Employer Frequently Asked Questions

EAP, stands for Employee Assistance Program. Northstar offers EAP among additional complimentary services. EAPs provide needs assessment, counseling and referrals for employees and their family members who find themselves facing mental health or emotional challenges. EAPs help employees and their families deal with life events, workplace issues, and a wide variety of other personal challenges. An EAP is often a benefit provider by an employer that, as an employer, can set you apart in hiring, along with increased employee retention and increased workforce outcomes.

EAP is short-term, solution based counseling and coaching that allows employees and their families to find tools and tactics to use or learn if they need a higher level of care or specialized assistance. 

EAP is not mental health long-term counseling, EAP is not crisis care.  EAP is one part of an 'Everything Assistance' for employees and their families to engage and gain personal wellness.

One of our primary objectives at Northstar is to educate our company clients and their employees on EAP. Northstar's goal is to drive productivity, strengthen teamwork, provide work/life support and counsel individual and organizational mental and behavioral health-all while exceeding expectations in service delivery.

Northstar's custom-built employee assistance solutions provide a wide range of services that boost the health and productivity not only of the employees but of the entire organization. As a boutique firm, we're able to provide a high level of care through both in-person and online resources that encourage your team to maintain healthy and positive lifestyles—while supporting them with proven, effective strategies when they run into trouble. Our total wellbeing model actively engages our client organizations and their employees in order to create meaningful connections with their EAP. Our goal is to drive productivity, strengthen teamwork, provide work/life support and counsel individual and organizational mental and behavioral health—all while exceeding expectations in service delivery.

Additionally, Northstar can:

• • Partner to help your managers and employees

• • Help your employee deal with life issues and enhance their well-being

• • Created client personalization embedded into the care for the company culture, etc. 

• • Be your additional problem solvers, become the 1st place to go for help

• • Proactively look to add value and want our services to use Northstar

• • Integrate a relationship based approached, styled on the preferences of the organization and business. 

• • Real people, delivering real results. 

• • Technology, tools, and resources to engage with all clients, not simply those who access EAP. 

• • Understanding of your company culture and best way to get results and outcomes you team is seeking. (Years of industry, operational, and HR experience back this up.)

Every interaction your employees have with us will be recorded. What topics they search in the portal, what webinars they listen too, how many sessions they use for EAP, what presenting issues are the reason they contacted EAP. Below the data lies a story and we don't stop with the Utilization report (provided twice a year). We will work with you to address the issues, from there we can also deliver and develop trainings to improve areas of weakness or topics that need addressing with continuous improvement.

Yes, they can. However, as we know especially in rural areas, access is an issue. Getting into a counselor or therapist with or without referrals can take weeks to months, depending on the location and issues. At Northstar our growing network gives you access and prioritization with our trained and professional counseling staff, to be a shorter term option or a stop-gap while waiting for longer term mental wellness services. 

It is important to remember that EAP is considered a dual contract model.  This means employee…. Your EAP partner plays a consultative role with the employer and employee.  In addition, the EAP will provide high level utilization data for the employer to review.

TESS is a FREE virtual chat service providing encouragement and strategies on how to manage everyday stress and anxiety available to Northstar EAP company partners and clients. Tess bridges the gaps by using an person-centric approach: by simply texting the phone number, you're signed up right away. Instantly available on a 24/7 basis, Tess monitors the employee/dependent and learns their emotional patterns during conversations. It's CONFIDENTIAL, FREE, and can help schedule EAP sessions on demand. 

Employers often try to leverage "add-on" EAP services or subscribe to a technology-based direct-to-consumer service; however, these approaches are rarely able to deliver proper evaluations or a high standard of care to employees. Choosing a "free" or "embedded" EAP can burden your employees with a strict approval process which delays care by as many as 5- 21 business days. This can feel like a lifetime to an employee with a time-sensitive need.

Choose 'local' over 'add-on'.

Northstar EAP processes initial requests within 24 hours and works to pair each client with a counselor trained for their specific need. Northstar offers both real-time options with local providers and a robust online portal with virtual therapy options so your employees can see us when they need us most.

Additionally, we have an engaged and curated counselor network that increases access for our direct partners. What good is a free EAP, if it doesn't work… ?

There has never been a more compelling time to offer EAP for your team.  Organizations with engaged employees thrive.  Northstar helps your employees be at their best.  When employees are challenged with issues it can impact their engagement and decision making.  Northstar is your partner to resolve these issues but also understand the root cause.  We give you data to understand challenges.  Our support doesn't stop there; we give you solutions to achieve long-term success in the areas identified.