Employee assistance programmes

An employee assistance programme (EAP) is a free, confidential support service your employer pays for, usually run by an outside company. You can phone or go online to talk to a trained adviser about anything affecting you, at work or at home, and you can usually get a short course of counselling without going through your GP. Almost every NHS trust and health board, council, government department and multi-academy trust has one, and many maintained schools get access through their council or an insurance scheme.

What an EAP usually includes

The exact package depends on the contract your employer has bought, but most include:

• A telephone helpline, often open around the clock, staffed by counsellors or advisers
• Short-term counselling, by phone, video or face to face, for a limited number of sessions per issue
• Information on legal problems such as housing disputes, consumer rights and family law
• Money and debt guidance
• An app or website with self-help material on stress, sleep, grief and similar topics
• Advice for managers on supporting a team member
• Support after a traumatic event at work, sometimes on site

Many programmes also cover members of your household for some services. Your staff intranet or welcome pack will say what your version includes and give the phone number.

How you use it

You contact the EAP yourself, with no need for your manager’s permission and no need to tell anyone. An adviser takes some details, talks through the problem and either helps there and then or books counselling. If the issue needs more than the EAP can give, such as long-term therapy or specialist medical treatment, the adviser will point you to the NHS or other services.

Counselling through an EAP is short-term by design. It suits a specific problem, such as a bereavement, a relationship breakdown, a difficult period at work or a run of poor sleep. For ongoing anxiety or depression, NHS talking therapies services in England accept self-referral, and your GP can refer you in all four nations. The NHS mental health pages list what is available locally.

How confidential it is

Your employer pays for the service but does not get your name or what you discussed. EAP providers send employers anonymous summary reports, such as the number of calls and the general categories of problem, so the employer can judge whether the contract is being used. In a small team, ask the provider how they make sure the figures cannot identify individuals.

There are limits. Like any counsellor, an EAP adviser may have to share information if there is a serious risk to your life or someone else’s, or a safeguarding concern about a child or vulnerable adult. They will usually explain this at the start of the first session.

EAP compared with occupational health

People often confuse the two. The EAP is there for you, and you decide what to share. Occupational health advises your employer, with your consent, on your fitness for work, adjustments and return-to-work plans. If you are off sick for a while, your manager may refer you to occupational health, and the report goes to your employer.

The two work well together. You might use the EAP for counselling while occupational health recommends changes to your duties or hours. With a disability or long-term condition, you may also be entitled to reasonable adjustments, and the government’s Access to Work scheme can pay for practical support that goes beyond what the employer must provide.

Other help in the public sector

NHS staff have more options on top of the EAP, including mental health and wellbeing hubs in some regions and specialist services for doctors and other clinicians. Staff wellbeing support in the NHS covers these.

Teachers and school staff in England, Scotland and Wales can use Education Support, a charity helpline for the education workforce. Trade unions run their own welfare and legal advice for members, and some have hardship funds. Police officers and staff, firefighters and armed forces personnel have occupational welfare services and service charities.

When to use it

People often wait until a problem has become serious before calling. An EAP is open for something that feels small, such as preparing for a hard conversation with a manager or understanding a letter from a landlord. If the pressure is coming from work itself, the burnout guide covers workload, sickness absence and when to involve a union.

In a crisis or if you are worried about your immediate safety, call 999 or NHS 111, or go to A&E. The EAP is not an emergency service.