Answer: Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) serve organizations and their employees in multiple ways, ranging from consultation at the strategic level about issues with organization-wide implications to individual assistance to employees and family members experiencing personal difficulties. As workplace programs, the structure and operation of each EAP varies with the structure, functioning, and needs of the organization(s) it serves.

In general, an EAP is a set of professional services specifically designed

• to improve and/or maintain the productivity and healthy functioning of the workplace and to address a work organization’s particular business needs
• through the application of specialized knowledge and expertise about human behavior and mental health.

Answer: The Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) is the world's largest, oldest, and most respected membership organization for employee assistance professionals. With nearly 5,000 members in over 30 countries around the globe, EAPA is the world's most relied upon source of information and support for and about the employee assistance profession. EAPA publishes the Journal of Employee Assistance, hosts professional conferences and offers training and other resources to fulfill its mission. EAPA's mission is to promote the highest standards of EA practice and the continuing development of employee assistance professionals, programs and services. 

Answer: Fundamentally, employee assistance is the application in the workplace of knowledge about behavior and behavioral health to improve both personal and workplace productivity and healthy functioning. That means the employee assistance profession is an unique integration of organization development, behavioral health, human resources, and business management. Most employee assistance professionals have knowledge and experience in a behavior health field such as social work or counseling, and many may be drug and alcohol counselors. EA professionals also enter the profession with backgrounds in human resources and organizational development. Several colleges and universities offer formal training programs; however, because the employee assistance profession draws on the knowledge and skills of a variety of professional fields, most professional development happens through continuing education offered through EAPA and its local chapters and branches. Take some time to review the EAPA website and become familiar with the information and resources that are available, such as the annual EAPA Conference and EXPO, the Pre-conference training program, and the free EAP Newsbrief. Visit EAP Career Center to look at the various job descriptions and learn about the qualifications and experience that program managers and administrators are seeking in an EA professional. Find an EAPA chapter/branch near you and attend a meeting. While there, you can network with the chapter/branch members to learn more about the profession.

Answer: Yes there are. The purpose of the EAPA Standards and Professional Guidelines for Employee Assistance Programs is to promote the highest quality employee assistance programs. This document identifies a coordinated set of policies, procedures, and activities. When designing its EAP, each organization applies these standards and professional guidelines based on its own unique mission, operation and culture. To review the Standards, click here.

Answer: The employee assistance program Core Technology (EAP Core Technology) represents the essential components of the employee assistance profession. These components combine to create a unique approach to addressing work organization productivity issues and "employee client" personal concerns affecting job performance and ability to perform on the job. Click here to review the EAP Core Technology.

Answer: The EAP Buyer’s Guide is a best bet for purchasers looking to make informed decisions about selecting or designing an effective Employee Assistance Program and getting the most for your money. The Guide identifies the essential questions to ask in the purchasing process and offers practical guidelines to help organizations choose the EAP that will support a healthier workforce, maximize employee productivity, and provide the greatest return on investment.

Answer: We are frequently asked if EAPA maintains statistics on EAP utilization by industry or company size or for that matter any stats at all on EAP utilization standards. The utilization question seems like a simple one, but unfortunately, it isn’t simple. For extensive information on this topic read our article on utilization.

Answer: In the US, over 97% of companies with more than 5,000 employees have EAPs. 80% of companies with 1,001 - 5,000 employees have EAPs. 75% of companies with 251 - 1,000 employees have EAPs. A 2008 National Study of Employers following ten years trends related to U.S. workplace policies and benefits shows that the EAP industry continues to grow, with 65% of employers providing EAPs in 2008, up from 56% in 1998. The US has the most saturated market for EAPs in the world. However, there is an ever increasing appreciation of the value of employee assistance in other countries, and the number of EAPs worldwide is growing. For more information on the growth of EAPs in other countries, visit EAPA's online index of international branches and click on the country of interest to get in touch with a knowledgeable branch officer.

Answer: Contact/attend your local EAPA chapter/branch and ask the chapter members about who the players are in your area. You can also find a list of chapter officers on your chapter/branch page. They are very knowledgeable about the field. Also, join EAPA so that you can access the member directory on the website, which is searchable by name, city, etc. You might scan the members in your area to see if anyone is close to your neighborhood and contact them for advice.

Answer: Unfortunately, there can be no formula, since every EAP is unique to the organization in which it operates. For example, companies with a higher proportion of females typically have higher EAP utilization than those with more males. Similarly, utilization often correlates with education – up to a point. It also varies by the level of trust within an organization. On the “employer services” side, different organizations want or need different amounts of education, training, supervisor or organizational consultation, etc. Organizations also differ on the dispersal of their employee populations, corporate culture, etc. – all of which affect pricing. For the provider, pricing has to be affected by overhead costs, salary structure, etc.

If you want “capitation” pricing, you have to make some educated guesses about the amount of services you expect to provide and how much it will cost you to provide each unit of each kind of service. I.e. How many hours of assessment, counseling, follow-up, etc. – at what cost per hour; how many hours of consultation – at what cost per hour; how many clerical hours – at what cost per hour; etc. Add this to variable costs of supplies, etc. and fixed overhead costs; then decide how much margin you need to make. The total will give you the price you can afford to deliver your estimated amount of service for.

Answer: EAPA’s Ethics Education Panel of Experts was formed to assess the EA profession’s needs in relation to ethics education and to identify and promote educational resources to meet those needs. The Panel is now inviting EAPA members to submit their concerns, questions, or comments related to the ethical practice of Employee Assistance. All concerns will be handled with discretion. Contact the Panel at ethics@eapassn.org

Answer: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by government statistical agencies and others in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to classify business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the North American economy. Some EA firms have been asked to classify themselves using the NAICS system. While there are no codes specifically identified as referring to EA programs, EAPA recommends using 525120 – Health and Welfare Funds. This industry comprises legal entities (i.e., funds, plans, and/or programs) organized to provide medical, surgical, hospital, vacation, training, and other health- and welfare-related employee benefits exclusively for the sponsor’s employees or members. This classification is a partially exempt Industry - not required to keep OSHA records unless directed to do so by OSHA. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlmWbhHSxLU#action=share

Answer: EAPA Chapters/Branches are listed on the website. EAPA Chapters are based in the United States and EAPA Branches are outside the United States. Dues for each chapter/branch vary and are to be paid in addition to EAPA International membership dues. Each Chapter/Branch has its own webpage on the EAPA website which provides information including a calendar of events and contact information for the chapter officers. If you have further questions you can also email Debbie Mori, EAPA Membership & Association Services, at d.mori@eapassn.org 

Answer: You can update your chapter/branch information by emailing Debbie Mori, EAPA Membership & Association Services, at d.mori@eapassn.org 

Answer: Consult the on-line Chapter/Branch Leaders toolkit. The toolkit was designed to help officers and members build and manage their EAPA chapters/branches more effectively, including recruiting and retaining members, as well as promoting the value of EAPA membership and the EA profession. Please also email Debbie Mori, EAPA Membership & Association Services, at d.mori@eapassn.org with any questions

Answer: EAPA supports your getting sponsorship for your website and your meetings. We just would like to call your attention to a few concerns:

• The chapter should endeavor to maintain its neutrality
• Accordingly, you should not give the appearance of endorsing a particular sponsor
• The sponsors should not be allowed to dictate the content of your website
• We recommend using the language “supported by” or “underwritten by” instead of “sponsored by”
• We would appreciate having the opportunity to review your web lay out and links etc. - email Debbie Mori, EAPA Membership & Association Services, at d.mori@eapassn.org with any questions