Whether they are struggling with domestic abuse, financial issues or trying to quit smoking, Binghamton University’s faculty and their families can go to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for help.

The EAP is an on-campus counseling center designed to help faculty with any problem they may be facing. Whether the problem is personal or professional, the EAP’s mission is to ensure that BU’s staff has the support it needs.

Located in Library South, the EAP is a program that faculty can use and volunteer for at any time. It is there for faculty, staff, graduate student employees, retirees and their families. According to its website the office provides access to professional and community resources and offers support to returning employees after extended periods of absences. Members of the office also consult with the University about employee and team issues.

Diane Campbell, an EAP coordinator, said that issues covered by the program include family and relationship issues, domestic violence, grief, stress, mental health issues, legal and financial problems and drug and alcohol issues.

“We offer guidance and referral on issues that can affect employee well-being,” Campbell said. “We will help identify what is needed and then assist in linking the EAP client to appropriate resources in the community.”

According to Campbell, BU’s EAP is under the umbrella of a wider joint labor management program in New York state, part of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. During the late 1980s, the human resources department at BU decided that an EAP should be created at the school with representation from both management and labor union leadership.

“It was a very successful joint effort with the goal to help faculty and staff solve personal and/or family related issues in a confidential manner,” Campbell said. “In the past decades the program has evolved in scope and purpose.”

According to the BU EAP website, the services are free, but if a referral is made to an outside provider the cost of the service is on the client. Because the services are completely voluntary, employees and their families must initiate contact and seek out the services.

Information revealed to an EAP coordinator is kept completely confidential unless otherwise directed by a court order, the client appears to be in danger of harming themselves or another person or the information reveals possible child abuse or neglect.

“The cornerstone of the Binghamton University EAP, and all EAPs for that matter, is neutrality and the highest of ethical standards in protecting client confidentiality,” Campbell said.

Other programs available through the office include a service helping clients quit smoking and the Lending Library, which has books and CDs covering a wide range of health and wellness issues available free of charge.

According to Campbell, the EAP program has expanded over the years and currently has two part-time coordinators and a plan to hire an additional full-time staff member.