What is the Employee Assistance Program?
| The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential assessment, brief counseling and referral service sponsored by your employer and provided by Preferred EAP. The EAP offers employees and their families readily accessible, professional and high quality assistance - whenever they need it - for personal or work-related problems. |
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Why does my employer offer an EAP?
| Your employer is concerned about your well-being and recognizes that personal problems can affect health, well-being and work. Your employer established the EAP to help employees and their families deal with personal problems before they affect home or work life. |
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What is Preferred EAP’s Confidentiality Policy?
| Preferred EAP operates from a base of confidentiality. Confidentiality is fundamental to the success of the counseling relationship; without it, employees and their family members would be reluctant to utilize our services. Except in life threatening circumstances, no information will be released to anyone without the completion of a signed release of information form. |
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How do I know if the EAP can help with my problem?
If you are not sure whether professional assistance is necessary or appropriate for the difficulties you are experiencing, you can call and speak with a staff member of Preferred EAP before you make an appointment.
Remember that it is important to seek assistance early in the development of a problem. The sooner the problem is addressed, the greater the likelihood for a positive outcome. |
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How does the EAP work?
| The initiative to use the EAP comes from you. In most cases, there is nothing to lose and much to gain by calling Preferred EAP. If you have a problem or concern, call one of the numbers listed below.
When you call for an appointment, Preferred EAP's secretary will ask you several questions (for example, your name, workplace, address and phone number). The secretary will also ask you to briefly describe your problem so that an appointment can be scheduled with an appropriate counselor. You will then be offered a variety of initial appointment times. Confidentiality is assured.
A training counselor will spend time with you assessing your needs and providing brief counseling. If further counseling or other assistance is necessary, a referral may be made to an appropriate community resource or health services provider. |
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Why should I use the EAP?
| People use the EAP for a wide variety of problems. Almost anything that distresses you to the point where a bad day becomes a bad week is an appropriate reason to call the EAP.
Sometimes, a personal or work-related concern is especially difficult to resolve. Or, life changes such as divorce, a death in the family or a career change affect us emotionally as well as physically. In other cases, an individual who is not quite sure or cannot specifically define "the problem" can benefit by seeing a trained counselor who will listen and help sort out the issues.
Some of the more common problems that bring people to the EAP are:
• Marital difficulties
• Depression and anxiety
• Interpersonal conflicts
• Parent-child problems
• Stress-related concerns
• Drug and alcohol abuse |
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What are the costs?
| Your employer has contracted with Preferred EAP to provide a limited number of counseling sessions at no cost to you. However, if you are referred to an outside agency or individual service provider, there is likely to be a fee for those services. Such fees may be partially covered by your medical insurance. |
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Will anyone know if I contact the EAP?
| No! Preferred EAP is a confidential service. No one will be told that you are receiving services from the EAP. Although Preferred EAP keeps records of the services provided to you, no information will be released to anyone without your consent. |
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What are the qualification of Preferred EAP's staff?
| Each counselor at Preferred EAP has a Master's Degree or is a Certified Addictions Counselor. All counseling staff have been credentialed by the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. |
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What are the benefits of using the EAP?
• Satisfaction from confronting a problem and resolving it
• Improved job performance
• Improved job satisfaction
• Improved quality of life |
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