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The Public Health Agency of Canada declared suicide a public health problem in Canada (2016). Employees working in correctional services, researchers find, experience high rates of life-time suicidal ideation in comparison to other public safety professionals and the general population. Suicide behaviours (i.e., ideation, planning, attempts, death) are a multifactorial phenomenon, explained in part by the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide that suggests attempted suicide is facilitated by perceived burdensomeness, a lost sense of belonging, a feeling of hopelessness, and a progressively reduced fear of death, as well as capacity and planning to engage a lethal attempt. In the current study, we unpack the factors that can influence suicide behaviours as reported by correctional workers. Our intent is to make explicit the experiences of a small sample (n = 25) of correctional workers in relation to suicidal behaviours, highlighting stories of recovery and acknowledging the importance of facilitating psychologically safe workplaces. Analysis entailed an inductive semi-grounded emergent theme approach. Participants identified certain risk factors as being able to induce suicidal ideation, such as marital or family problems as well as difficulties at work (i.e., bullying or difficult working conditions). Having children and a partner may act as factors preventing suicide for those with ideation. Participants sought help from professionals, such as their family doctor, a psychologist, or the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), however, the lack of perceived organisational supports and recognition of the issue of suicide by the employer are two elements that can hinder the search for help.

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are employee services that assist in managing a range of issues. This paper posits that in order to ascertain the effectiveness of EAPs, it is critical to identify their purpose and how EAPs are embedded and utilised in organisations to inform evaluations of the programs. A qualitative study investigating how and why EAPs are used in organisations was undertaken. Participants were organisational leaders (3 males, 13 females) representing major industries in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and thematic analysis delineated two categories and eight themes. These highlighted that participants primarily used external program providers and considered EAPs to be a vital resource of support for staff, a cost-effective mechanism for managing risk and developing staff, and industry expectation. Participants differed on their perspectives of how to position EAPs in organisations and what should be offered as core services of EAPs.

Although the perpetration of domestic violence by police officers has received more attention lately, little research has examined the topic. This study investigated common responses of police officers (n = 1108) to officer-perpetrated domestic violence case scenarios and the relationships between officer characteristics and such responses. Common responses included encouraging the victim to file a formal report, assisting in finding help for domestic abuse, and referring the offending officer to an employee assistance program (EAP) or counselor. Arrest was a likely response when officers were asked to imagine they witnessed a victim's injuries and heard statements about an assault in a case scenario. Supervisors had the most victim-supportive responses, suggesting they may be very good trainers of front-line officers. Language: en

This chapter discusses Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and how they assist in mitigating threatening behavior and threats. EAP professionals play an important role in the mitigation and management of threatening behavior and threats by being an integral part of the threat management process. They can provide training workshops on workplace cooperation and conflict resolution as well as workplace violence prevention. A manager and/or HR personnel would contact the EAP professional for assistance in handling the troubled employee. EAP, in consultation with outside specialists, test the employee for any chemical dependency, and depending on the situation, a treatment plan is developed and the employee may be monitored for a period of time. It is important that threat management team (TMT) members develop a close relationship with EAP partners when discussing cases that may be referred to the team. As TMT members, they provide counsel and expertise to the TMT from a mental health perspective.

The definition of an employee assistance program (EAP) varies depending on where in the world the EAP is functioning, what standards are being applied, the nature of the services offered, and the country in which the EAP operates. In general, regardless of the location, type, and model, an effective EAP program serves two clients: the work organization and the individual employee. An EAP is “a professional assessment/referral and/or short-term counseling service offered to employees with alcohol, drug, or mental health problems that may affect their jobs” (Masi (2011) Definition and history of employee assistance programs in correct Understanding and application of EAP necessary for all entities that implement measures for mental health. Kabushiki Kaisha Roudou, Tokyo, Japan. Retrieved 11 Aug 2017). As the EAP field has developed, many EAPs are now much more broad-based with an emphasis on variety of problems that may affect work/life balance including parent/child issues, family concerns, legal concerns, and financial concerns. The point of access for EAP's has also changed as EAP's have evolved. Previously, EAPs were accessed primarily by a supervisor referral. At present, EAPs are still accessed in this manner but also by employee self-referrals.

