Same header

 

 

Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 1998

 

 

A Word from the Director

 

The EAP UpDate  is back in print!  It will be published four times a year: spring, summer, fall and winter and is written with the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh employee in mind.   Future “Updates” will include a feature topic relevant to you and/or your work as well as announcements of upcoming events.  

 

By way of introduction:  My name is Susan Barbour.  I direct the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Employee Assistance Program on a half-time basis.  I also work in the Counseling Center as a staff psychologist.   I came to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in August, 1997 and assumed the Directorship of the Employee Assistance Program from Acting Director, Don Merz, on January 1, 1998.  I completed a doctorate in Counseling Psychology at Rutgers University and I am licensed in the states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. I have worked in a variety of educational and health care settings as a psychotherapist and administrator.

 

Since this is the first newsletter in a while, let me in inform you about our Employee Assistance Program.

 

What is the Employee Assistance Program?

 

            The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free and confidential service designed to assist employees in the prevention, early identification and resolution of workplace concerns.  The EAP Program has two central objectives:

 

1)     To promote wellness by disseminating information and advocating prevention.

2)     To provide intervention when personal or work-related problems affect work performance or well-being.  

 

 Let me be a bit more specific about the services we offer and the kinds of situations for which employees seek help.

 

What does the EAP Program offer?

 

            Education and Prevention

 

·        A library of self-help materials and recommended sources for tapes and books.

·        Informal lunchtime talks, scheduled at noon, on topics of general interest related to wellness, growth, and self-improvement. 

·        Programs and workshops related to wellness; for instance, the upcoming Health Fair, and Depression or Anxiety Disorder Screening Days.

·        Information, consultation, and referral to on and off-campus resources.

           

            Intervention

 

·        Consultation with employees, union stewards, supervisors and department chairs.

·        Problem solving intervention when conflicts arise between co-workers.

·        Up to three sessions for personal/family problem solving and support.

·        Referral to community services or information on resources where you can acquire continuing assistance.

 

 

           

Common Situations that effect People on the Job

 

·        dealing with stress

·        getting along with people

·        feeling unmotivated, bored

·        sexual harassment

·        discrimination

·        uncertainty about career path or opportunities

·        difficulty communicating with supervisors or co-workers

·        inability to meet demands and expectations of job role

 

 

 

 


Examples of Personal Problems that can affect your Functioning on the Job

 

·        rushes of panic, specific fears, agitation

·        sleeplessness, feeling down

·        lack of motivation

·        confusion or loss of concentration

·        too much stress

·        heightened uncontrollable anger

·        marital/family problems

·        substance (alcohol/drug) use by you or a family member

·        marital conflict

·        family decision and stresses

·        death or illness/grief

·        catastrophic injury

·        financial problems

·        parenting problems

 

 

** Services are Confidential within State and Federal Guidelines **

 

 

Who Staffs EAP?

 

The Staff of the EAP Program includes the EAP Director, University Counseling Center staff members and a group of volunteer resource persons.  A working advisory board of faculty, academic and classified staff members meet regularly and discuss the development of the EAP Program in conjunction with changing needs of employees.  Public Relations and Quality Assurance Sub-Committee members work “behind the scenes” to support EAP since its inception in 1979 and provide invaluable continuity and focus for its mission.  

 

Counseling Center/ EAP Staff Members available to meet with you are Ken Hocking, Don Merz, Mike Mussen, Jayne Lokken, and Joan Killinger.  Barbara Kargus and Joan Conners are the Program Assistants and generally the first voice you will hear when you call EAP.

 

Volunteer Resource Persons (VRPs) are a diversified group of employees who volunteer their time to the program because they are familiar with the kinds of problems people face on the job, and want to be available to assist you.  Volunteer Resource Persons are knowledgeable about the services provided by EAP and assist in making contact with an EAP staff member. They work with the EAP director to provide the best referral possible for the circumstance.  The telephone numbers for the Volunteer Resource Persons are listed in the telephone directory under the Employee Assistance Program.

 

Note:  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer resource person, call or e-mail the Director for more information (Barbour@uwosh.edu or 424-1078).

 

How to Contact EAP:

 

Call 424-1078 for a phone consultation or to make an appointment with a staff member. Appointments can be made so as not to conflict with your work schedule.  We are located in Dempsey 201.  Our office hours at 8:00AM-4:30 PM and evening appointment hours are available.

 

Note-Worthy - UpComing Events

 

Credit Union Brown Bag Lunch

           

Tuesday, March 17                  Saving the Green

Noon                                       Reeve Union 220

Coffee and dessert served

Contact: Beth at 424-0154

 

EAP Brown Bag Lunches

 

Make arrangements now for the following upcoming events:

 

Managing Managed Care

Sharon Poff, Benefits Coordinator

March 11th at Noon in Reeve 201. 

Suggestions, precautions and common problems employees encounter with HMO providers. 

 

Strategies for Tactful Assertiveness

Jayne Lokken, Ph.D., Staff Psychologist

April 8, 1998 at Noon in Reeve 220

Maintaining connection with others while speaking up for yourself and expressing your point of view.  

 

Financial Planning from a Women’s Point of View 

Mary Wiedenmeier, CFP

May 6th at Noon in Reeve 220

Defining and tackling the particular needs and obstacles that women encounter as they plan their financial future.  How to obtain and maintain financial independence and become a well-prepared, secure woman whether you are single, married, divorced or widowed.

 

 

Other Upcoming Events

 

(Supervisors are encouraged to assist employee’s arrangements to attend.)

 

 

INSERT - Spring in to Healh Logo

 

Tuesday, March 10th                Spring In To Health       

11:00-3:00PM                                    Reeve Memorial Union

Wisconsin Room

 

Booths and demonstrations on health and healthy living, for example, massage, body fat analysis, tetanus boosters, blood pressure screening, herbal products, and healthy food samples.  Door prizes too!

 

Wednesday, April 22nd,            Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

3:00-4:30PM                                       NE 152

As part of  Research Week activities, the University Counseling Center and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team will present a demonstration that illustrates the debriefing process.  Debriefing is a structured psychological intervention used to help a group of individuals who have been involved in a traumatic situation to integrate the upsetting experience in to their lives. 

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This is YOUR Newsletter and I would like the “EAP Update” to include  YOUR INPUT.  Therefore, I welcome your contributions and invite you to write the feature article or suggest topics that you would like to see addressed. Topics may vary widely based on either an area of your academic specialty, an area of expertise that you have that is not common knowledge or is unique, or an article that reports an experience from which we can benefit.  For instance,  you may write about your research on the extent of children’s TV viewing and its effect on reading ability, managing income tax anxiety, how to unclog a snow blower safely, or tips on cultivating Norfolk pines without the loss of their lower branches (an area that has always been a challenge to me).  If you have a short story or poem you’d like to share, you are welcome to submit it for consideration.  Send your submissions to the EAP Office:  c/o 201 Dempsey Hall.  When you do so, complete this form and enclose it.  Submissions should be typed, double spaced, and limited to one page. If it is possible for you to include a disk copy on Microsoft Word, please do so.  I may meet with some space limitations if I have a large number of submissions, so I cannot guarantee that each and every submission will be published.

           

(detach and submit with article)

EAP UpDate - Feature Article Submission

 

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