Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

What is the Employee Assistance Program?
The Employee Assistance Program helps employees cope with personal problems which negatively affect their lives and which might intrude upon their jobs. Emotional stress, family disintegration, financial and legal difficulties, alcoholism, drug abuse, and marital disruption impair not only an employee's personal life but workplace productivity. EAP was formed with the knowledge that such problems can be addressed and treated with appropriate help.  

What service is provided? 
EAP is a confidential information, assessment, and referral service. It is not a counseling service, nor does it provide treatment. The only exceptions to confidentiality are: where information is required by law to be disclosed; where there is a reasonable belief that an employee's conduct places him or her or another person in imminent threat of bodily harm; or where there is reasonable cause to suspect child abuse has been or will be committed. Using the referral services of EAP is not a condition of employment. Depending upon the nature of the problem, employees seeking assistance are referred to a program, service or agency within the community for appropriate counseling or assistance. 

Eligibility & Referral
EAP is available to all State employees and their families. An employee may enter an EAP in many ways:

• EAP accepts and encourages self-referrals. As the acceptance of the program has grown, the number of self-referrals has increased and the focus of the program has shifted from crisis intervention to crisis prevention.
• An employee may also be approached by his/her immediate supervisor whose responsibility includes identifying chronic job performance problems. The supervisor may recommend or suggest a visit to EAP. This is known as supervisory referral.
• Employees may contact an EAP coordinator at the suggestion of a third party -- a family member, friend, co-worker, or clergyman. It is important to remember that the final decision to contact EAP lies with the employee. EAP is a voluntary option.

Buffalo State College EAP Coordinators are selected and approved by a campus labor management committee. They receive specialized training and spend time identifying important community services that are available in this area to deal with problems employees' face. The coordinators are on campus (readily available to help employees) and are bound by the EAP policy of total confidentiality.

When to Seek Professional Counseling Assistance
Since no two individuals are exactly the same, deciding when to get professional counseling assistance
can vary.  If you are experiencing any of the following, please consider contacting an EAP coordinator for a referral or seek other professional resources for consultation and assistance:

  Unmanageable anxiety or fear
  Uncontrollable emotions
  Feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or depression
  Increased or ongoing stress
  Difficulty in coping
  Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  Rage or excessive anger
  Difficulty getting along with others
  Conflicts in marriage, family, work or school
  Low self-esteem
  Reliance on alcohol or drugs
  Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
  Chronic physical problems where no organic or medical cause can be found
  Any symptom or problem that feels out of your control and is creating a problem for you