Employee Assistance Services or EAPs have become a hygiene factor for many UK businesses, ticking the ‘wellbeing’ box. But are they actually any good, actually DOING any good - and what actually happens when one of your employees picks up the phone?
We talked to Paul, a senior advisor at Health Assured, who run Equipsme’s Stress Support/EAP, to answer some of the questions you never knew you had about our service, and EAPs in general.
What IS the stress support/EAP?
“It’s a helpline people can call up and get a bit of support for their wellbeing or mental health. It’s certainly not just about what happens in the workplace either. We’re open 24/7, and we help people work through all sorts of problems and worries.”
What kind of things do you help with?
“It can really be anything, from general anxiety to financial issues, low mood or depression to relationship issues, bereavement to workplace stress.”
How many calls do you get?
“Around 6,000 a week.”
What actually happens when someone calls?
“The first thing that happens when someone calls up is that we ask for their name, place of work, and the nature of the call. Basic facts so we can get them registered on our system and track them across future calls so we’re not missing anything or starting from scratch each time. It’s actually a great way to help calm people down and ease them into the call.”
What sort of help can you provide employees?
“We do what’s called solution-focused therapy, so we deliver in-the-moment support, in the here and now, looking for resolutions to whatever the problem is.
“What that means is that we’re not going to ask people about their relationship with their mother! We’re more on the coaching end of things - we help callers think through what’s in front of them and decide what to do next.
“For some it’s just about getting them regulated at a moment of high stress - having that human-to-human contact to feel heard and have the space to regroup. Sometimes if we feel something more structured would be beneficial, we look at doing a clinical assessment – which usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes.”
What happens after a clinical assessment?
“Once we’ve done the assessment, we can decide together what to do next - and set goals for what someone wants to achieve from their time with us. We’ve got a whole toolkit of support - and in my experience there’s something to help everyone move forwards.
“That might be a series of up to eight structured counselling sessions, which typically last around 50 minutes and can be delivered by video call, or we’ve got around 2,700 affiliated counsellors across the UK who can see people in person.
“Some callers we refer on to our Wisdom app, which has things like podcasts on a range of wellbeing topics, breathing techniques, sleep strategies and mindfulness techniques. Or we can put people directly onto our digital CBT platform SilverCloud, which also has lots of brilliant courses and resources, including CBT programmes.
“We’ve also got a legal team who can offer basic legal advice, too, and refer people on to specialist debt advisors or other experts.”
What DON’T you do?
“We’re really not set up to deal with complex or historical trauma – in those cases we do try and refer people back to their GP and into the NHS system to get the right kind of therapy to process what they’ve been through.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t deal with someone having a serious mental health crisis – we absolutely do receive calls from people experiencing suicidal thoughts, and we’ve got a special risk and safeguarding team. They’re here to step in and help assess the situation and get people the right support – including calling in ambulances and NHS community mental health teams.”
So, who IS actually answering the phones on the stress support/EAP line?
Employers are often surprised to know that every single person on our phone lines is a trained counsellor, fully qualified and registered with a professional body like the BACP (the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) - and we all continue to undergo regular supervision and training.”
How many people are on the support line?
“There’s around 200 of us, working in shifts around the clock throughout the week.”
What happens if people are too afraid to pick up the phone?
“Some people find it really hard. Often, we’ll get people changing their minds before we pick up, or calling back later. We’ve also got a digital team. So, employees can video call or live chat with us, instead.”
Is it confidential?
“It’s 100% confidential. We cannot tell companies who has called, or what they’ve spoken about.
“Having said that, obviously we do have a duty to report anything illegal, or any circumstances where someone might do themselves or others any harm.”
Do EAPs/wellbeing helplines actually work?
“They really do. That’s why I’m here. There is a real crisis in mental health right now, and a chronic lack of support available. What we do IS filling the gap, and it IS helping people when they don’t have anywhere else to turn.
“What’s more, we’re doing it instantly. People aren’t waiting on an NHS waiting list - or if they’ve got through that waiting for their once-a-week appointment to talk to someone. We’re here in the moment, 24/7.
“We could write a whole book with the ‘thank you’ comments we get - which tells me what we’re doing is definitely working, and definitely making a difference.”
Are EAPs worth it?
“We know that people are struggling with their mental health right now, and someone who IS struggling is clearly not going to be doing the job their employer wants them to do at peak efficiency. It’s as simple as that. Helping people keep their minds healthy is part of keeping businesses healthy - and that’s ultimately got to be good for everyone.”
