Counselors

All Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors and network sub-contracted affiliates must have appropriate credentials and meet our highest standards. They are professionally trained and certified or licensed in their field. Counselors may be Ph.D./Psy.D Psychologists, Master Degreed therapists, Mastered Degreed Psychiatric Nurses, Certified Addiction Professionals and/or Licensed Professional Counselors. Clients are only referred to screened professionals who have a minimum of 5 years clinical experience, and complete on-going training and professional development.

Contact

Employees and family members contact us through a toll free number, 24 hours a day, seven days per week to initiate the process. Triage counselors assess the situation and determine the appropriate level of treatment. Treatment ranges from brief therapy to traditional outpatient counseling to, in some cases, inpatient care. Referrals are always made to match the client's presenting problem, desired location for treatment and ability to pay. Employees or family members do not pay for any sessions within the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Assessment

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services are accessed in two ways: employee referral or supervisor referral. With an employee referral, an employee or family member calls the toll-free number and is placed in contact with a triage counselor. A Supervisor referral occurs when there has been a serious decline in job performance, or the employer suspects a substance abuse problem, or an employee tests positive for drugs or alcohol.

During the initial phone assessment, the counselor triages the call. Each contact with a triage counselor is expected to result in increased employee self-understanding and direction. Basic information is gathered on an intake and a counselor assesses the presenting problem for the appropriate level of care. The program is discussed in great detail with the employee and all employee requirements are outlined. Confidentiality is discussed and stressed as the cornerstone of all EAP services. Clients are given any assistance necessary to address the problem and move on to the next step, all while preserving their self-worth, dignity and respect.

Brief Therapy In the brief therapy situations, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors provide the treatment according to your program model (telephone 3,4,5,6 or 8 sessions). Our staff is thoroughly trained in brief counseling techniques and are results-oriented and goal-directed.

We are interested in pragmatic, expeditious and humanistic service that enables employees to function effectively and develop increased self-appreciation, face and resolve personal difficulties that result in problem resolution and employee growth. While network providers are varied in their orientations, we carefully select those who are in conformity with our approach.

Referral for treatment When calling the EAP for assistance (whether self-referral or referral by a supervisor), the client is given a referral to a local clinician and then patched directly to their office. The clinician schedules an appointment with the employee. Every effort is made to have appointments scheduled as early as possible dependent on need and availability. Referrals are given based on the client's presenting problem, desired location for treatment, and ability to pay. Clients may also have other preferences with respect to gender, time availability, experience and personal style of the counselor, and language spoken.

The supervising counselors monitor the referrals given by attending counselors to assure the best match. When referring for more intensive substance abuse or mental health issues, Managed Care Concepts will coordinate with the employee's insurance benefit plan.

Follow-up

The value of any treatment, be it long or short term, is enhanced by high quality follow-up. Employees and family members using the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will receive follow-up visits as needed. In the case of chemical dependence, follow-up visits will occur for up to two years and will continue as long as necessary after that time.

Confidentiality                                             

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of any successful Employee Assistance Program (EAP). We will provide you with a solid confidentiality policy and will help develop procedures to effectively and legally handle potentially dangerous employees. This will be accomplished through the use of informed consent, obtaining permission for the release of information, accurate record keeping, and other similar measures.

Company representatives are given generalized data on program utilization to assure confidentiality. In the case of management referrals where management has contacted us to let us know that an employee is being referred for job performance reasons, we will let the manager or supervisor know whether or not the employee has followed through on the referral. No information will be revealed about what occurred in the counseling sessions.