Employees often ask these questions about how WorkLife Hawaii works:

What is the Employee Assistance Program?

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential assessment, brief counseling and referral service sponsored by your employer and provided by WorkLife Hawaii. Employees and their families are offered readily accessible, professional, quality assistance - whenever they need it - for problems that impact their personal life or their work life.

Why does my employer offer EAP?

Your employer is concerned about you and your well-being. Your employer understands that personal problems can impact your health, well-being and work. Your employer established the EAP to help you and your family members deal with personal problems before they affect home or work life.

What is WorkLife Hawaii’s Confidentiality Policy?

WorkLife Hawaii operates from a base of confidentiality. Confidentiality is fundamental to the success of the counseling relationship; without it, employees and their family members wouldn't want to use our services. Except in life threatening circumstances, no information will be released to anyone without the completion of a signed release of information form.

So my employer won't know I came in?

No. We send your employee a quarterly report that said how many employees came in, and the kinds of general issues that brought them in (marriage, family, stress, work, finances, etc.). But we can't let your employer know you came in unless you for some reason want to sign a form so that we can communicate limited information to them. Your employer understands that you're entitled to privacy and confidentiality.

How do I know if the EAP can help with my problem?

If you are not sure whether professional assistance is necessary or appropriate for the difficulties you are experiencing, you can call and speak with a staff member of WorkLife Hawaii before you make an appointment.

Remember that it is important to seek assistance early in the development of a problem. The sooner the problem is addressed, the greater the likelihood for a positive outcome.

How does the EAP work?

The initiative to use the EAP comes from you. In most cases, there is nothing to lose and much to gain by calling WorkLife Hawaii. If you have a problem or concern, give us a call.

When you call for an appointment, you will be asked a few questions (for example, your name, employer, and your phone number). You will be asked to briefly describe your problem so that an appointment can be scheduled with the best counselor for your issue. You will then be offered a variety of initial appointment times. Confidentiality is assured.

Why should I use the EAP?

You might not need to, but it's here for you if you do. People use the EAP for a wide variety of issues. Almost anything that distresses you to the point where a bad day becomes a bad week is an appropriate reason to call the EAP.

Sometimes, a personal or work-related concern is especially difficult to resolve. Or, life changes such as divorce, a death in the family or a career change affect us emotionally as well as physically. In other cases, an individual who is not quite sure or cannot specifically define "the problem" can benefit by seeing a trained counselor who will listen and help sort out the issues.

Some of the more common problems that bring people to the EAP are:

• Marital difficulties
• Depression and anxiety
• Interpersonal conflicts
• Parent-child problems
• Stress-related concerns
• Drug and alcohol abuse

What are the costs?

Your employer has contracted with WorkLife Hawaii to provide a limited number of counseling sessions at no cost to you. If you are then referred to an outside agency or individual service provider for continued services, there is likely to be a fee for those services. Such fees may be partially covered by your medical insurance.

Will anyone know if I contact the EAP?

No! WorkLife Hawaii is a confidential service. No one will be told that you are receiving services from the EAP. Although WorkLife Hawaii keeps records of the services provided to you, no information will be released to anyone without your consent.

What are the qualifications of WorkLife Hawaii's staff?

Each counselor at WorkLife Hawaii has at least a Master's Degree or is a Certified Addictions Counselor. Most of our counselors are licensed professional counselors with years of experience in the field.

What are the benefits of using the EAP?

• Satisfaction from confronting a problem and resolving it
• Improved job performance
• Improved job satisfaction
• Improved quality of life

What do employees usually say about their experience?

First, over 99% report they are satisfied with the services they received. Here are some typical comments in the anonymous satisfaction surveys:

• Just having someone to really talk to, and one that is really listening to what I am saying
• Just being able to talk and have someone listen and not judge me :)
• Coming together and having someone listen impartially and objectively
• Friendly staff, very goal oriented, counselor very sincere and helpful, accommodating to schedule, good location
• Just talking about my problems to someone who won't judge me
• Being able to take good look at my situations and set goals to make changes positively
• That they break things down so it's easier to work with
• Helping me to think from A to C without skipping B
• Good counseling and referrals
• Allowing me lots of time to vent AND suggestions for me to try
• Being able to talk freely and vent feelings you cannot in the workplace
• Being able to talk to someone who is looking in from the outside
• Having someone to listen & present feedback
• A professional counselor with compassion, a listening ear and encouraging suggestions
• I was provided with excellent resources and my counselor was very helpful and therapeutic; provided me with lots of examples & tools too
• Having a sympathetic ear, understanding my concerns, showing genuine concern
• Having a very good counselor who listened, very empathetic, gave good suggestions, confidence, next steps
• My counselor, she seemed very caring and had my best interests in mind
• Just talking to someone about it
• Accessibility to the help, appointment hours helped to work around with work scheduling
• Pleasant staff
• Focus & guidance during session; role play & other tools (homework); exploration of issue
• Exploring my problem/putting things in perspective
• Listening and understanding what I was feeling and going through, caring, smile
• Someone to listen and open dialog with at looking at my problem in dealing with my situation
• The counselor showing me body language and how important it is - how people see you
• The opportunity to speak with someone and develop an action plan to resolve my issues and improve my life
• Being able to voice my concerns and positive feedback