May 2009 Edition

In this issue:

Welcome New NC EAPA Members

A warm welcome goes out to our newest NC EAPA members. They are: Suzanne Ballantyne (Simple Practice), Christina Rosen-Galvin (ASU), Laurie Sowers (Transitions Behavioral Healthcare), Gabriel Rogers (CHS EAP), and Dave Worster (IEAPA President).

Congrats to the New CEAP's and LEAP's!!

Gina Penland and Peter Nagel of First Health and Nancye Harrell of REACH EAP are new CEAP's. Adrienne Reich of CHS EAP is a new LEAP. Congratulations!! If you are a new CEAP or LEAP please let me know so I can recognize you in the next On-Liner!

And the winner is...

Congrats to the following NC EAPA members who were presented with awards at the 2009 NC EAPA March Conference:
John Waller - Outstanding Member of the Year
Andy Silberman - President's Achievement Award
Lucy Henry - President's Achievement Award

2009 March Conference Review

The 2009 NC EAPA March Conference "EAP: Championing Excellence in the Workplace" was, by all accounts, a rousing success. Thanks to everyone who made it so: the conference committee, the presenters, the sponsors, the exhibitors, and the attendees. There is not enough space to convey my appreciation for everything the conference committee (aka The Dream Team) did. Suffice to say that The Dream Team earned their nickname by developing an enviable conference program which featured a range of topics by excellent presenters, hosting 15 exhibitors, and attending to all the meeting details including a delicious luncheon banquet ...that did not include chicken!

A special thanks and recognition goes to our three Diamond level sponsors this year: Old Vineyard Behavioral Health, Pavillion Treatment Center, and Senior Helpers. I also extend our appreciation to the 12 other exhibitors who continued their unwavering support of this conference.

More than 100 people attended and experienced firsthand the quality and value of the presentations- 15 in all to choose from offering more than 13 PDHs. This year the conference tipped off with a Welcome and lunch banquet, and the presentations of the Member of the Year and the President's Achievement awards. John Waller received the NC EAPA Member of the Year Award, and the President's Achievement Award was presented to two individuals - Lucy Henry and yours truly. All the award winners were surprised, honored, and beaming at the podium. We started with a bang with IEAPA President Dave Worster as our keynote speaker. The presentations that followed over the next two days were outstanding, and evaluations supported that fact. The final morning ended with a presentation and experiential practice for self care utilizing Mindfulness Meditation with Jeff Brantley, M.D.

To keep all good things going, know that the 2010 conference committee is already beginning to prepare for next year's conference! That committee will be chaired by MOY John Waller and Co-Chaired by Renee' Evans. I was honored to be Coach A of the Dream Team (eat your heart out Coach K) and to be a part of the energy, creativity, and dedication in making this year's conference a success.

Andy Silberman

2009 March Conference Chair

May NC EAPA 2009 Chapter Training

NC EAPA is proud to announce the next chapter training that will take place on May 14th, 2009 at Forsyth Medical Center-Conference Center (3333 Silas Creek Parkway-Winston-Salem, NC). There will be two topics covered. The first is The "5 P's" of Conflict Resolution: Designing Systems to Manage Workplace Disputes presented by Sherrill Hayes, Ph.D. The second is Integrated Writing System for Human Development: Intensive Journal® Method presented by Betsy Dawson, M.A. Here is some information about our presenters:

Sherrill Hayes, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Conflict Resolution Program of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) where he teaches a range of graduate courses including Dispute System Design. He recently had an article published in the Journal of Employee Assistance 38(4) entitled "Integrating Conflict Resolution into Employee Assistance Programs". Dr. Hayes has worked extensively in the Guilford County Court System providing mediation services with families involved with family law proceedings. In 2007, Dr. Hayes was awarded the Young Alumnus Award from the School of Human Environmental Sciences at UNCG.

