Employee Assistance Programme
Health Assured is our employee assistance programme (EAP), offered alongside our Occupational Health services to provide a free and confidential service for employees and their immediate families. Services include 6 sessions of short-term counselling (face to face or virtual), legal advice, financial guidance, and other support services. All employees can access this service without a referral.
Contact Health Assured
Free 24/7 confidential helpline - 0800 028 0199
Live chat and video calls are available via Wisdom, accessible on your web browser (wisdom.healthassured.org) or the Wisdom app - you will need to use our employee code MHA339643 and sign up for access.
Employees can also be referred to Health Assured, with their consent, by a manager, colleague, Occupational Health Adviser, Union representative, Mental Health First Aider or Employee Relations Adviser. The referrer will only be notified that contact has been made, no other information will be shared.
Services
Counselling and CBT
Health Assured offer up to six sessions of short-term, solution-focused counselling, per employee, per issue. Counselling sessions can take place in person at a suitable location local to you (dependant on counsellor availability), or via telephone or video call. Sessions are also accessible to partners of staff (including couples counselling), and dependants aged 16-24. Health Assured also provide access to supported online CBT via Silvercloud.
To access counselling or online CBT via Health Assured, you will first need to have an assessment with a counsellor. This may not happen on first contact, in which case it will be arranged to take place at a later time suitable for you.
Further information is available in the guide to contacting your Assistance Programme (.pdf)
These video guides may also be useful to understand the process:
Wisdom (Health and Wellbeing support)
Health Assured provide health and wellbeing support primarily through the Wisdom portal and app.
Wisdom can be accessed via your web browser (wisdom.healthassured.org) or by downloading the app from your app store. Use our unique employee code MHA339643 and create an account* to get started!
App Store (Apple) / Google Play (Android)
Wisdom provides:
- Immediate wellbeing support at the touch of a button
- Access to wellbeing webinars, mental health guides, and Health Assured’s official Peace of Mind Podcast
- A personalised newsfeed with mood trackers, guided meditation, breathing exercises, recipes, fitness plans, and yoga
- 4-week plans for lifestyle changes: Quitting smoking, coping with stress, sleeping better, and more!
- WisdomAi, which combines counsellors’ professional knowledge with the latest artificial intelligence into a search engine you can trust
- User perks and discounts available through Bright Exchange
*Please note that you are not required to use your Essex email address to sign up for Wisdom. Do not sign up/log in via Microsoft with your Essex email, as this service is not available.
Manager Consultancy and Support
Management consultancy support is available Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm via the Health Assured helpline.
This can be used as an additional source of support for managers to achieve goals and tackle obstacles, by taking a focused and practical approach towards understanding and identifying behaviours.
Financial and Legal advice
Health Assured provide legal information services including debt and financial information. You can also receive support with issues such as:
- Probate and wills
- Caring for a dependant
- Buying a home
- Separation and Divorce
- Employment Law and HR Advice
Health Assured held an introductory session to give an overview of the services available. This was recorded, and both the video and slides from this are available on the Wellbeing Directory.
Further information is also available in the 'Documents' and 'Useful videos' sections below.
Further information
Documents
To find out more about the services available, please see the following documents:
- Health Assured information leaflet (.pdf).
- Frequently Asked Questions (.pdf)
- A guide to contacting your Assistance Programme (.pdf)
- Manager's Guide (.pdf)
- Downloading the Wisdom app (.pdf)
Useful Videos
Health Assured have created a collection of useful videos to help you to utilise the service.
EAP Bitesize
Introduction to the library - Vimeo | YouTube
Welcome pack introduction - Vimeo | YouTube
What to expect when contacting our helpline - Vimeo | YouTube
What to expect from counselling - Vimeo | YouTube
What is involved in a clinical assessment - Vimeo | YouTube
What happens if I need counselling - Vimeo | YouTube
How can I access support - Vimeo | YouTube
Wisdom App Bitesize
Features of the Wisdom App - Vimeo | YouTube
Four week plans - Vimeo | YouTube
Improving your physical health -Vimeo | YouTube
Contact us through the Wisdom App - Vimeo | YouTube
Employee Assistance Programme and OH
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a work-based support service to help employees with personal and professional difficulties affecting wellbeing and work performance.
Occupational Health support differs from an EAP, as OH focuses on maintaining and promoting the health, safety and wellbeing of employees in the workplace by supporting colleagues and managers with any professional or personal challenges that may impact their work performance or mental health.
More information can be found on the OH referrals page.
Confidentiality
Health Assured is not completely anonymous, as you will be asked for some details. This enables Health Assured to have a record of your previous contacts and provide appropriate advice and guidance.
Details of your contact with Health Assured are not shared with the University. The University will receive an overview of services accessed and the number of users for reporting purposes only.
Health Assured will only break confidentiality where there is an immediate risk of harm requiring the assistance of blue light services (police, ambulance, fire).
