Employment Assistance Program (EAP)
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a workplace benefit that helps with personal and work-related difficulties. If your employer offers one, it may help pay for counselling with us.
Who it's for
Who EAP is forWho it's for
An EAP, also called an Employment Assistance Program, helps employees with problems at home or at work that can affect their job, their health and their mental and emotional well-being. EAPs generally offer free, confidential assessments, short-term counselling, referrals and follow-up for employees and their household members.
We accept coverage through EAPs such as Walmsley, Arete, FamilySparks and more. Your employer decides who is eligible, so they are the first place to ask. The areas an EAP typically covers include:
- Mental wellness
- Job stress
- Relationship issues
- Separation and loss
- Parenting, childcare and eldercare
- Balancing work and family
- Addictions
- Harassment and family violence
How to use it
How to use EAPHow to use it
You can share as much or as little as you like at each step. Here is how to start.
- Contact your employer to find out if you are eligible for coverage through an Employee Assistance Program.
- Let us know which EAP provider your workplace uses, such as Walmsley, Arete or FamilySparks.
- Book a free 15-minute consultation by phone or video to talk about what you need.
- Meet a counsellor our intake team suggests, in person or online from anywhere in BC.
If your workplace does not have an EAP, or your plan does not cover what you need, you still have options. We offer sliding scale rates for eligible people, and many extended health plans cover Registered Clinical Counsellors and Canadian Certified Counsellors (RCC/CCC), so check your own plan. Our fees and funding page has more about ways to pay.
Other funding
Other ways to pay for counsellingOther funding
It may be, if your employer offers an EAP and you are eligible. Your employer decides who is covered, so contact them first to find out. We accept coverage through EAPs such as Walmsley, Arete, FamilySparks and more. When you reach out to us, tell us which EAP provider your workplace uses.
Often, yes. EAPs generally offer services for employees and their household members, but each plan is different. Ask your employer whether your plan includes the people you live with. If it does, they can book a free 15-minute consultation with us to talk about what they need.
EAPs generally offer confidential assessments and counselling. If you want to know exactly how your plan handles your information, ask your employer or your EAP provider. You can also ask us any privacy question during your free 15-minute consultation, before you decide to book.
You still have options. We offer sliding scale rates for eligible people, and many extended health plans cover Registered Clinical Counsellors and Canadian Certified Counsellors (RCC/CCC), so check your own plan. Our fees and funding page explains the other ways to pay, and our intake team can suggest a counsellor who fits your budget.
Please reach out for emergency help now rather than waiting to sort out your EAP coverage. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8, call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433), or call 911 if you are in danger. Counselling is not an emergency service, and this includes situations of family violence.