Safety commitment is very important for the safety of coal miners. Based on one-to-one interviews with 707 coal miners in Chinese state-owned coal mining enterprises and an exploratory factor analysis, we determined the dimensions of coal miner safety commitment. The different effects of demographic variables and organizational/work-related variables on coal miner safety commitment and its dimensions were investigated using a one-way ANOVA. Our study showed that coal miner safety commitment is a three-dimensional concept, which comprises safety attitude commitment, safety behavior commitment, and safety results commitment. Coal miner safety commitment and its dimensions differed significantly with respect to demographic and organizational/work-related variables. We found that coal miners with a low safety commitment level tended to be localized and they were distributed mainly in groups of underground front-line coal miners, young coal miners, and coal miners with middle and higher degrees, low underground work seniority, poor physical condition, and low income levels. This study provides practical guidance (e.g., recruitment, personnel promotion, employee assistance program) to help managers address the present situation and to improve the safety commitment of coal miners, as well as enhancing the organizational management policy.

Logic Models are a program development and evaluation process that evolved in the latter half of the 20th century. As well as having the capacity to be a planning tool, Logic Models also allow for an in depth, multi-layered examination of an existing program. This article outlines the purpose, historic development, and strengths and weaknesses of this contemporary evaluation approach that has been increasingly utilized in the social services. An example of how the Logic Model evaluation process can be applied to an Employee Assistance Program is also provided.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress (STS) in health sciences librarians (HSLs) who have direct contact with traumatized individuals and their families. METHODS A twenty-five-item survey and the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) were distributed via email to three Medical Library Association email discussion lists. RESULTS A total of fifty-five HSLs responded to the survey. Survey results indicate moderate levels of STS and variability of symptoms among participants. CONCLUSIONS Library and employee assistance program managers should be aware of the emotional toll of patient and/or family contact for HSLs.

The EUREKA research study, based on an originally developed comprehensive Employee Services Questionnaire, assessed current and desired services in the Employee Assistance (EA) field in six Eurozone countries (three northern European countries [Belgium, France, and The Netherlands] and three southern European countries [Portugal, Spain, and Greece]). A total of 327 participants completed the online questionnaire. Several relevant and interesting findings about the prevalence and needs of EA-type services in several industry grouping and different cultural settings could be determined. These results can help shape the responses from Employee Assistance Program providers attending to different European cultural and economic realities.

Motivating alcohol abusers to enter treatment, comply with recommendations, and make significant changes in their behavior is no easy task. In the West, professionals learned the importance of motivation early on, and they learned it first from those recovering in Alcoholics Anonymous. Early occupational alcoholism programs used job performance and disciplinary steps to motivate problem drinkers to take action. The threat of job loss proved significant in breaking through denial and in motivating clients to begin a recovery process. This approach was incorporated into the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and EAP professionals have used job performance and disciplinary steps to motivate those with many types of personal issues. In the Russian Federation, no such history exists. This workplace-based alcohol intervention program is a first for Russia, and it uses the work performance approach successfully deployed in the West for many decades.

Pricing is a challenging area in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) field. The gap identified between theory and practice is the lack of scientific data on typical pricing model practices. This results in a lack of uniformity, which affects negatively on the professional standards of the Employee Assistance field—specifically in the South African situation. Pricing and contracting processes often result in challenges that must be identified timeously by both the EAP service provider and the corporate client. The researchers thus explored the processes and complexities involved in the pricing practices by investigating the experiences of corporate clients and account managers of a leading EAP service provider. The research findings indicate a number of factors that must be considered in the contracting and pricing processes.

This study examines if and to what degree an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) intervention improves Chinese employees’ workplace functioning. The sample included 670 employees from 26 local and multinational companies in China who received EAP counseling. The Chinese translation of the Workplace Outcome Suite-Short Version, a five-item outcome assessment instrument, was used as a pre/post measure. Four of the five items showed significant improvements from the pre- to posttest. The effect sizes on the items varied, indicating that EAP produced different levels of impact on dimensions of workplace functioning. Future research should examine the influences of different EAP models, client organizations, and dimensions of workplace functioning.

ISAT was developed by ISW Limits, a spin-off of the University of Leuven (Belgium). It stands for Interactive Self-Assessment Tool, which is an online screening about well-being at work. ISAT provides employees with individual feedback about their mental health and well-being at work. In addition, the tool provides tailored self-management advice as well as information about how and where to get support from the employer and the Employee Assistance Program provider. To the employers, ISAT offers group results in order to help companies target interventions.

