Faculty and Staff Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

The EAP is here to help employees at the university with any personal problems related to their career, work-related issues, relationships, family, emotional health, etc., by providing short-term counseling (up to 3 sessions).

Services we offer at the EAP are:

• Assessments
• Brief Individual Counseling
• Brief Couples Counseling
• Brief Family Counseling
• Crisis Interventions
• Consultation
• Presentations and Workshops

EAP counselors are trained in assessment and if they determine that you need more than 3 sessions in order to get help with personal struggles your counselor will provide you with a referral within the community. EAP counselors work hard to make sure all referrals are covered by your insurance provider, or if money is a concern, to help you locate counseling services that work from a sliding-fee financial model.

There is no cost to any employee who use EAP services. If a referral is necessary to a counselor in the outside community, the cost of covering that service is the responsibility of the employee. However, once again, EAP counselors do all they can to work with you to help make sure that the referral resource provided to you is covered by your insurance and is a quality counselor. If one does not have insurance, EAP staff members always take into consideration the financial situation of an individual in arranging referrals.

At any time when an employee self-refers, in other words schedules the appointment of their own volition, EAP services are completely confidential. This means that all case records and information about services provided to you by the EAP will be maintained in the strictest confidence possible under law except under the following conditions where mandatory reporting laws apply.

These mandatory reporting laws are as follows:

• If the Employee Assistance Program is under court order or subpoena compelling disclosure; or
• If the EAP counselor has reason to believe that a client is a threat of harm to himself, or other persons; or
• If the EAP counselor has reason to believe that a child or vulnerable adult has been subject to abuse or neglect.

In addition, at times an employee will be referred to the EAP by their supervisor as a Tier 3 (Type 1 Supervisor Referral), Tier 4 (Type 2 Supervisor Referral), or Tier 5 (Type 3 Supervisor Referral-Performance based Intervention).

When a supervisor requests that an employee be seen at the EAP and that requests falls under a Tier 3, 4, or 5 "Supervisory Referral," the employee is requested to sign a release giving permission for the supervisor to confirm attendance. This release only authorizes the employee's supervisor to confirm that the employee scheduled an appointment with the EAP and whether or not they attended that appointment.

All personal information that is shared within the conversation between the EAP counselor and employee will remain confidential and will not be released to the supervisor of the employee. All services provided at the EAP are voluntary and at no time can a supervisor mandate an employee to be seen by the EAP.

All faculty, staff, and their family members can utilize the EAP program at any time. Employees are encouraged when personal problems at work or at home are interfering with their work performance to contact the EAP.