some reasons folks come to the employee assistance program

It has happened a couple of times recently that someone said to me, “I didn’t know you could come to EAP for that”.

Some people think of the EAP as a resource to use if they are “going crazy” and many people don’t ever think of the EAP at all. I thought that people may be interested in some of the reasons people make use of this great benefit that many employers provide to their employees.

Work stress    Difficult boss, difficult coworker, changing responsibilities, needing to vent some anger/frustration in a guaranteed safe and confidential place.

Family stress    Marital or relationship difficulties, parenting issues, bringing their children for counseling, dealing with family drama, elder care issues, holiday stress.

Grief issues    Dealing with the death of a loved one, divorce, child leaving home, death of a pet, losing or leaving a job.

Health issues    Physicians often recommend counseling as an adjunct to other medical care. Conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, hypertension, depression, chronic pain, addiction, infertility, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses have all been shown to be improved and/or better coped with by participating in counseling.

Financial stress    If you feel overwhelmed by debt or other financial issues, having a safe place to bounce ideas around and look at options available can help.

Past trauma    Events from the past can affect our present-day functioning. Counseling can help one to deal with past emotional, physical, and sexual abuse as well as accidents, violence, and other traumatic events.

Career counseling/coaching    Some people come to EAP to get coaching on how to better present themselves, improve their people skills, management skills, or communication skills.

Premarital counseling    Some of the best advice I ever received was to get premarital counseling. Learning some communication skills, ways to strengthen a relationship and talking about some potentially “sticky” issues before they arise can prevent some problems and better prepare a couple for others.

Management consultation    Managers come here to discuss ways to handle situations involving their employees. This is a good place to brainstorm ideas and to learn how others have handled similar situations.

Anger management    Anger can be a tricky emotion that many of us do not handle so well. Some people fly off the handle, but many more just bottle it up inside which can be even more unhealthy. The EAP is a safe place to vent and to learn ways to deal with people and situations that may provoke feelings of frustration and anger.

Impartial sounding board    Sometimes when facing a decision it is helpful to talk to an impartial party. Sometimes family and friends are not the best ones to consult because of their preconceived ideas/opinions and/or because they might bring up these issues in the future.

Confession    Many of us carry around guilt from past events/decisions. Just getting things off your chest can be helpful, freeing and healthy. Confidentiality is a cornerstone of the EAP and the licensed professional counselors at Tanner EAP are bound by HIPAA and their licenses to keep things confidential.

Tobacco cessation    As well as getting help for other addictions such as gambling, pain pills, pornography, stress eating, alcohol, being addicted to an unhealthy relationship, etc.

Spiritual/existential questions    What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? What “should” I do? We don’t have the answers but we enjoy pondering the questions with you.

Management referral    Many times a manager will encourage an employee to make use of the EAP. This is not a punishment or “being sent to the principal’s office”. It usually means that the manager values and cares about the employee and wants them to get some help in dealing with a situation that might be affecting their work.

Feel free to be creative! You can come to the Employee Assistance Program for issues other than those listed above. We are also doing more telephone counseling these days if you just want to chat on the phone. Call us at 770-834-8327 to talk, ask questions, and/or schedule an appointment.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at Tanner EAP!

Director: Ken McGowan, EdD LPC CEAP
Counselors: Betsy Prince, EdS LPC CEAP
and Wes Webster, EdS LPC CEAP
Administrative Assistant: Lisa Rooks