Building partnerships through collaboration.
The University at Buffalo recognizes that personal problems at home or interpersonal issues at work can negatively affect one’s job performance, mental health, and/or physical health. Employee Assistance aims to help staff and faculty deal with these problems and issues in the most positive way possible. The entire university, including YOU, benefits from employees who feel good and work productively.
Everyone experiences periods of stress. That is normal. Feeling constantly stressed and being consumed by it though can have negative consequences for your health, your life, your happiness. EAP can work with you to manage your stress and function better at work and at home
Whether experiencing something desirable (e.g., birth of a child) or undesirable (e.g. relationship ends), we can be stressed, and benefit from talking to someone who can help us confront the stressor, and to cope effectively with it. Contact EAP
Personal relationships are important to our lives. Sometimes, our closest relationships go through periods of turbulence and unhappiness. This may affect our mood, and our work. Contact EAP for ideas on how to improve your relationship(s).
If you or a loved one are having bad things happen because of alcohol or drug use, it’s time to contact EAP. We can offer ideas on how to deal with these concerns, and provide referrals to a program right for you.
Sometimes, you and another university employee will disagree about personal or work-related issues. Disagreements are normal, but if your disagreement intensifies and makes work difficult, contact EAP for ideas to improve your working relationship.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE offers a free and confidential mediation service to university personnel dealing with interpersonal problems or workplace disputes in an informal, neutral setting. For more information, contact Neil McGillicuddy (nm23@buffalo.edu), or click the “Resolve Conflict” link.
Providing care to an older family member can be both rewarding and stressful. If you find that caregiving is consuming increasing amounts of your time and energy, you may be heading toward caregiver burnout. Consult with EAP for ideas on how to avoid burnout and resultant consequences.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE runs a monthly self-help group for caregivers; for more information, contact Sue Bagdasarian (sb14@buffalo.edu)
Whether you are parenting a 10 week old, a 10 month old, a 10 year old, or 10 children, you may find your child, your child’s environment, or your role as a parent to be challenging. Contact EAP for ideas on how to overcome these challenges
Bothered by feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, irritability, or helplessness? Overwhelmed, preoccupied, having difficulty focusing? Isolating yourself, withdrawing from activities, crying often? Talking to EAP can help.
Whether your health difficulty is acute or chronic, it may be having an immense impact on your overall functioning. Contacting EAP for ideas on how to overcome this stressor can be an important step in reclaiming your life.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE runs a monthly self-help group for those with chronic illness; for more information, contact Sue Bagdasarian (sb14@buffalo.edu)
Work should not always be fun, but if there are factors that seem out of your control leading to unhappiness, schedule a meeting with your workplace behavioral specialist at EAP to discuss the concern, and perhaps problem solve ideas to remedy the situation.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE runs a monthly self-help group for those encountering workplace stress. For more information, contact Neil McGillicuddy (nm23@buffalo.edu)
You may be grieving after the loss of a loved one. Most people go through a series of stages while grieving, and the process will take a while. If, however, it seems that the grief is intense, not getting better, and not allowing for attention to other parts of life, contacting EAP may help you get back on track.
Moving into a new phase of life can be exciting! However, we also know that it can be stressful, and that it may even feel overwhelming. Whether adjusting to a new town, new job, new supervisor, and/or new duties, stress is natural. Contact EAP to learn effective coping strategies when the stress gets to be too much, or maybe even proactively, before it becomes a problem
If you or someone you know has been affected by the stress of a traumatic workplace event, you may request Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), a comprehensive multi-component approach to crisis intervention.
CISM helps:
Get help managing interpersonal problems or workplace disputes involving one or more people in a neutral, professional setting. Get a peaceful and satisfactory resolution to your problem.
Using mediation services may be able to help you if you are experiencing:
When you need to be out of the workplace for a significant amount of time due to medical, substance abuse, mental health or other personal issues, get confidential assistance from your Employee Assistance (EA) consultant.
Your EA consultant can help you navigate the various areas on campus that will help facilitate your leave, such as: Health Benefits, Employee Relations and/or Accessibility Resources.
Your EA consultant can help with your transition back into the workplace by coordinating a “Return to Work” meeting on your behalf. “Return to Work” meetings provide a safe, confidential and comfortable environment for you and others to talk about your return to the workplace.
Participants in the “Return to Work” meeting are chosen by you and may include your supervisor, Benefits, Employee Relations, Accessibility Resources, your treatment provider (if applicable) and the EA consultant. This meeting gives everyone the opportunity to discuss any circumstances that need to be addressed to ensure a smooth transition back into the workplace, such as job expectations, agreements about any necessary accommodations and ways to continue positive communication among all involved.
Get support from your peers to improve your well-being. Designed to provide emotional, educational and social support through regularly scheduled meetings, support groups help participants develop methods and skills to solve problems. Building social support will help your ability to maintain or improve your overall personal, physical and emotional health while dealing with real life issues.
EA professionals help UB supervisors manage tough employee issues that impact work & family life. EAP consultations are free, voluntary and confidential. EA professionals encourages early and proactive contact with the employee before the issue gets out of hand.