In-Person, Telephonic and Video Counseling

Counseling is free for you and your eligible dependents.  You can get help on a variety of topics, including:

• Preparing for and dealing with the stress of a major life change, even if it's positive. This includes having or adopting a child, getting married, moving or buying a home, or getting a promotion.
  
• Serious personal or professional concerns, such as general anxiety, depression, substance abuse, burnout, coping with illness, the loss of a loved one, relationship challenges, or resolving interpersonal conflicts.

Each family member can receive up to eight free counseling sessions per distinct problem, per year, from the time of your initial intake. If you exceed this limit, Health Advocate will make every effort to coordinate services with your existing health insurance. You may be referred into your insurance plan for services, where applicable, before your eight sessions are completed if it is determined that your clinical needs require treatment beyond the short-term scope of EAP.

Health Advocate counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-866-799-2329. Face-to-face counseling sessions will be set up via a transfer to a referred counselor during your initial call. Routine appointments are scheduled within three days.  Emergency situations may require immediate attention.

Legal and Financial Services

Penn faculty and staff, and their family members can access free and confidential support on legal and financial topics.

Resources for Managers

EAP resources for managers include coaching for interpersonal issues in the office, critical incident debriefings following a traumatic incident for the organization, and organizational development services.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is of paramount importance for every member of the Penn community seeking assistance or information, whether a call is made before, during, or after an event that calls for support. This is why faculty and staff have direct access to EAP services.

Health Advocate protects information in multiple ways, and it frequently exceeds the privacy compliance standards established by federal law (HIPAA). All EAP discussions and records are confidential, including any records of online communications. Faculty and staff can feel confident about information security and privacy, and comfortable that using these services will have no impact on their jobs.

If you have concerns about the confidentiality of the EAP, please feel free to contact a Health Advocate counselor anonymously at 1-866-799-2329.

Helpful Guides and Resources

EAP’s webinar Managing Emotional Health at Work will help you understand the impact of emotional illness in the workplace, identify what leadership should look for, and discuss how to be supportive in confronting concerns for a successful outcome. Access the webinar here.

The Concerned About Opioid Abuse flyer provides details about what you need to know regarding this epidemic and how to protect against opioid misuse.