The difference between an average and excellent EAP is the commitment that management makes to the success of the program. You can judge the commitment to the EAP by the quality of training provided to management and supervisors. Our EAP training and manual was developed in conjunction with Dr. Edwin Timmons, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist and is based on his teachings of Behavioral Dynamics to the MBA students at Louisiana State University. Our management training program uses a hands on approach to train managers and supervisors to work with the different types of personalities and problems that can arise in the workplace. Our training and reference manual gives managers and supervisors the confidence needed to work with and refer troubled employees to the EAP.

Most companies promote from one level to another based on performance. While in theory, a good salesman will make a good sales manager and a good mechanic will make a good shop supervisor they will rarely posess the skills to recognize and work with employee performance problems.

Our EAP training gives both experienced and new managers the fundamental management and EAP skills which enable them to quickly recognize employee problems, communicate with the employee and assist them in seeking the appropriate help.

A key component of the program addresses the supervisory training requirement for the “Drugs in the Workplace Act ”. We train supervisors and managers to recognize the symptoms of an impaired employee and to provide appropriate intervention and counseling. This is most important, since the new Federal regulations require special training by certified substance abuse professionals (SAP’s).

We educate them on when and how to refer the employee to the EAP, the responsibilities of the EAP to the employee and the rules of confidentiality. We teach the managers and supervisors the signs of potential workplace violence and sexual harassment. We instruct them on the importance of proper documentation and compliance with EEOC, wage and hour and unemployment compensation issues.

As part of our company wide training program we provide an employee EAP orientation which demonstrates the company’s commitment to the well being of it’s employees, promotes the value of the EAP and helps the employees understand the how to use it. The orientation covers the types of problems the EAP staff is equipped to handle, who is eligible, how to contact the EAP, issues of confidentiality and the cost of the service.

A company can measure the success of their EAP by the number of people who use the program. The national average for (face to face counseling) EAP utilization is 3% of the employee population. HHA’s EAP utilization rate is 6% to 10%. Our higher utilization rate helps the employees address their problems and provides our clients with substantial savings to their health insurance plan and enhanced workforce productivity.