Employee Assistance Program

John Darrow, EAP Coordinator
231/947-8387
Call for Assistance

Counseling is available in Traverse City, Cadillac, or other locations if requested.

Northwestern Michigan College offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Catholic Human Services, Inc., to all employees and their immediate family members to help with personal problems before they affect an employee’s job. The EAP will do an initial assessment of the problems and refer the employee to the proper place for help. This service is provided in a private, confidential setting away from the work site and is free of cost to the employee.

Following are the basic services available to employees through the EAP:

1. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) of Catholic Human Services, Inc. will schedule and conduct assessments for all employees and their immediate family members of Northwestern Michigan College upon request.
2. One to one and one-half hours will be provided for each assessment interview. The complete assessment will range form one to three hours. Each employee and/or immediate family member is entitled to up to three visits per issue, per year.
3. EAP will provide a counselor for employee assessments on weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and week nights by special arrangement.
4. EAP will identify and evaluate local sources to which employees can be referred after the assessment interview. These sources will be evaluated for quality of service and cost effectiveness.
5. EAP will monitor counseling and treatment services to which an employee has been referred to insure adequacy of care being provided.
6. EAP will provide appropriate progress reports on individual referrals when requested by the College. The individual employee must sign authorization to release information in order to provide this report.
7. EAP will maintain confidentiality of all clinical records and interviews according to both state and federal guidelines.

Once an employee is referred outside of the EAP offices for counseling and treatment services, the costs are covered by the employee’s health benefit plan.

For NMC employees enrolled in Option I, Outpatient and Intensive Outpatient Care is paid at 100% (Deductible waived) for the first $400.00 in eligible charges, then 75% after Deductible to the end of the calendar year. The maximum number of counseling sessions allowed per Covered Person per Calendar Year is 25 sessions, with a lifetime maximum of 63 counseling sessions per Covered Person.

For NMC employees enrolled in Option II, Outpatient and Intensive Outpatient Care is covered at 75% after Deductible, Maximum number of counseling sessions allowed per Covered Person per Calendar Year is 21 sessions, with a lifetime maximum of 53 counseling sessions per Covered Person.

See your Plan Book for details on Inpatient and Partial Hospitalization Care related to Behavioral Care, as well as the eligibility requirements.

If you have any questions regarding the Employee Assistance Program, feel free to call Human Resources at 231-995-1148, or contact one of your fellow employees who are either Members of the Employee Assistance Program Committee or EAP Peer Advisors:

Northwestern Michigan College
Employee Assistance Program Committee
2002-2003 Membership

Employee Groups:

Mary Pierce Faculty
Open Administrative and Professional Staff
Open Technical/Paraprofessional
Carol Zaremba Support Staff
Brian VanSipe Maintenance/Custodial Staff
Bill Hendry Executive Staff

EAP Peer Advisors - Building/Location:
Open Automotive Tech Building
Open Beckett Building
Marjory Smith Communications
Judy Albers Dennos Museum
Cathy Muma East and West Hall
Shirley Boyce East and West Hall
Open Facilities Building
Ruth Ann Lamott Fine Arts
Judi Rokos Great Lakes Campus
Sallie Donovan Les Biederman Building
Judy Izard M-TEC
Open Old Science Building
Fred Laughlin Oleson Center
Rochelle Hammontree Osterlin Library
Gordon Grimm Osterlin Library
Chris Keenan Tanis Building
Cathy Jarvi University Center
Wendy Rogers West Hall