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Frequently Asked Questions
The Employee Assistance Program is a service that provides professional counseling and consultation to employees and their covered dependents for any type of personal problem. It is a free service, pre-paid by the client company. It is also a confidential service. No information is ever given out by the EAP to any person or entity without the written permission of the person being seen in the program. EAP services are available to all covered employees and eligible dependents. Coverage is extended to minor dependents even if they don't currently live in the household of the covered employee. The EAP may also be used by anyone who lives in the same household as the covered employee, whether they are a dependent or not.
What kinds of counseling are offered at the EAP?
The EAP offers counseling for all types of personal and workplace concerns. The following are examples of some of the common problems addressed by the EAP: - Stress, and problems related to stress management
- Marriage and relationship problems
- Child and family concerns
- Family counseling services
- Alcohol and drug problems
- Emotional problems, such as anxiety or depression
- Problems coping with grief and loss
- Critical incidence stress debriefing
- Work problems, such as time management, problems with co-workers, and job burnout
- Workplace diversity training
- Financial or credit problems
- Legal problems requiring advice and consultation
- Childcare concerns
- Eldercare concerns
- Other personal and workplace matters
Counseling services for relationship, family, substance abuse, emotional concerns, and other issues are provided by licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed psychologists. The provider network consists of many skilled and highly trained professionals with many years of experience in handling personal and workplace concerns. Financial, legal, eldercare and childcare referral services are also provided. An eligible person simply calls our offices during CAI's business hours (8am - 5pm, M-F), and a CAI representative will promptly assist and offer recommendations and referrals. If the EAP counselor determines that the problem is longer term and cannot be resolved in the number of sessions allowed by the EAP, the EAP counselor may continue sessions with payment being made by the employee’s private insurance or pay out of pocket. If the EAP counselor is not on the panel of the employee’s private insurance then the EAP counselor will guide the employee through the process of locating a counselor compatible to their insurance benefit plan. The counselors who work for Cameron and Associates will always try to solve the problem first through the EAP, at not cost to the employee. If a referral is made outside the EAP, the EAP counselor will work to make sure that the new counselor is the right professional to handle the problem, but is also affordable and convenient to the employee or covered dependent. Now more than ever, in these stressful times of financial challenges and employment instability, drawing on the support of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is crucial. The stress created by life’s challenges decreases employee productivity, while they spend 2.5 to 5 hours of work time resolving personal issues. (1) In addition to lack of productivity while at the work place, productivity is lost due to time away from the work place, dealing with concerns such as divorce, substance abuse, depression, child care and finances. Partnering with CAI can result in a tremendous return on investment. The Department of Labor reported that for every $1 spent on EAP $5 to $16 dollars (2) are saved in lost productivity and medical benefits. Managed behavioral health care is a comprehensive system of managing health care services for covered employees and eligible dependents for any problem that is of a mental health or substance abuse nature. The coordination of care begins with a comprehensive assessment of the nature of the problem. The employee or dependent requiring care is then referred to a provider of behavioral health services, either an individual provider, a treatment program, or a hospital providing the appropriate level of care. CAI assures the appropriate level and quality of care, and then continuously monitors these services. CAI manages the provider network to assure the highest quality of care, and negotiates fees with providers in order to assure the best price for care. Receiving services from the right provider at the appropriate level of care at the best price helps our client companies keep their costs down, while supporting employees and dependents as they address problems that could interfere with work and home life. |
