According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 48.3 million adults in the U.S. will experience mental illness in a given year. Based on that statistic, mental health issues are likely to touch you or someone you know. An EAP provides employees with access to the support they may need. This article will explain more about how EAPs work, and how they can provide mental health, legal and financial benefits. Sasha Butkovich who is featured on Justwroks.com provides details on the EAP. Mental Health at Work Mental health matters. Although it is a personal issue, the effects of an individual’s mental health and wellbeing can be far-reaching and even impact their work life. Research from the Center for Prevention and Health Services estimates that the workplace costs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders range from $79 to $105 billion each year. What is an EAP? An Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, connects member employees to confidential, professional assistance to help with personal, family, and work issues. Often these services come at no charge to the employee. Although their offerings can be quite broad, many EAP services either directly or indirectly address mental health. Professional counselors and other specialists accessible through an EAP can help employees tackle issues such as stress, depression, substance abuse, financial concerns, and family issues. Short-term Counseling Finding a therapist or accessing counseling might feel out of reach for those suffering from stress or mental health issues. But finding someone to talk to is simple with an EAP. With a quality EAP, employee counseling is just a phone call away for members. EAPs generally provide access to counseling over the phone, or even in-person sessions with a local counselor. There’s really no need to wait for help or to second guess yourself when you can talk to a helpful professional for free. Employee counseling can help with:

• Anxiety at work
• Stress at home or in personal relationships
• Depression
• Addiction issues

This professional counseling service is free, and offers their services to members, their spouse or domestic partner, and their children as well. Privacy is also a cornerstone of these services, as employers having access to their employees’ mental health information is delicate. Additionally, people are more likely to seek help when they feel they can trust the source and have confidentiality. Work/Life Balance It can feel overwhelming to try to manage your work and home life all at once. Of course, this can have a real effect on your physical and mental health. Work/life services from an EAP aim to ease some of that burden. Their experts can provide assistance with a range of services, such as finding childcare or elder care, connecting with a lawyer, or even receiving nutrition advice. Just think of how much better your employees might feel if they had help taking some of that stress out of their day-to-day. Financial Assistance Let’s face it, money worries often lead to stress, and financial burdens can have a big impact on a person’s mental health. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, 72% of Americans said they felt stressed about money, and 22% felt “extreme” stress over their finances. EAPs often offer helpful services to help people get on top of their finances, like planning for retirement, providing assistance with a stolen identity, connecting to a financial advisor, and more. Accessing your EAP is easy: www.mylifevalues.com USER ID: Mitsui Password: eap 1-800-955-6422