EAP services are designed to support employees, family members and employers in finding solutions for the workplace and personal problems. EAP services include assistance for everyday concerns, marital concerns, financial or legal advice, child or elder care, substance abuse, family concerns, and emotional guidance.
EAP also may tackle violence in the workplace, dealing with troubled employees, sexual harassment, and events that increase the rate of absenteeism or employee turnover, lower productivity and other issues that impact an employer’s financial success or employee relations with management.
EAP wants to be a support for employers who care for their employees, but also care for the ongoing benefits of their company. This can and should go hand in hand. A good atmosphere in the company, creates a good work attitude and results in better productivity.
Thus, with an EAP we all gain and it becomes a win-win for both the employee and the employer. With EAP in place, employees feel they are cared for. There is someone they can turn to when they have situations in life that cause them stress and worries. They will have a listening ear and sound coaching in how to deal with life’s issues.
The employer also can ask the EAP counselor for suggestions in management situations, team building approaches or personal issues. Together we can make it work and have a better work environment for all.
Why an EAP Program outside the medical realm?
It is normal at times to experience stress and periods of uncertainty, whether it be at home or in the workplace. Unforeseen circumstances can cause anxiety or depression, leading to unhealthy patterns and less resilient behavior. Counselors are trained to recognize such patterns and provide concrete, actionable tools to improve daily functioning. For companies that have no Employee Assistance Program, medication or psychiatric treatment may be prescribed, but such drastic measures can often be avoided by first seeking support from a counselor to help find a new direction or tools to cope with life’s stresses. The EAP Program at NCS provides all of this through one-on-one counseling, as well as corporate training on various topics concerning mental health & wellbeing.
If the counselor and client assess that medication is needed and/or helpful, we do refer to a psychiatrist for medication in support of the counseling process. Not all emotional problems necessarily need life long medication – we believe in giving coping tools for life, so medication can be reduced and one can rediscover one’s own balance in life.
We all have the capacity to live life to its fullest! Sometimes, we just get overwhelmed by our circumstances,
and counseling helps to get us back on track again. A period of coaching and mentoring does not make us
weak or crazy, rather it proves the opposite:
“A wise man seeks counsel in order to become wise.”
Johanna de Koning,
Clinical Supervisor
New Counseling Service
Licensed Therapist