| FAQ's from Employees: Is
the program confidential?
Who
is eligible?
Is
EAP treatment?
What
happens at the end of my visits?
How
many visits do I have?
What
if I want to stay with the same counselor after my free visits?
What
if I do not like or "connect" with my counselor?
What
if my issue is not clinical?
What
if I am in crisis at 3:00 in the morning?
How
far will I have to travel for service?
How
long do I have to wait for an appointment?
Do
you have both male and female counselors?
FAQ's from Employers: What is an EAP?
Does EAP have a set of guidelines that it is
supposed to go by?
What
is "Capitated"?
What
is fee for service?
What
if I wanted fee-for-service, but think I will have a high utilization?
How
do you support utilization?
Do
you do anything special for my Managers and Supervisors?
What
are the qualifications of your counselors?
What
type of support do you provide your accounts?
Is the program confidential?
Participation is voluntary and confidential. All information provided will
not be voluntary given to anyone under any circumstances, except as required
by Federal Law in the following three cases:
- when the possibility exists that you will do harm to yourself
- when the possibility exists that you will do harm to others
- when there is a violation of the state child abuse statutes
Back
to top
Who is eligible?
This decision is up to the employer and may vary. In
most circumstances, it is the employee and family members. Family members
being determined as the employee and any family member living in their
household. Many times, an employee may have a child in college who would also
be covered in special circumstances.
Back
to top
Is EAP treatment?
No, EAP is short-term assessment and referral. However, resolution
of the issue may be successful 60% of the time in a three-visit model.
Back
to top
What happens at the end of my visits?
If a referral is necessary, your counselor will work with you to help you connect
with a qualified clinician dealing with your particular issue.
Back
to top
How many visits do I have?
Again, this may vary with employer, but traditionally 3 to 4 visits
per incident.
Back to top
What if I want to stay with the same counselor after my free visits?
This is not something that is recommended by EAP - due in part to
philosophy and pre-existing contractual relations. However, if this particular
situation does arise then you would call your EAP and ask for a call from
SWG and we will help with that decision.
Back to top
What if I do not like or "connect" with my counselor?
Call your EAP number immediately. The counselor will ask, "would
you like a call from Steven's Wellspring?" Simply respond "yes".
We will return your call at
once and discuss the issue. We will find you another clinician in your area
and credit you back the visit.
Back to top
What if my issue is not clinical?
40% of our service is to serve as a resource in these matters. You
respond as above, tell the counselor at the call center that you would like
a call from Steven Wellspring Group. We will contact you immediately to help
you resolve your particular issue.
Back to top
What if I am in crisis at 3:00 in the morning?
This is a primary advantage of our program. When you call our service
at 3:00 in the morning, the person that answers the phone is a clinician
- complete will all
your local resources at hand. You do not have to listen to an answering
machine, voice mail, or even worse, be asked to hang up and an on-call
person will return your call.
Back
to top
How far will I have to travel for service?
Counselors are available in the community that your facility is located. Plus,
we provide service within twenty miles of your home.
Back to top
How long do I have to wait for an appointment?
Unless it is a crisis call, counselors are contractually obligated
to return any phone call within 24 hours, and to make an appointment with
72 hours.
Back to top
Do you have both male and female counselors?
Yes.
Back to top FAQ's from Employers: What is an EAP?
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a worksite-based program
designed to assist: 1) work organizations in addressing productivity issues,
and 2) "employee clients" in identifying and resolving personal
concerns including but not limited to health, marital, family, financial,
alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that
may effect job performance.
Back to top
Does EAP have a set of guidelines that it is supposed to go by?
This is where many companies fail in being a true proactive EAP.
Although many companies say, "sure we provide EAP," all the really
do is clinical work only and respond in a reactive mode only. Employers should
evaluate their current EAP and see if it is living up to its responsibility
as an EAP.
EAP has a Core Technology. Every company who currently has an EAP should read
this and then evaluate its program.
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. The EAP Core Technology consists of the following. 1.) Consultation with, training of, and assistance to work organization
leadership (managers, supervisors and union stewards) seeking to manage the
troubled employee, enhance the work environment, improve the employee
job performance, and outreach to and education of employees and their family
members about availability of EAP services.
2.) Confidential and timely problem identification/assessment services for
employee clients with personal concerns that may effect job performance.
3.) Use of constructive confrontation, motivation, and short term
intervention with the employee clients to address problems that may effect
job performance.
4.) Referral of employee clients for diagnosis, treatment and assistance,
plus case monitoring and follow-up services.
5.) Consultation to work organizations in establishing and maintaining
effective relations with treatment and other service providers and in
managing provider contracts.
6.) Consultation to work organizations to encourage availability of, and
employee access to, health benefits covering medical and behavioral
problems, including but not limited to alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental
and emotional disorders.
7.) Identification of the effects of EAP services on the work organization
and individual job performance.
Back to top
What is "Capitated"?
This is related to billing. Capitated EAP providers bill
the employer on a per employee cost for the year, regardless
of how many times employees used the program. For example,
if the employer has 100 employees, they would be billed $30.00
per employee, for a total cost of $3000.00.
Back to top
What is fee-for -service?
Fee-for-Service was developed to encourage, enable, and allow employers who
have not been able to provide an EAP program to its employees due to the cost,
to pay a small management fee for the overall program, and then pay for the
clinical part of the program as it is used. This prevents the employer from
having to pay the higher capitated fee, and then experience a very low utilization.
Back to top
What if I wanted fee-for-service, but think I will have a high utilization?
This may be an issue with the larger employer. To help offset
this cost, SWG will meet with the employer and establish a "Cost Cap",
which guarantees the cost of the program regardless of utilization. Combining
the "Management Fee" with the "Cost Cap" allows the employer
the advantage of a minimum initial investment, while guaranteeing his total
investment.
Back to top
How do you support utilization?
Initially, a family letter is mailed to all employees on
the employer's letterhead announcing the program. A handout wallet
card describing the program in detail is included in the letter.
We then provide face to face employee orientations (30 min.), and
supervisory training (1 hr. and 45 minutes). Each quarter, we provide "Living Well," our newsletter, to all
employees. We provide a full series of "lunch and learn" programs
throughout the year. From time to time, we mail out items you can use as
a reminder of EAP - items such as magnets, ice scrapers, decals, etc. A utilization
report is provided promptly and quarterly to be reviewed by HR and SWG.
Back to top
Do you do anything special for my Managers and Supervisors?
In addition to the initial Supervisory training, effective September, 2003,
we will be providing four (4) one half day seminars located throughout the
State of Maine for supervisors and managers, twice a year at no cost to our
accounts. We will also be providing an additional 1/2-day training in the winter
that will provide CEU's (continuing education units) for all those who attend.
There will be varied topics based upon current events.
Back
to top
What are the qualifications of your counselors?
All of our clinicians have a Master's level or higher degree. We prefer that
they have been in practice for at least 5 years. We also prefer to utilize
counselors who are EAP certified, as they understand the concept and purpose
of an Employee Assistance Program. All licenses are updated yearly, and they
must provide proof of insurability.
Back
to top
What type of support do you provide your accounts?
In the field, we have two Regional Managers with Masters
level Degrees, additional Account Managers with a maximum responsibility
of 20 accounts each, a network of SAP professionals, a Director of
Training and Education, and two Administrative personnel with specific
responsibility directly to the accounts.
Back
to top
For additional information on the Standard and Guidelines for EAP's please
e-mail us at rstevens@stevenswellspring.com |