The State of California EAP is an assessment, short-term counseling and referral service designed to provide you and your family with assistance in managing everyday concerns. Through EAP, you can get help addressing problems in the following areas:

• Alcohol Abuse
• Drug Abuse
• Marital and Family Issues
• Emotional, Personal and Stress Concerns

Call (866) EAP-4SOC (866-327-4762) or TDD (800) 327-0801. Specially trained customer service representatives and professional EAP counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to confidentially discuss your concerns and ensure that you receive the assistance you need.

You will need to provide your name, the name of your agency or department (and facility name if applicable), and your collective bargaining identification (CB/ID) code. If you do not know your CB/ID code, MHN can help you identify it if you provide your exact job title. When eligible dependents call EAP, they will need to have the appropriate information about the employee whose benefit plan they are covered under (i.e., parent or spouse).

All EAP records and services are treated with the strictest confidence. The personal information you share with your counselor is confidential, unless you sign a release of information or if the law requires disclosure (e.g., if there is a threat of serious harm to yourself or others, or if there is a suspicion of elder or child abuse).

No. The philosophy of EAP, and the State of California in offering this benefit, is that problems are most effectively handled before they become serious. The key is to get assistance before the problem escalates and begins to detrimentally affect your home or work performance. When employees bring home a problem from work, it can interfere with their family life. When employees bring their personal problems to their job, they run the risk of having their personal problems affect their work performance.

To get EAP benefits, you need to choose an EAP counselor from MHN's network. MHN has developed a comprehensive network of thousands of EAP counselors so that you can get the help you need quickly and easily. If you choose to see a counselor outside of the network, you will be responsible for payment.

You can best prepare by taking the following steps:

• Think about why you decided to ask for help at this particular time.
• Consider when the problem began. Often employees seek help because something stressful or painful has happened (i.e., a death or separation, the anniversary of a difficult event, or a family or school problem).
• Try to recall if/when you have had similar problems in the past. If you have had similar problems, consider how you've tried to cope.
• Think about what you would like to happen as a result of your contact with EAP (e.g., feeling happier or improving an important relationship). What is your goal? When you see your counselor, be as clear as possible about your needs.
• Be sure to keep your appointment. Seeking help takes courage. Some employees become doubtful or uncertain and either cancel their appointment or simply don't show up. Once you have decided to seek help, follow through. Consider it an investment in yourself.

The number of sessions that you are eligible for is determined by collective bargaining. Each face-to-face session lasts approximately 50 minutes. Please click here or refer to the EAP brochure to determine the specific number of sessions you and your dependents are eligible to receive.

No. A supervisor's formal referral does not count against or add to the number of sessions allowed under your level of services. The number of sessions allowed for a formal referral is limited to the time it takes a clinician to make an assessment of your problem, develop a corrective plan of action, identify options and refer you to the appropriate resource for counseling. This typically occurs in one or two counseling sessions.

The core focus of EAP is to assist employees with personal short-term problems. EAP covers brief counseling and referral services, rather than long-term behavioral health care treatment. Counselors can help you clarify a problem, and, if appropriate, provide short-term counseling. But if longer-term counseling or other community resources would better serve you, your counselor will refer you out of EAP.