Many employers offer Employee Assistance Programs, commonly referred to as EAP’s. The purpose of these programs is to assist employees during times of adjustment or crisis. The EAP benefit can be used for any circumstance and does not have to be related to their job or workplace. In many cases, spouses and children of employees are also able to use these benefits. Eligible employees or family members receive a professional clinical assessment of their problem situation by a psychologist or master’s-level therapist. The therapist will evaluate personal, marriage, family, medical, financial, legal and other behavioral healthcare factors and develop a short-term counseling plan of action.

The employer’s EAP company is usually separate from the health insurance company. The EAP company typically has a panel of licensed mental health providers in the same city or general area that they can refer the employee to when they are seeking help. The employee will then have a limited number of counseling sessions available to them at no cost. The number of sessions varies depending upon the employer, but generally ranges from one to five sessions. If the problem is not resolved within those allotted EAP sessions, the employee may also choose to continue therapy and use their regular insurance benefits.

The professionals at Options in Psychology, LLC are providers for many EAP companies. Employees can contact the Human Resource personnel at their workplace to find out if they have EAP benefits and the details on how to use them.