwhelming but can often be resolved with some assistance. Your EAP is designed to help you, and those who are important to you, deal with personal problems. This is a strictly confidential, free, and voluntary benefit that is offered to both you and your immediate family members for self-referrals. Your EAP benefits include confidential solution-focused counseling, professional development coaching, mediation for resolution of workplace conflict, CISM services, and community resource referrals.
We encourage you to use the EAP when the need arises.
EAP Benefits
Your EAP benefit provides you with short-term solution focused confidential counseling, coaching for professional skill development, mediation for conflict resolution in the workplace, critical incident stress management (CISM) services, and community resource referrals (self-help tools, suggest reading, assessments, etc.)
Confidentiality
All contact with the EAP is completely confidential and we comply with all HIPAA regulations. Your EAP file never becomes part of your human resources file and we do not release any information without your consent.
We have a legal duty to break confidentiality in the following circumstances: threat to yourself (suicide); threat to others (homicide), and abuse or neglect of a vulnerable population.
Counseling
You and your immediate family members (spouse, life partner/significant other living with you and children up to the age of 26 who are considered a dependent) are entitled to five to eight FREE confidential counseling sessions (depending on your company’s benefit) per problem, per year.
Counseling services for problems that require assistance can include, but are not limited to: work stress, marital and family issues, relationship issues, financial concerns or grief issues, single-parent child care problems, and legal assistance referrals. Referral assistance is given to employees with financial problems -- for example, referrals to agencies for supplemental assistance such as food stamps and low-income housing referrals.
All clients will see a licensed Master’s level therapist for the counseling session. All of our counseling sessions are face-to-face with the exception of calls placed to the on-call counselor. Emergency calls will be handled telephonically with a follow-up in office appointment scheduled. If during the course of your EAP sessions, it is appropriate for you to be evaluated for medication or other psychiatric issue, a referral will be made to a psychiatrist within your healthcare network.
Professional Development Coaching
Coaching is a process used to improve a skill or minimize a deficiency and is future-focused. Management and employees can benefit from coaching from time-to-time whether they are new to their position or are seeking assistance in sharpening their skill set.
Our EAP counselors and Master’s level OD practitioner are trained to provide professional development coaching for issues that deal with time management, emotional intelligence, conflict management, effective communication, and anger management skills on an individual basis. The focus of the coaching sessions is to produce a positive impact in the confidence, commitment and work performance of the individual.
Mediation For Workplace Conflict
Conflict in the workplace happens… our staff is trained to mediate conflicts arising between two employees causing a business problem.
Mediation is not counseling and a different approach is taken to achieve results. Mediation is not subject to the same level of confidentiality as counseling or coaching; limited information will be shared only with the individual making the referral.
Mediation can only be successful if both parties are invested in achieving a positive outcome. To begin the process of mediation, the mediator schedules a time to meet with each employee individually to hear their side of the disagreement and then meets with both employees to facilitate a discussion geared toward resolution of the business problem. If a solution can not be reached during the initial joint mediation session, an additional mediation may need to be scheduled. If the employees are not able to resolve their issue jointly, the mediator will listen to the facts and then determine the resolution. In some cases, employees may require EAP sessions for coaching between the initial joint mediation and the follow-up and this is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Community Resource Referrals
In addition to the other clinical services provided to our EAP clients we also offer community resource referrals for assisted living facilities, senior/adult day care, debt/financial management, nutritional guidance, legal issues (as long as the issue is not related to any type of legal action against the employee’s employer), self-help groups, and support groups (GA, AA, Al-Anon, OA, etc.).
We also provide referral information for mental health services for those individuals who are not eligible (for example an adult child or parent) for EAP benefits.
Critical Incident Stress Management Services
EAP staff members are trained by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation and are available to provide critical incident stress management (CISM) services after an employee or employees experience a traumatic event in the workplace. CISM services can include individual or group interventions. Timing of the intervention is determined at the time of the initial call. The confidential interventions are provided as a vehicle to help them begin the process of healing.
Assistance with Alcohol and Substance Abuse
An initial assessment and a recommendation will be completed by our EAP counselor. Our EAP counselor will make a referral to a treatment program within your healthcare network and will act as a case manager during your treatment. The treatment facility will coordinate your aftercare with a program that is in-network for your insurance.
We will meet with you for a minimum of one year post-treatment as a support in addition to your continued attendance at AA or NA meetings. Monitoring is voluntary for individuals who are self-referring for treatment.
Crisis Intervention Services
Cases of acute mental illness require immediate telephone counseling intervention with the objective of assisting the ill employee to obtain appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. Assistance is offered to employees with acute reactions to situational stress, mental health, alcohol, and drug abuse problems. Fitness-for-duty referrals are made on a case-by-case basis. The EAP is not a crisis center. There is 24-hour a day access to a mental health professional available to determine appropriate actions in an emergent situation.
Management Services
Supervisors are encouraged to consult with EAP staff regarding work related cases. EAP staff provides assistance to supervisors by reviewing cases, role playing situations, and making suggestions regarding documentation. Consultative services are available to all management staff on an unlimited basis either telephonically or face-to-face.
If there is a trend in a client company’s utilization that indicates a change in morale or other problem, the EAP may make contact to discuss possible teambuilding interventions that can be offered on a departmental level.