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At times in our lives, we all have personal
concerns that are too difficult to deal with ourselves. The Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) is a free benefit provided by Smith College to help employee's work through
life's challenges.
The program, offered through a company called The Wellness
Corporation, is a confidential and voluntary counseling referral service provided
free of charge to employees and members of their family household. Employees and
their dependents are each eligible for six sessions, per issue, per calendar year.
The EAP can help with a variety of issues including: anxiety, grief, communication
problems, drinking or drug use, domestic violence, marital/family concerns, mood
swings, depression, parenting, stress (at work or home, or financial), work issues,
suicidal thoughts, etc.
To utilize this benefit simply call The Wellness Corporation
using their toll free phone number (800-828-6025), identify yourself as a Smith College
employee or dependent, and the staff will help you set up an appointment with a licensed
counselor near your home or workplace.
You can call during regular business hours, Monday through
Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, or if the matter
is more urgent, call anytime, twenty-four hours a day, even on weekends and holidays.
If you think you may need more than six sessions with
a counselor and you have Harvard Pilgrim, you may want to ask The Wellness Corporation
if they can help you set up an appointment with a counselor who is also a Harvard
Pilgrim provider. Then after you have used your six sessions through the EAP you
can utilize your Mental Health benefit through Harvard Pilgrim and continue to see
the same counselor. (If you have questions about the Harvard Pilgrim Mental Health
Benefit please contact their customer service center at (888) 333-4742 or Human Resources
585-2270.
The Wellness Corporation also
offers a comprehensive new work/life website, which covers a multitude of subjects
from physical and mental health, college planning, automobile and home, financial
questions, child and elder care and much more. The work life site is located at www.wellnessworklife.com.
If you have any further questions
about the EAP please contact Human Resources at 585-2273.
A Guide To Elder Care Resources
Many Smith faculty and staff will need to provide care at some point for an aging parent, in-law, partner or loved one. A 2009 survey conducted by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at Smith showed that twelve percent of Smith faculty members already spend more than three hours per week on elder care and that nearly half of the faculty are struggling to balance their workloads with the responsibilities of caring for elderly parents.
For more information visit the Center for Work and Life website.
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