Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Iowa State's Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?
- What types of problems can I address through the EAP?
- What services can I obtain?
- Who is eligible for EAP services?
- Who will know that I am using EAP services?
- How much will EAP cost me?
- How do I schedule an EAP appointment?
- Where do I go for services?
- If I have an emergency or personal crisis, can EAP help me?
Iowa State University offers you this program as one of its employee benefits.
The EAP gives you timely and free access to confidential, professional services
when you are facing a personal problem. The goal is to help you find solutions
before the problem affects your health or job performance. Iowa State works with
the Richmond Center to provide the EAP.
Counselors help with a wide range of concerns that affect daily life.
They can help you deal with issues such as these:
- Work/career (work stress, balancing work and personal demands, changing employment).
- Relationships (at work, friends, couples).
- Family/marriage (parenting, blended families, separation/divorce).
- Personal problems (anxiety, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders)
- Compulsive/addictive behaviors (excessive use of alcohol, chemical dependency, gambling)
- Finances (overspending, bankruptcy, credit card excesses)
- Legal matters (parental rights, divorce)
- Catastrophes (terminal illness, death and grief, accident trauma)
Iowa State's EAP provides you up to three (3) sessions per year with a professional
counselor. Your counselor will help you identify and assess the extent of your problem,
develop steps you can take to resolve it, and recommend professionals who can provide
appropriate longer-term treatment if needed.
If you are benefit-eligible or an affiliate employee of Iowa State University, whether
you work on or off campus, you are eligible for EAP benefits. Your family members also
qualify: spouse or domestic partner, natural and legally adopted children, step children,
foster children, and parents, siblings, grandparents, or others who live with you are
chiefly dependent upon you for support and maintenance. You may use sick leave to attend
EAP sessions. If you have questions about eligibility, contact ISU's Department of Human
Resource Services (294-4977) or The Richmond Center (232-5811 or 1-800-830-7009).
Your services are provided in confidence, within strict legal restrictions. No one is given
information about your participation in the EAP without your signed consent.
As an employer-provided benefit, services provided during the three counseling sessions are
free to you. If help beyond the scope of the EAP is needed to resolve your problem, and you
decide to seek further assistance, you assume financial responsibility for all other services.
Your counselor will try to refer and guide you to affordable resources or those that may be
covered by your health insurance.
Simply call one of the numbers below. When you call, you will first speak with a Richmond
Center receptionist, who will ask you to describe the nature of your problem. The receptionist
will then help schedule your appointment with a counselor. Every effort will be made to schedule
an appointment within three days of your call. To make an appointment, call: (515) 232-5811 (in Ames)
or 1-800-830-7009 (outside Ames).
The Richmond Center provides EAP services to Iowa State employees. Offices are located in Ames
and the following central Iowa communities: Boone, Carrol, Jefferson. To schedule EAP services
in one of these communities, call 1-800-830-7009. When you call for an appointment, the receptionist
will facilitate your preference for location. If you live or work in another locale, you can recieve
EAP services at a location convenient to you; contact The Richmond Center to make these arrangements.
Yes, a 24-hour crisis service is available to you regardless of time or place. A professional
counselor is on duty at all times. For immediate help in an emergency, call: 1-800-830-7009.
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Dear Iowa State Employee:
Your health and well-being are important to Iowa State. The Employee Assistance Program is intended to promote a healthy and productive work environment, and we are pleased to offer this benefit to our employees.
-Carla Espinoza
Associate Vice President
for Human Resource Services. |
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| Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612. |