Betsy Dawson, M.A. is a Certified Instructor of Dialogue House Associates for conducting the Intensive Journal® Program, developed by Dr. Ira Progoff. She received her Masters of Arts from Harvard University in Classical Philology and teaches Latin at East Chapel Hill High School. Ms. Dawson received a distinguished Teacher Award from the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 1997 and has received numerous other awards for teaching.

Please look for Registration information under Conferences and Events.

**Parking for the Conference Center will be in the North Tower parking deck near Hawthorne Road at the north end of the Forsyth Medical Center campus.

Homer M., AA Coordinator, NC-Cooperation with the Professional Community, wrote this wonderful article for us highlighting the resources available through AA

Alcoholics Anonymous, Cooperating with EAP Professionals
Alcoholics Anonymous is a voluntary, worldwide fellowship of men and women from all walks of life who meet together to attain and maintain sobriety. The only requirement for memberships is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees. Alcoholics Anonymous is a program of recovery based on spiritual principles, with each member encouraged to have their own conception of God, as they understand Him.

A.A. Wants to Work With You
Cooperation with the professional community is an objective of A.A., and it has been since our beginnings. We are always seeking to strengthen and expand our communication with you, and we welcome your comments and suggestions for working together. They help our common purpose: to help the alcoholic who still suffers.

How the Program Works
A.A.'s primary purpose, as stated in our Preamble, is: "...to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety." The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. Members share their experiences in recovery from alcoholism on a one-to-one basis, and introduce the newcomer to A.A.'s Twelve Steps of personal recovery and its Twelve Traditions that guide our actions and relationships in the AA groups.

Meetings: At the heart of the program are its meetings, which are conducted autonomously by local AA members. Anyone may attend OPEN A.A. meetings. Family members, professionals and anyone wanting to learn about how A.A. works can attend. Only alcoholics or persons who have a problem with alcohol may attend CLOSED meetings. Alcoholics recovering in A.A. often attend several meetings each week.

Anonymity: From its earliest days, a fundamental tenet of A.A. has been to provide personal anonymity to all who attend its meetings. Because its founders and first members were recovering alcoholics themselves (and many were professionals), they knew from their own experience how ashamed most alcoholics are about their drinking, how fearful they are of public and professional exposure and that anonymity was essential if they were to succeed in attracting and helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Over the years, anonymity has proved one of the greatest gifts that AA offers the suffering alcoholic. Without it, many would never attend their first meeting. Although the stigma has lessened to some degree, most newcomers still find the admission of their alcoholism so painful that it is possible only in a protected environment. Anonymity is essential for this atmosphere of trust and openness. Personal anonymity also helps A.A. to govern itself by principles rather than personalities; by attraction rather than promotion.

Information for the EAP Professional and Client
The Alcoholics Anonymous website...aa.org...is a valuable resource for the EAP professional. Simply go to aa.org, click on the tab, "Information on A.A", then choose "More information for Professional" The two most important printable pamphlets are: If You Are a Professional, A.A. Wants to Work With You and Is There an Alcoholic in the Workplace?. Also, two pamphlets will help prepare your client for their first meeting: Is A.A. For You? and A.A. At A Glance. Links for these pamphlets are at the bottom of this article. This link (HOW TO FIND AA MEETINGS) will provide information for local meetings, phone numbers and websites: http://www.aa.org/lang/en/meeting_finder.cfm?origpage=29.

How to make an effective referral to Alcoholics Anonymous
It is suggested that as a professional, you attend an OPEN AA meeting, so that you are prepared, from your own experience, to describe for the client what they will encounter at their first meeting. If you contact me (cpcpi@aanorthcarolina.org), I will connect you with a local AA member who will either take you to your first AA meeting or meet you there.

