Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are an employee sponsored benefit that offers employees the help they need to get through a variety of life’s challenges. While the employer often purchases this coverage as a supplement to health insurance benefits, the services an EAP offers are free to the employee. During a recent interview, Kathleen Mills, owner of Life Tree Counseling describes Employee Assistance Programs services as “an immediate resource of incredible information available 24/7 for a variety of life issues.” She went on to comment that EAPs have enjoyed increasing popularity since they were first introduced 15 years ago. Part of the reason of their popularity is the benefits that they provide to employers, employees, as well as counselors and other providers.
Employee Assistance Programs Benefits for Employers
According to the New Jersey-based University Behavioral Health Care, the average cost of EAP benefits per employee is approximately $26 per year. The employer is likely to receive a considerable return on their investment in EAO services since employees who are experiencing life issues have a 37.5 percent reduction in their productivity. Since EAPs have a 75 percent success rate in assisting employees resolving life issues, the worker will return to full productivity in a relatively short period.[1] Employers can purchase these benefits as add-ons to health insurance plans, mental health coverage, or as a standalone benefit.
The Advantages of EAP Benefits for Employees
EAPs offer employees confidential access to a broad range of services and information without cost. Unlike health insurance, these plans do not have deductibles or co-pays. In order to take advantage of their Employee Assistance Programs benefits, employees just have to dial a toll-free number and indicate what kind of services or information they need. For clients who are in need of brief, short-term, solution-focused therapy, a Licensed Clinical Intake Specialist will perform a telephone triage with them to determine their needs. Based on this information, the employee will receive a referral to a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Typically, the issue can be resolved in about three to five sessions. For employees that have legal issues, a referral to an attorney is provided for a 30-minute consultation.
Reasons Counselors Participate in EAPs
As anyone who is in the counseling profession can attest, the competition to get into the major EAP networks is fierce. Providing EAP services is attractive because a counselor receives all the information needed about the client electronically or by fax. The services are pre-approved, so there is no need to go through the length paperwork process that is needed to receive an authorization for treatment. In the event the client needs services beyond what is authorized by EAP, many of these clients can be converted into long-term clients, depending on their mental health insurance benefits or their ability to pay for services. Given the high success rate of EAP service, former recipients of services often refers their colleagues, families, and friends to the counselor when they are experiencing work or life stressors.
The continued popularity of EAPs is no surprise since it a win-win-win program for employees, employers, and providers of services.
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