Health & Safety

New free service can help you, family cope with life's challenges

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) now offers confidential messaging therapy, a new way to help you, your spouse, registered domestic partner or children deal with daily challenges and difficult situations.

With messaging therapy, State employees and their immediate family will have free access to one of more than 3,000 licensed therapists across the country who are trained to be empathetic and use evidence-based clinical approaches.

The new service enables you to message your therapist anytime via your web browser or mobile app. You are eligible for up to four sessions, which typically last one week and do not count against your EAP clinical services.

You can send therapists a secure message whenever you need to, and they typically will engage daily, Monday through Friday. To get the best results, plan to engage with your therapist at least three times during the week, from wherever you are.

Here are the basic features of EAP’s new messaging therapy service:

• It’s available to State of California employees, and their spouses, registered domestic partners, and dependent children ages 18 to 23.
• Participants get matched to a therapist based on their unique needs.
• Licensed therapists can be consulted the same day that help is needed.
• It allows participants to develop a one-on-one relationship with the same therapist throughout the consultation process.

Messaging therapy offers help for a variety of concerns, including, but not limited to:

• Family and relationship issues.
• Anxiety and depression.
• Addiction and substance abuse.
• PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

For more information about EAP’s messaging therapy service, or to enroll, go to www.eap.calhr.ca.gov.