Objective The objective of this study was to adapt an evidence-based smoking cessation intervention initially developed in the United States to the Chinese context and evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention in China. Method A smoking cessation program from United States was adapted and implemented through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in China. The intervention consisted of recommending medication and psychological counseling. Local EAP counselors received training on the program and delivered the intervention to clients. Program evaluation examined the intervention‘s effectiveness in helping clients quit or reduce the amount of smoking and nicotine dependence. Results Ninety-day follow-up showed that those who had completed the program were more likely to remain abstinent, or stop smoking daily and have lower levels of nicotine dependence (p Conclusions The evidence-based cessation program is effective in helping Chinese smokers quit or reduce the amount of smoking. Moreover, implementing such programs in an EAP setting is a practical approach to providing a wider spectrum of smokers with access to cessation assistance in China.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the prevalence and characteristics of prescription drug misuse among youth ages 15-25 to examine differences by student and employment status, and associations with workplace antidrug policies and programs. METHOD: Multivariate logistic regressions analyzed associations in weighted data on the 20,457 young adults in the combined 2004-2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Demographic controls included sex, race, community size, and age group. RESULTS: After we accounted for demographic controls, at ages 15-25, students were less likely than nonstudents to misuse prescription drugs. Segmenting student from nonstudent groups, working consistently was associated with a further reduction in misuse for those ages 18-25. When we controlled for demographics and substance use history, both Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services and awareness that one's employer had a drug-free workplace policy were associated with significantly lower misuse of prescription drugs (OR = 0.85 for each program, 95% CI [0.73, 1.00] and [0.72, 1.00]). Associations of workplace antidrug policies and programs with marijuana use and with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence contrasted sharply with these patterns. All four aspects were significantly associated with lower marijuana use. None was associated with problem drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Protective effects of drug-free workplace policy and EAPs persist after other substance use was controlled for. Comparing the effects of workplace programs on illicit drug use and problem drinking versus prescription misuse suggests that those protective associations do not result from selection bias. Thus, drug-free workplace policies and EAPs appear to help protect younger workers against prescription misuse. If workplace substance use disorder programs focused prevention messages and interventions on prescription drug misuse, their impact on misuse might increase. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 76, 195-203, 2015). Language: en

Purpose. The current study adapted two workplace substance abuse prevention programs and tested a conceptual model of workplace training effects on help seeking and alcohol consumption. Design. Questionnaires were collected 1 month before, 1 month after, and 6 months within a cluster randomized field experiment. Setting. Texas small businesses in construction, transportation, and service industries. Subjects. A total of 1510 employees from 45 businesses were randomly assigned to receive no training or one of the interventions. Intervention. The interventions were 4-hour on-the-job classroom trainings that encouraged healthy lifestyles and seeking professional help (e.g., from the Employee Assistance Program [EAP]). The Team Awareness Program focused on peer referral and team building. The Choices in Health Promotion Program delivered various health topics based on a needs assessment. Measures. Questionnaires measured help-seeking attitudes and behavior, frequency of drinking alcohol, and job-related incidents. Analysis. Mixed-model repeated-measures analyses of covariance were computed. Results. Relative to the control group, training was associated with significantly greater reductions in drinking frequency, willingness to seek help, and seeking help from the EAP. After including help-seeking attitudes as a covariate, the correlation between training and help seeking becomes nonsignificant. Help-seeking behavior was not correlated with drinking frequency. Conclusion. Training improved help-seeking attitudes and behaviors and decreased alcohol risks. The reductions in drinking alcohol were directly correlated with training and independent from help seeking.