Have a supply of meeting schedules to give to your client, along with the two above mentioned pamphlets (the pamphlets are available online in printable format). Giving the client a contact helps facilitate getting to that first AA meeting. Contact information is available from the local AA answering service or through the website...aa.org. Also my contact information is 336-671-9435 and my email address is cpcpi@aanorthcarolina.org. and I have a network of local contacts in AA communities across the state. The client will then have a personal contact who is willing to take them to a meeting or meet them at their first meeting. We have found that the client is more likely to go to the first meeting if they have a personal contact versus just suggesting or instructing them to go to a meeting.

An employer has powerful influence that will be helpful to the individual with a drinking problem, if there are consequences for lack of getting help. Also, direct follow-up with the client will insure they understand that you are interested in their recovery.

We in A.A. are willing to conduct a short workshop or informational with EAP organizations, Human Resources professionals, executives, managers, supervisors or employees. A typical format includes:

• Information on Alcoholics Anonymous: what is AA, what AA does and does not do, types of meetings;
• An A.A member tells a brief story of recovery (experiences shared will match audience);
• Getting to that first AA meeting or How to make an effective referral.

My name is Homer M., I am an alcoholic and have been sober for over 13 years. I came to AA after drinking for many years, having lost my professional job directly as a result of my alcoholism. I serve as coordinator of AA's Cooperation with the Professional Community in North Carolina. I do not speak for AA; rather share my experience of how AA works in my own recovery and in working with professionals.

A.A. Links for the EAP Professional:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• If you are a Professional, AA wants to work with you
• Is There an Alcoholic in the Workplace?
• Understanding Anonymity
• Is A.A. for You? (Twelve questions Only You can Answer)
• A.A. at a Glance
• AA's basic text, Alcoholics Anonymous, has a chapter titled TO EMPLOYERS

Material in this article is sourced from AA pamphlets found at aa.org

Ray Robbins forwarded this article

Subject: General Mental Health Practitioners as EAP Network Affiliates: Does EAP Short-Term Counseling Overlap with General Practice Psychotherapy?

Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention Volume 8, Number 4 Pp. 358-369 originally published online on January 18, 2009

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Abstract

General Mental Health Practitioners as EAP Network Affiliates: Does EAP Short-Term Counseling Overlap with General Practice Psychotherapy?

David A. Sharar, PhD
From Chestnut Health Systems, Bloomington Contact author: Research Scientist, Chestnut Health Systems, 1003 Martin Luther King Drive, Bloomington, IL 61701. E-mail: dsharar@chestnut.org

The employee assistance program (EAP) field has identified the skills and knowledge needed to provide EAP as unique from other helping professions. The most prevalent model in the delivery of EAPs is the affiliate network, where EAP vendors contract with a network of independent behavioral health clinicians, or "affiliates," to provide EAP services in a private office to employees and family members. What has not been systematically examined until this study is how affiliates enrolled in EAP networks deliver short-term counseling in the context of EAP. This study examines how affiliates utilize short-term counseling with EAP-specific cases referred to affiliates, as well as how short-term counseling in EAP duplicates or overlaps with "general practice" counseling. A "one-time" survey was created using subject matter experts and deployed over the Internet as a Web-based survey. A "working population" of 3,000 EAP affiliates was used as the sampling frame and a random sample of 400 was drawn, with 222 surveys completed (55% response rate). Findings indicate that there has been significant "leakage" from general practice counseling into EAP, or the degree to which EAP clients receive general practice counseling, in the form of short-term intervention as opposed to traditional EAP-specific services. There is currently not much contrast between EAP work and general practice counseling, and the marginal differences reflect the nuances of benefit design (e.g., number of allowed sessions) and a shift among a segment of respondents toward using solution-focused counseling with EAP clients. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Member Spotlight!

Welcome to the 3rd edition of this new On-Liner feature. It is a chance for everyone to get to know another NC EAPA member a little better. Every edition will spotlight a different NC EAPA member who will answer various questions. I have chosen Andy Silberman (or Coach A) for this edition, the wonderful chair of the 2009 NC EAPA March Conference and a co-winner for the President's Achievement Award!!

