Your Employee Assistance Program

Workplace wellness is achieved when the needs of the organization, the work group and the employees are attended to.

The Manitoba Blue Cross Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides employees and their families direct access to professional counselling and wellness services designed to help identify and overcome personal challenges affecting their health and well-being. It also offers a range of organizational assistance services to support leaders and teams in building healthier and more productive workplaces.

Available services

Comprehensive support

We proudly provide an extensive scope of specialized clinical, work-life and wellness programs and services. This includes:

  • solutions to address the full continuum of employee health concerns and organizational assistance needs – from prevention to acute events to chronic health.
  • confidential counselling services across a broad spectrum of individual, family and work-related concerns.
  • specialized clinical services, including addictions treatment, psychiatric consultation, mental health services and trauma response services.
  • preventative wellness solutions and self-management programs promoting awareness and supporting lifestyle changes.
  • customized organizational services that fit emerging issues and unexpected events.

Counselling services include:

  • family/parenting
  • partner/couple
  • personal/emotional/ behavioural problems
  • anxiety and depression
  • work stress/adjustment
  • addictions
  • caregiver support
  • suicide risk
  • domestic violence/abuse
  • grief and loss
  • trauma/critical incident
  • conflict resolution/mediation
  • health and wellness
  • spiritual
  • career/workplace
  • financial/legal

Highest calibre professionals

Education

Employees and their families have access to support from a range of highly trained and specialized professionals who, at a minimum, have a Master’s degree or equivalent in psychology, couple and family therapy, clinical social work, psychiatric nursing or counselling, or recognition as an Elder in the Indigenous community. Many of our counsellors exceed this minimum, including PhD clinical psychologists, doctorates and psychiatrists.

Experience

Most counsellors exceed 15 years of clinical experience, with 20 years on average. The strength of our provider network enables us to match an individual to the appropriate expertise and experience of a counsellor once a thorough psychosocial assessment has been completed at intake.

Provider network

We have over 100 clinicians in our provider network, which is located at our Winnipeg-based Employee Assistance Centre and in communities outside of Winnipeg, including:

  • clinical psychologists
  • clinical social workers
  • marriage and family therapists
  • psychotherapists
  • counselling clinicians
  • psychiatric nurses
  • Indigenous Elders
  • career counsellors
  • registered dietitians

Diversity

We vow that employees and their families will always be treated with dignity and respect. Our provider group is diverse, and all EAP intake and counselling staff members complete extensive cultural competency training. Employees and their families have access to:

  • a diverse group of counsellors representing BIPOC, 2SLGBTQI+ and many of Manitoba’s cultural groups.
  • multilingual counselling services with interpretation available in 200+ languages, including Indigenous languages.

Indigenous support and healing methods

Employees and their families can access Indigenous counsellors, including an Indigenous resource consultant and Indigenous Elders. Our culturally reflective counselling services incorporate traditional Indigenous healing approaches and traditions based upon the importance of nature, spirituality, the circle and the Medicine Wheel.

Indigenous resource consultant

Our Indigenous resource consultant enhances the cultural aspect of therapeutic services for Indigenous clients by:

  • incorporating traditional healing methods into treatment.
  • creating a navigation plan that addresses client and family needs.
  • acting as a liaison with Indigenous organizations and services.
  • providing services outside of the traditional counselling setting.

Sharing circles

Available in partnership with Indigenous Elders in our EAP, sharing circles serve as a powerful and effective practice. This tool provides a safe environment for participants to speak about what they are thinking, experiencing and feeling. While the rest of the group listens patiently with compassion, each person is given an opportunity to share. Drawing from an Indigenous perspective, sharing circles serve to counterbalance isolation and promote a sense of inclusion and community.

Sharing circles are available as part of group facilitation hours or on a fee-for-service basis.

Accessible services

Employees and their families can access flexible support 24/7, 365 days a year, including in-person, online video, telephone or email options.

In-person counselling sessions can be arranged seven days a week, day and evening, at our state-of-the-art multidisciplinary centre (the first and only Employee Assistance Centre of its kind in Canada) and in 18 communities outside of Winnipeg.

The Employee Assistance Centre is a dedicated treatment facility located in Winnipeg. Outside Winnipeg, in-person services are delivered using the counselling offices of our network providers. Regardless of location, all counselling offices conform to EAP standards related to the physical facility.

Our provider locations in Manitoba
  • Altona
  • Boissevain
  • Brandon
  • Carman
  • Dauphin
  • Gimli
  • Morden
  • Neepawa
  • Portage la Prairie
  • Russell
  • Scanterbury
  • Selkirk
  • Strathclair
  • Swan River
  • The Pas
  • Thompson
  • Virden
  • Winkler
  • Winnipeg

Programs and resources

In-house program development

Our self-management programs, such as Developing Healthy Couple Relationships, provide employees and their families an alternative to traditional one-to-one support mechanisms like counselling. Self-management program materials are educational and interactive, allowing employees to feel empowered to engage with information specific to their area of concern, with opportunities for learning and self-reflection.

Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy

Through our partnership with MindBeacon, your employees and their families can access internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help with stress, anxiety, relationship troubles, sleep challenges and more. Program benefits include access to:

  • virtual mental health supports in a private, online space.
  • high-quality, evidence-based care.
  • comprehensive library of mental health wellness content.
  • unlimited messaging with a matched therapist.

