"There is not other service like EAP."

George Martin is the president of Corpcare Associates.
 

1) What led you to form an EAP? I liked the ‘marriage’ between clinical mental health with corporate concepts. Plus a personal sense of mission that has remained through the years attempting to assist person’s having problems. 2) How has EAP changed over the past twelve years? Competition has lead to a diminishing financial return which increasingly creates problems affording expanding into new services. Plus EAP ‘hybrids’ have created confusion in the marketplace. The ancient TV show, What’s My Line?, used to ask: “Will the real (whomever) please stand up” after the contestants finished questioning panel members. This is EAP’s question today and the way it is answered creates misconceptions. Further, EAP in some cases has been reduced to that of a ‘gatekeeper’ status as opposed to original intended designs as a business oriented tool. 3) In your experience, how do HR managers feel about employee assistance programs? What are some of their common complaints and compliments? In our experience they see them as a tool to accomplish multiple tasks, i.e., helping employees, reducing the time HR managers provide difficult employees; and returning ineffective employees to prior productivity levels. HR managers use EAP as an intervention tool. There is no other service like EAP offered to businesses today. 4) Do you think it is important to be a member in organizations like EAPA and EASNA, why or why not? I believe supporting our two associations in turn supports EAP in general. The two are very different. They have their unique strengths which in my opinion, supports the idea of joining both. 5a) What is the greatest threat facing the EAP industry? The continued pricing war that redefines EAP as a commodity. This happens and our professional service has become like that of purchasing pencils. Yet, the purchasers are recognizing that not all EAP’s are created equal. 5b) If you could change one thing about EAP, what would it be? An increased association voice that better defines EAP.