Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

A Source for Confidential Help

Life doesn't always go smoothly, and balancing the needs of your family with your job responsibilities isn't easy. When problems arise, it's best to get help as soon as possible, before the problem gets worse. That's why the City offers the services of an EAP to employees and their families at no cost to the employee.  Calls and counseling sessions at the EAP are confidential.

You may call the EAP 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to discuss your concerns, to get crisis counseling, to get referrals for face-to-face counseling, to get referrals for legal services, and to get referrals for child care or elder care services.

EAP counselors specialize in short-term counseling and problem solving. They will help you: Clarify the problem; Identify options and explore alternatives for addressing the problem; and develop a plan for you. The plan may involve short-term counseling in the EAP or a referral to an appropriate resource in the community or through your benefit plan. In all cases, the decision of how to handle your concern and manage your life is up to you.

Among other things, the EAP can help you with:

• Work Stress
• Family/Parenting Issues
• Marital or Relationship Problems
• Anxiety or Depression
• Anger Management
• Alcohol or drug dependencies
• Coping with Change
• Grief

If you need longer-term counseling or more intensive services than the EAP counselor can provide, you'll be referred to a network provider under the City's plan you elected (if the spouse is eligible) for appropriate care. This way, you won't get deeply connected to the EAP counselor and have to start over again with someone else when your EAP sessions end.

For more information, see the Employee Benefits Guide.