Employee and Family Assistance Program

Supporting employees’ mental health & well-being for a thriving organization

Our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) can help connect employees and their families to the care when they need it through integrated and engaging digital experiences. This voluntary program offers 24/7/365 access to immediate support and confidential* short-term counselling to help members manage life’s complexities – be it issues with work, health, or life.

The program offers:

  • Short-term counselling for members and their eligible family members
    • in person, by phone, video, or online
    • to help them with issues such as stress, depression, trauma, divorce, family, mental health, weight, smoking, general health challenges, and more
  • Support for health, life, and work
    • like nutritional coaching, career coaching, financial and legal assistance, etc.
  • Easy, convenient access to online tools, resources, and support, including:
    • informative articles on a wide range of topics, including mental health, stress, addiction, relationships, lifestyle, and more
    • self-guided care plans to support learning and growth and to help implement behaviour change
    • on-demand webinars** on a variety of topics
  • Personalized live care support to help members find the appropriate counsellor, book, or reschedule an appointment and guide them to available resources

*There are certain exceptions to confidentiality. There are certain obligations to report under applicable laws which include, without limitation, duties to report: suspected abuse, neglect, harm or risk of harm to a child; abuse or neglect of a resident of a long-term care home or retirement home; and sexual abuse of a client by another health professional. In addition, there are permissible exceptions to confidentiality obligations if disclosure is necessary for the purpose of eliminating or reducing a significant risk of serious bodily harm to a person or group of persons.
**Availability and content are subject to change at any time with no advance notice. The recordings are exclusively provided for Manulife clients and must not be shared externally. Videos may not be recorded or posted on a client’s website.

Integrated solution

EFAP is part of our integrated suite of mental health services offered in partnership with TELUS Health, which includes continuous care to help support every step of members’ mental health journeys – whether it’s prevention, intervention, or recovery.

If longer-term support is needed beyond EFAP, members will have the option to continue their treatment with the same counsellor, or choose another one, through mental health & counselling services. Based on your plan’s coverage, members can use their extended health care (EHC) benefit to cover these services.

Critical incident support

Our EFAP also provides critical incident support to help organizations deal with unexpected situations that can happen in the workplace. As part of this support, people leaders and HR professionals can have unlimited access to 24/7 counselling to get advice for managing difficult situations with employees.

Additional EFAP services to support your employees and their families

These additional services are optional and can be added to your EFAP on a fee-per-service basis based on the needs of your organization. 

  • Workplace support services
    • resources to help employees through challenging transitions or substance use issues
    • assessments, personalized care planning, relapse prevention programming for those in recovery, and work-assist coaching to ease the return-to-work journey after a mental health leave 
  • Learning and training services to help support leaders, HR professionals, and employees to foster a mentally healthy, engaged workplace
    • live, in-person sessions on topics like stress, burnout, psychological safety, and workplace communication
    • interactive workshops focused on resilience, mindfulness, and managing change
    • 1-hour virtual awareness seminars – ideal for lunch-and-learn formats
    • specialized programs tailored to manager development and mental health leadership 
  • Depression care and trauma assist
    • immediate trauma response – psychological first aid and crisis intervention to address urgent needs
    • digital self-help iCBT modules – convenient, self-guided cognitive behavioural therapy to support ongoing mental health management

With a benefits plan powered by Manulife, every action can help build towards a healthier future.

Speak to your Manulife representative to discuss plan details and the best solution to help meet your employee and business needs.

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