Health Connected

We provide access to supplementary resources and tools designed to improve both employee and organizational health through our partnership with Health Connected. It includes:

  • a health skills profile.
  • a digital health coach.
  • integration with wearable digital devices (e.g., Fitbit) to track and support health campaigns.
  • a health conditions library with tools, calculators and more.
  • team and company challenges, solo challenges and virtual adventures.
  • reward and incentive programs.
  • robust reporting at a company level providing visibility into cost drivers.

Through a confidential health risk assessment (HRA), employees can receive valuable insights into their current health status. Once empowered with knowledge of their health risks, they can take steps to bridge gaps in their health skills and take advantage of personalized health coaching plans based on their unique health risks, tailored to focus on the health areas that matter most to them.

Aggregated data from your employees who complete the HRA will also allow you to pinpoint key areas of health concerns and implement custom strategies to improve the health and wellness of your employees.

Soul Nourishment

In partnership with Ashley Voth Yoga, the Soul Nourishment program offers an online experiential and restorative mind-body program that affirms resilience and well-being through supportive yoga, meditation, mindfulness and mudras. Created to offer brief calming exercises with a range of video and audio collections, Soul Nourishment is intended to bring employees and their families support whenever or wherever they need it.

Psychiatric consultations

For additional professional oversight to ensure optimal treatment plans for employees and their families, psychiatric consultation is available. This includes a pediatric psychiatrist and psychiatrists specializing in adult and addictions concerns.

Trauma and crisis response

Specialized trauma response services are available 24/7. Services may be provided on an individual or group basis, depending on the need. To the extent that all organizations are unique and no two events are the same, we tailor a response that fits the unique attributes of the organization’s culture, as well as the logistical challenges that can be present in any given crisis.

Organizational assistance services

We offer organizational assistance services with access to some of the highest levels of consultation available for human behaviour in the workplace, including one-to-one support for leaders, constructive intervention, job performance, referrals for clinical services and return-to-work support. Other organizational assistance services we offer include:

  • trauma response services.
  • resiliency group sessions where leaders and frontline workers can debrief in a facilitated, structured setting.
  • critical events consultation, such as pandemic response, disaster planning and work stoppage.
  • conflict resolution (available on a fee-for-service basis).
  • mental health strategic planning (available on a fee-for-service basis).

Addictions Management Program

Our extensive Addictions Management Program provides individual and group treatment for any addiction, with expertise in treating addictions complicated by depression, panic and anxiety, family dynamics, abuse and stress. Our treatment process consists of testing, assessment, group treatment, group follow-up and individual sessions.

Workshops and seminars

Our workshops and seminars are available on a variety of topics, with the goal of supporting health and wellness in the workplace. These in-person or virtual sessions range from one to three hours and can run any time of day. From topics such as mental health in the workplace to caregiver support to financial management, these sessions offer a menu of customized learning experiences.

Please note that this EAP overview applies to our standard package; some organizations may exclude access to certain programs and services. To confirm your group’s EAP package, please refer to your benefits booklet.

Contact us

Employee awareness is an integral component of any successful benefit offering. If you’re interested in booking an orientation to EAP benefits for your team, please call us at 204.786.8880 or toll free at 1.800.590.5553. For the Deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired community, our EA centre can receive VRS calls. You may also click on the button below to contact us.

FAQs
What is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) from Manitoba Blue Cross?

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides confidential counselling and professional wellness programs and services to assist in identifying and resolving concerns affecting the health and well-being of employees and their families. This includes programs and services in areas that address:

  • stress.
  • anxiety.
  • depression.
  • grief.
  • substance use.
  • behavioural health.
  • nutrition.
  • relationships and parenting.
  • career and workplace.
  • financial and legal.
  • and more.
How do employees contact the EA centre?

Employees can contact the EA centre by phone at 204.786.8880 or toll free at 1.800.590.5553. For the Deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired community, our EA centre can receive VRS calls.

Employees who prefer to book a counselling session online may do so through our online booking system.

Can I refer an employee to EAP?

If you know of an employee struggling with concerns affecting their health and well-being, we encourage you to let them know about the programs and services available to them through the EAP and how to contact us.

If you are directly affected by an employee’s personal issues or if an employee makes you aware of their personal issues and would like assistance, we offer leader consultations to ensure you’re equipped with the appropriate resources and support.

What if my concern is about my team’s overall health and wellness and not just one employee?

We offer a variety of programs and services that include group involvement, such as workshops, seminars and debriefs. We recommend requesting an organizational assistance consultation to help determine your organization’s needs. Once a discussion about the challenges you may be facing is completed, we can offer a range of services that can be tailor-made for your organization, including:

  • mental health support.
  • trauma response.
  • crisis event management.
  • conflict resolution.
  • and more.
How can I promote EAP to my work group?

As a leader, it’s essential to promote and highlight mental health supports available to your employees during the onboarding process for new hires and as a refresher for existing employees. This can help reduce the stigma associated with experiencing mental health challenges and seeking support from a professional. We encourage you to request an orientation to your workgroup’s EAP benefits by filling out our organizational assistance request form.

We also offer a variety of downloadable resources that reinforce awareness of workplace wellness, tailored to the needs of leaders, teams and employees.

What is a leader consultation?

Leader consultations allow leaders to reach out at any time to discuss concerns they may have in their workplace and can take place over the phone or through online video. These consultations are unlimited and included at no additional cost for groups with EAP coverage from Manitoba Blue Cross.

Do you offer support if a critical incident or traumatic event occurs at my workplace?

Yes, we offer critical incident and trauma response support, including consultation services, response planning and structured debriefings in a group or one-to-one setting. Since all organizations are unique and no two events are the same, we tailor a response that fits your organization’s culture, as well as addresses the logistical challenges that can be present in any given crisis.

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