1. First Nations, Maori, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians as Sovereigns: EAP with Indigenous Nations Within Nations Rodney C. Haring, Maui Hudson, Louisa Erickson, Maila Taualii, and Bonnie Freeman 2. Employee Assistance Programs in Australia: Evaluating Success Robert-Leigh Compton and John G. McManus 3. Using an Interactive Self-Assessment Tool to Strengthen Your Employee Assistance Service Liliana Dias, Audrey Eertmans, Inge Van den Brande, Yasmin Handaja, Sofie Taeymans, and Debora Vansteenwegen 4. Evaluating EAP Counseling in the Chinese Workplace: A Study with a Brief Instrument Peizhong Li, David A. Sharar, Richard Lennox, and Wei Zhuang 5. Eureka: An Employee Services Perception Study in Continental Europe Debora Vansteenwegen, Manuel Sommer, Dirk Antonissen, Tito Laneiro, and Odete Nunes 6. Innovative Career Support Services for Professional Women in India: Pathways to Success Beverly Younger, Kalpana Tatavarti, Neeti Poorswani, Denice Gordon-Mandel, Caitlin Hannon, Ikiah K. McGowan, and Gokul Mandayam 7. A Substance Abuse Intervention Program at a Large Russian Manufacturing Worksite Kenneth Burgess, Richard Lennox, David A. Sharar, and Alexander Shtoulman 8. Pricing Models of Employee Assistance Programs: Experiences of Corporate Clients Serviced by a Leading Employee Assistance Program Service Provider in South Africa Neliswa A. Cekiso and Lorens S. Terblanche 9. The Effects of Psychosocial Problems on Employee's Stress, Self-Esteem, and Organizational Commitment: The Case of South Korean Workplaces Soochan Choi, Jeongeun Lee, and Haewoong Park 10. Response to the Challenge of Training International EAP Professionals: An Online Certificate Program Dale A. Masi and Kent Carlson 11. Group Characteristics and Mental Health of Chinese Expatriates in Africa and Central Asia: A Multisite, Multiyear Study Peizhong Li, David A. Sharar, and Jie Zhang

Defining the Problem A growing body of evidence highlights the need for wellness programs to support health care professionals. Although much of the existing literature centers on practicing physicians and physician trainees, there is growing awareness that these challenges are not unique to physicians and affect all members of the health care team. Traumatic and stressful events will always be a part of health care; how these events are addressed on a personal and team level is essential to the success of a health care system. A Resiliency Center was developed on the basis of the specific concerns and strengths of local stakeholders to support the well-being of employees at University of Utah Health. Initial Approach The initial approach to evaluating and supporting faculty wellness began concurrent with planning for the Resiliency Center in 2016. Stakeholders were brought together by leaders in Health Sciences to propose a Resiliency Center. Initial data gathering was performed with several survey tools, including the American Medical Association's Mini Z. Planned Initiatives The Resiliency Center, which is housed in the Office of Wellness and Integrative Health, is intended to serve as an overarching structure to help coordinate the faculty and staff wellness initiatives currently in existence and fill identified gaps. The four pillars of the Center are wellness initiatives, communication skills training, peer support, and an on-site Employee Assistance Program. Next Steps The current focus is on program development and outreach, with plans to measure the impact of the Center.

This chapter illustrates the opportunities and utility for the employee assistance program (EAP) social worker of case management's dual-intervention focus on person (client) and environment. It examines what variation boundaries may be defined as the scope of the case manager's activities. The skill elements and activities of the case management function of service plan implementation and coordination are presented through a case analysis. In EAPs, and the industries and employers who utilize them, several views of the nature of the service are currently in use. They are: corporation-as-client view; employee-as-client view; dual-client view. For the EAP, this view combines the best of both the corporation-as-client and employee-as-client views. Within the EAP, case management activities necessarily take place without a mandated "treatment plan" or any other official and overarching system of accountability. This chapter presents that social workers practicing in EAPs can shape the nature and scope of their case management roles to reflect the skill and perspective.

Protecting employees, visitors, and customers is critical to the success of any business. Creating a safe and secure work environment and hiring trustworthy employees create the foundation for good personnel security. Both can be accomplished by having in place preemployment and background investigation (BI) processes, a workplace violence prevention program (WPVPP), and an effective means of responding to situations of workplace violence. It is also a key factor in the International Widget Corporation (IWC) Corporate Assets Protection Program. A preemployment BI process that subjects all new hires to a prehire review is an essential tool in assessing the trustworthiness of potential and future employees. Conducted in a consistent manner and in accordance with all applicable nation-states’ laws, this process will provide basic background information which, together with a candidate interview process, can help IWC management weed out potential bad employees. This process also includes a provision to conduct extended BIs for persons entering into very sensitive positions, either as new hires or as current employees being promoted. Establishing a WPVPP will help to create a safer and more secure work environment. The essential elements of an effective program are: ▪ Having in place a zero-tolerance policy ▪ Conducting effective preemployment BIs ▪ Formal grievance procedures for all employees to use ▪ Formal initial and recurring workplace violence prevention training for all employees ▪ An employee assistance program to help employees deal with serious personal problems ▪ Outplacement services for those employees displaced from the company

