Did you know? – Employee Assistance Program

September 21, 2022 - Defence Stories

If you have worked in the public service for any length of time you will have likely heard of the Employee Assistance Program. But did you know that the Department of National Defence’s Employee Assistance Program is different than most? Continue reading to learn more and check out the Organizational Well-Being SharePoint site (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website).

What is an Employee Assistance Program?

Employee Assistance Programs provide support to persons employed and their dependents who are experiencing personal or work-related issues.

So how does our program differ?

Many Departments rely solely on an external EAP provider to both prevent and address the concerns of employers, employees, and immediate family members through counselling services. The DND Employee Assistance Program (EAP) supports employee health, well-being and productivity by offering both internal and external services.

External services include:

• Crisis and Short-Term Counselling Services
• Specialized Mental Health Services
  • Trauma Management Services
  • Specialized Organizational Services
• Digital Tools and Resources

Internal services include:

• Peer Support

To learn more about the various services, resources and initiatives available to you and your family members, check out the Employee Assistance Program internet page.

DND’s EAP includes Peer Support?

For the last 40 years DND’s EAP has supported DND employees. This service has been provided through our volunteer Peer Advisors, who are DND colleagues trained and skilled in active-listening, supporting and providing internal and community resources.

DND employees can connect with a Peer Advisor listed on the Organizational Well-Being SharePoint site (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) or by emailing the EAP positional mailbox. Peer Advisors are available during working hours, from Monday to Friday.

Peer Advisors are not available during evenings or weekends. A Peer Advisor is not a counsellor, they are helping agents in a non-professional capacity, and cannot diagnose, counsel, advise, prescribe, or treat an employee.

What Digital Tools and Resources are available?

Digital Tools and Services include LifeSpeak, a digital library which provides employees and their families access to hundreds of videos, podcasts and blog posts by experts on many wellness topics as well as the Organizational Well-Being Sharepoint site which includes educational content and well-being webinars featuring experts and guest speakers.

For additional Organizational Well-being information? Check out our SharePoint site (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) or contact the EAP positional mailbox.

Want to apply to become a Peer Advisor? Fill out our Peer Advisor Application Form (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website).