Bermuda’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is celebrating 25 years this year helping the Island’s employees deal with a whole host of stresses and issues.The group, led by executive director Doris DeCosta, has 210 member companies that account for approximately 16,000 employees that have access to the EAP’s services through their employers’ benefit offerings.While the EAP keeps their client list confidential, Ms DeCosta said that they have a number of the largest companies in Bermuda on their roster. Many of their clients have been with the EAP since the start.“It’s a great milestone,” said Ms DeCosta, who is a licensed master social worker and a certified trauma services specialist. “It speaks to the trust and confidence our member companies have in us. We still have clients who have been with us since inception.”From family and marital distress to substance and alcohol abuse, the EAP tackles a wide range of problems affecting employees as well as providing management consultations. Unhappy, sick or stressed employees can translate into a number of issues for their employers, including increased health costs, poor morale, absenteeism, reduced productivity, accidents and safety violations, staff turnover and lost clients.“What makes the EAP great is the calibre of staff we have now and have had through the years,” she said. “People like what we do, they feel safe when they come here. It really works.”The Bermuda EAP has lost a number of clients due to the economic climate but has also gained 11 small to mid-size clients this year alone.“We are solely dependent on our member clients and so when the economy affects them and as companies downsize or go out of business, it affects us, too,” explained Ms DeCosta.She added the group, which has three full-time counsellors during the day and two part-time consultants in the evenings, still has a steady group of people who come through their doors and utilise their services.The EAP’s number one staple service is their individual, family and couples’ counselling though they have also seen a number of individuals who have been made redundant.“In the past people were resistant but now they are starting to see the value in coming in to talk to us after they have been made redundant to talk about what they need to do and their next steps,” she said.EAP also offers crisis work should a company face a death of a colleague, relative or friend.“Whatever is happening in the community we see walk through our doors whether it be a shooting or a bike accident, someone has been impacted in one of our member companies,” said Ms DeCosta. “We are seeing a lot of companies finding that our services can be valuable when a crisis happens — coaching about what they should say, or do to help their employees cope.”After the New Year, the EAP is starting a new monthly training programme for their clients, the first one being a coaching course for managers and supervisors.They will also offer courses on workplace boundaries, dealing with mental health issues in the workplace, team-building and handling different learning styles.The group is holding its annual general meeting on October 24 and in celebration of their 25th anniversary, they will be honouring the founding members and clients that have been with them since the start.“Without their vision and insight then we would have never had EAP on the Island,” said Ms DeCosta.The keynote speaker for the event is Dr Dale Masi, a leader and pioneer in the field of EAP work and sets the standards for EAP programmes.Dr Masi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, will discuss how technology is changing the way services are delivered such as through Skype and e-counselling and the emergence of EAPs in the international marketplace.Dr Masi is also a keen promoter of EAP programmes being accredited, which Bermuda will be pursuing in January.“After 25 years, we have a lot of systems in place that I think are great — like how we deal with our clients and how we do business. We should do well with that,” said Ms DeCosta.The group’s vision for the next 25 years?“Moving forward we have a lot of good things coming up,” she said. “It’s been 25 years, we can’t stay still, we have to change with the times. We’re trying to reinvent ourselves through strategic planning to look at how we do business in order to be relevant and marketable so that clients keep us on as a service.“We’re confident we’ll still be here in another 25 years,” she added.Those interested in attending the AGM from 11:30am to 2pm, should call 292-9000 or visit www.eap.bm.