Quality of Work Life as a contemporary perspective on HRM is related to meaningful, satisfying, and effective work environment that meets with the organizational and personal needs. Moreover, having quality of work life will lead to better well being of the workers and society. This 3 years long study was conducted at a steel company in East Java, Indonesia. The first year aimed to get base line data problems that arise in the organization using the concept of Quality of Work Life of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EWON, 2002), which has 5 dimension, i.e health and wellbeing, work and non-work life balance, job security, job satisfaction, and competency development. Focus group discussion and SWOT analysis was conducted based on these data to get an overview of the problems. Several programs and systems were set up as an intervention of the existing problems in order to improve the Quality of Work Life, such as organizational development and change management, training of professionalism, stress management, leadership training, while the system set up were Employee Assistance Program, work load analysis, remuneration system, talent management, and career path. With this action research design, these programs were expected to give benefit both to the management and the workers. It is expected that all of the efforts will have an impact on improving the quality of industrial relations, increasing employee productivity and performance, as well as improving the quality of life for all members of the organization

A secondary analysis of data provided the initial examination of comparative metrics pertaining to Canadian employee assistance program (EAP) vendors. Contracts held by the 12 participating organizations ranged from 10 to 6,500 with lives covered ranging from 300,000 to 6.3 million, underscoring not only the diverse nature of EAP vendors in Canada but issues with comparing data among such vastly different providers. The most prominent model of service provision was capped EAP counseling which led to an average of 3.1 counseling sessions per client with only one vendor having a mean of greater than four. The majority of counseling offered through Canadian EAP vendors is provided by fee for service affiliate counselors. All client satisfaction scores were positive; however, the vast majority of clients did not complete any type of evaluation leaving both EAP vendors and client organizations with no substantive knowledge of the impact of the service. In the comparatively small EAP market that Canada represen...

This study examined associations between behavioral health and workplace outcomes for 1,989 state employees served by a large Employee Assistance Program (EAP) over 19 months. Screening and brief intervention was used to identify and intervene for risky substance use and depression at intake. Employees completed psychometrically sound self-report measures of workplace functioning. About 80% of EAP clients screened positive for depression. There was a strong association between depression and impaired workplace productivity. About 90 days after intake, 438 employees (22.0%) participated in a follow-up interview. Analyses of intake to follow-up indicated significant improvements in depression and workplace productivity, translating to substantial cost savings.

Past research has documented that non-behavioral variables (such as long work hours, exposure to police stressors) are associated with obesity risk in police officers, but limited research has examined behavioral variables that might be targeted by Employee Assistance Programs for police weight management. The present study compared non-obese and obese officers for behav- ioral variables found associated with obesity in other adult samples: physical activity (cardiovascular, strength-training, stretching), sleep duration, and consumption of alcohol, fruit and vegetables, and snack foods. Participants included 172 male police officers who completed questionnaires to report height and weight, used to calculate body mass index (BMI = kg/m 2 ) and to divide them into "non- obese" and "obese" groups. They also reported the above behaviors and six non-behavioral vari- ables found associated with obesity risk: age, health problems, family support, police work hours, police stressors, police support. ANCOVAs compared each behavioral variable across obesity status (non-obese, obese), with the six non-behavioral variables used as covariates. Results revealed that cardiovascular and strength-training physical activity were the only behavioral variables that dif- fered significantly between non-obese and obese police officers. The use of self-reported height and weight values may provide Employee Assistance Program with improved cost, time, and officer participation.

The main objective of this exploratory, empirical study of qualitative nature is to shed light on organizational practices that encourage people's return to work after the loss of an unborn child or infant. The literature in human resources does not focus on the specific issue of perinatal loss in a context of returning to work. In fact, to examine the issue, one must turn to studies concerning the return-to-work process after other kinds of personal problems. When returning to work after the loss of an unborn child or infant, parents are often still in the early stages of the "grieving process." However, organizations rarely support parents when they return to work. This is why our study targets key organizational practices used when employees experiencing perinatal loss return to work. In order to explore these elements, three discussion groups were held with women who lost their unborn child or infant. Content analysis enabled us to conclude the factor that appears to be more crucial to a successful return to work is the support provided by organizations through various practices, of which the most important are access to an employee assistance program, outside help, and appropriate working arrangements.

