What happens when staff face personal problems so great that the problems begin to adversely affect how they do their jobs? Many Head Start programs turn to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for help. EAPs provide confidential assessment and short-term counseling to employees and their families to help them cope with issues, such as marriage and family problems, stress-related problems, financial and legal difficulties, and psychological and workplace conflict.
At one urban Head Start program, teachers became concerned, and even alarmed, when a beloved teacher who had been with the program for more than 10 years began to lose her temper with children, families, and staff. The teacher was known for her sweet, easy-going demeanor and near-perfect attendance, and it was a surprise to everyone when she began to miss many days of work.
Her fellow teachers were so concerned for her well-being that they brought the situation to the attention of a Head Start manager. The manager sat down with the teacher and listened as the teacher talked about the problems that had been plaguing her. Her adult son was struggling with mental illness and was displaying inappropriate behavior. Under the weight of this stress, the teacher had recently suffered a mild heart attack. And it was this stress that was causing her to miss work and to lose her temper so easily.
When the manager learned that the teacher was trying to cope with these problems on her own, the manager suggested that she turn to the program’s EAP for counseling. The teacher was initially reluctant to go to counseling, fearing that she might be labeled “crazy.” But after being assured that it was common for people to seek confidential counseling during difficult times, the teacher agreed to talk to an EAP counselor on a regular basis. Over time, she learned to manage her stress and to perform effectively on the job. The EAP program served her well and helped the Head Start program retain a valuable employee.
For more information on how a Head Start program can benefit from an EAP, please see the article “The Best for Your Employees: What an EAP Can Do” in the Head Start Bulletin on Adult Health, Issue 75 [PDF, 6.48 MB], published in 2003.
