EAP Services

The EAP does NOT provide direct treatment, but it does provide a variety of services which offer support to all employees. Such services include:

Assessment and Referral

We provide confidential information, assessment, and referral services to employees of SUNY DMC, their families, and retirees, who are experiencing personal, family, or work problems that may affect job performance.

Educational Resources

EAP is a good source of information about books, videos, pamphlets, courses, tapes, and other educational materials. We have information on helpful websites, community groups, support groups, self-help groups, and treatment providers in the entire Metropolitan Area.

Supportive Follow-Up

Short-term services may be provided for employees who find themselves in complex, stressful situations. The EAP may also provide supportive assistance to employees returning to work after an extended period of leave for medical mental health and/or substance abuse problems. The EAP can provide support and follow-up for employees during their initial transition back to the workplace.

Consultation with Management

 

Supervisory Referrals

Informal Referral

Employees may be encouraged by supervisors, union representatives, human resource/labor relations personnel or another services on campus to contact the EAP for assistance due to personal or job performance concerns. Such referral may be made before the situation becomes a formal disciplinary action. This is known as an informal referral.

Formal Referral

There may be situations in which a supervisor identifies, documents, and discusses with an employee a specific issue of behavioral or job performance concerns, and the supervisor makes a recommendation that the employee contact the EAP. This recommendation may be made after counseling the employee concerning job performance issues. This is known as a formal referral. **Supervisors and other personnel are not expected to act in the role of advisor, diagnostician, or confidential counselor. Offering a recommendation to contact the EAP for assistance is good management.**

In either scenario, the decision to contact the EAP and use its services rests entirely with the employee. In the case of a formal referral, depending upon the circumstances (i.e. whether the employee is the subject of a formal disciplinary procedure, or has entered into a settlement agreement), the employee may incur consequences for not making such contact with the EAP.

Issues discussed by any employee with the EAP staff, whether that employee was formally or informally referred to the EAP, will NOT be shared with anyone without the express written permission of the employee. Supervisors are NOT entitled to information concerning an employees discussions with the EAP staff. In certain cases, a supervisor may be informed that an employee has made contact, or has kept an appointment with EAP staff, but NO FURTHER INFORMATION will be shared.

Information and Consultation

Supervisors and management may seek resources and ideas about how to resolve workplace problems. Topics cover stress, interpersonal conflict, communication skills, team building, and substance abuse education.

Education and Training

The EAP serves as a clearinghouse of resources on mental health and wellness. Our mission is to help employees maintain a healthy balance between work and family responsibilities, while remaining productive and creative. EAP is available to any campus, department or services, to offer information sessions and workshops on topic relevant to EAP.

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

EAP professionals and others on campus can offer support and guidance when a work group is affected by a critical incident in or outside of the workplace. A critical incident is defined as a sudden, unexpected, stressful event such as an accident or injury, the death of a co-worker, an act of violence, or a disaster. The event may occur in the workplace, or outside. CISD is a technique used in helping individuals cope with abnormal situations that may produce a strong emotional reaction. CISD helps employees by allowing them to discuss the event(s) in a safe environment, listening to what happened and how it has affected the staff, and helping them understand what they can expect in the healing process.

Drug-Free/Smoke-Free Workplace

The EAP may offer consultation with management concerning policies and procedures that are instrumental in helping employees and the institution comply with mandates for maintaining a drug-free workplace. The EAP also provides information, support, and assistance to employees who wish to quit smoking, through referrals, support groups, and smoking-cessation programs.