Topic Significance & Study Purpose/Background/Rationale Nursing care for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients has always presented ethical challenges throughout the care continuum. Recent research indicates HSCT nurses frequently experiencing moral distress in situation related to diminished patient care quality due to poor team communication; provider giving false hope to patient or family; following family wishes to continue life support even when not in best interest of patient; patient care suffering due to lack of provider continuity; and initiating extensive life-saving actions when it is likely to only prolong death. With the addition of new cellular therapies, HSCT nurses find themselves caring for patients with hematologic and solid tumor malignancies with advanced or progressive disease. The promise of these new therapies with possible profound adverse effects promotes nursing concerns of unrealistic or uncertain patient expectations; questionable benefit versus harm in view of adverse events which have occurred in early clinical trials; and questionable patient understanding of the efficacy of phase 1 trials. Unresolved ethical issues may also contribute to team members’ burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress affecting recruitment and retention of healthcare team members. Methods, Intervention, & Analysis To assist nurses managing with these additional challenges the nursing leadership teams on the HSCT, leukemia and lymphoma units requested regular nursing ethics rounds to provide clinical nurses the opportunities to openly discuss their experience and distress with difficult patient situations. Nursing ethics rounds have been conducted monthly or every other month on different units for both days and night shift nurses. Clinical nurses have discussed concerns about patient selection, patient preparation for all possible outcomes, and their participation in administering treatment with uncertain or adverse outcomes. Current literature is presented on a relevant topic and continued education units are provided. Nurses are reminded of the resources available for immediate situational assistance (ethics consult) and individual assistance (employee assistance program). Findings & Interpretation Clinical nurses have discussed concerns about patient selection, patient preparation for all possible outcomes, and their participation in administering treatment with uncertain or adverse outcomes. Current literature is presented on a relevant topic and continued education units are provided. Nurses are reminded of the resources available for immediate situational assistance (ethics consult) and individual assistance (employee assistance program). Discussion & Implications Informal feedback has been positive and nurses have expressed appreciation for the opportunity to discuss their feelings about these new challenges.

OBJECTIVES:: We examined threat management investigations conducted by a large multinational company. METHODS:: The company provided a database, removing any identifiers, of investigations by the corporate Threat Management Teams in 2009 and 2010. Rates were calculated using worker population data. RESULTS:: During the 2-year study period, the company investigated threat management cases at a rate of 13.9 per 10,000 employees per year. Cases that activated a Threat Management Team were more likely to lead to corrective action (odds ratio = 2.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.08 to 3.87) and referral to the Employee Assistance Program (odds ratio = 4.8; 95% confidence interval = 3.00 to 7.77), but were not related to likelihood of termination. CONCLUSION:: When the multidisciplinary teams were involved, cases were more likely to result in some type of action but were not more likely to lead to termination. Language: en

It is common practice in many professions, fields, and industries to disseminate comparative information. Absent this vital resource an individual company cannot accurately evaluate their performance against a similar cohort and therefore must rely upon anecdotal information. The findings of this study address this deficiency in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) field by reporting empirically derived comparative data for external providers of EAP services. During 2012 the National Behavioral Consortium obtained a convenience sample of 82 external EAP vendors, located primarily in the United States and Canada and 10 other countries and ranging in size from local providers to global business enterprises. The combined customer base represented by these vendors included more than 35,000 client companies and over 164 million total covered lives. The 44 survey items addressed eight categories: (1) company profile, (2) staffing, (3) customer profile, (4) utilization metrics, (5) survey tools and outcomes, (6...

This data was derived from a Request-For-Information (RFI) submitted to a sample of 26 large and medium-size external Employee Assistance Program (EAP) vendors across the United States. EAPs reported an increase in covered employees over the 2009 to 2010 period. EAP organizations associated with health plans and organizations that offer EAP and carve-out mental health programs saw the greatest growth. Purchasers were choosing a short-term counseling model of four to six visits. EAPs are relying on brief intake assessments for initial phone triage. Few programs were accredited and only a small number of intake or affiliate counselors held the Certified Employee Assistance Professional credential. Vendors reported that average EAP utilization was less than 6% with great variation between contracts.