EAP Service Use in a Managed Behavioral Health Care Organization: From the Employee Perspective

Abstract

Contemporary Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services are typically provided in broad-brush programs delivered by large external vendors in a network model. Yet research has not kept pace with EAP evolution, including in terms of how EAP clients themselves view services. The authors surveyed a random sample of EAP service users from a national provider (361 respondents). About one third of respondents reported getting help for workplace issues. Most learned about the EAP through employer communications such as the company Web site. The large majority reported that the EAP helped them “a lot” or “some,” suggesting they valued this benefit.