1. How long have you been involved with NC EAPA?
I became a member in the mid 80's (no cracks about my age or I will pull out old pictures of EAPA members doing disco dances and though they are in black and white, your faces are clear), and became more actively involved over time by joining committees, and then about 10 years ago began serving on the Board as Technology Chair, and this past year by chairing the March Conference Committee. Time flies when...

2. What is your current position?
I am Director of Personal Assistance Service at Duke University and Health System, and an assistant professor in Duke's Community and Family Medicine department. Personal Assistance Service is Duke's internal EAP, and we are celebrating our 25th year of operation this summer.

3. Who is in your immediate family?
My wife Midge- we've been married almost 28 years- and a wonderful daughter Rachael who is just finishing her freshman year at Savannah College of Art and Design. Also, a perpetual puppy named Cinder, and a cat named Charlie.

4. What are your hobbies/interests?
Playing and watching basketball, rooting for Duke and hating the Tar Heels, kayaking, being in or around water, hiking, photography, movies, darts, frisbee golf. I also enjoy meditation, and hope to take flying lessons one day.

5. What is your favorite spectator sport?
College basketball

6. What team(s) do you like in that sport?
Guess.

7. What is your favorite movie(s)?
Too hard to choose just one, but gotta go with the Dryden File. Think I have watched that one the most- at least back in the 80's and early 90's. If I was on a deserted island, I'd choose to take Castaway so I wouldn't feel like no one understood what I was going through. If it was a choice out of movies I've seen this year, I'd say Slumdog Millionaire.

8. Who is your favorite actor(s)?
Diane Lane is one of my favorites. Woody Allen was another back in the day.

9. What is your favorite place to vacation?
Anyplace warm with an ocean to swim in.

RAPID FIRE

1. LOST or CSI? Lost.
2. Duke or North Carolina (I wonder...)? Oh, pleassseeee!
3. Clean house or yardwork? No thanks
4. Take lunch (work) or go out? Depends on who's paying. Actually, 50-50
5. NBA or NHL? I love this game.

Listserve Reminder

If you are a member of NC EAPA and are not yet on the listserve, or you have changed your e-mail address recently, send your e-mail address to Andy Silberman at: .

If you are a chapter member and wish to send a message to the listserve, just address the message to: (that's a small "L" after the hyphen).

You can be a part of the On-Liner!!

Just a friendly reminder that anyone can submit updates, articles, book reviews, pictures, etc. for the On-Liner. You can send information anytime and I'll make sure that it gets in the next edition!!

Photos

Andy (Coach A) opened the 2009 Conference	Here is the Dream Team, blurry but effective!
John was thrilled to receive the Outstanding Member of the Year Award	Lucy got a well-deserved President's Achievement Award
Andy's hard work earned him a President's Achievement Award as well	Dave Worster did a great job as our Keynote Speaker
Dr. Terry Nicotra presented on ADHD in the Workplace	Dr. Susan Holman did a Plenary and Break-Out on the Neurobiology of Addiction
Al Greene, Renee Evans and Christina Rosen Galvin presented EAP: The Basics	Dr. Harold Kudler presented on Helping Veterans in the Workplace
Dr. Jonathan Feather provided Ethics Training	Lucy Henry presented on Bullying in the Workplace
Breaks are a great chance to catch up!	Midgie has attended ALL 30 March Conferences! We grabbed all of the current/past Presidents we could find!
Jessica and Julie seem to be enjoying the Conference!	Lib, Karen and Elaine having a good time.
Coach A with Martha, Hotel Liaison Extraordinaire!!	Eileen once again had the Merchandise Table looking great!
Nancye Harrell and Gina Penland are new CEAPs!	Christina Rosen Galvin attended her first March Conference.
Dr. Jeff Brantley closed the Conference with Mindfulness at Work
Now that's a good looking Chapter!!

Please see our Businesses & Services page for Supporting Companies found in the OnLiner!

For information about our CONFERENCES available, visit the Conferences & Events page.

WANT TO JOIN EAPA?