What Is an EAP Program and How to Use Yours for Mental Health Support
According to a poll conducted by the nonprofit, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more full-time workers are struggling with stress, burnout, and mental health challenges than ever before. And many aren’t sure where to turn.
This is one area in which Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) can be especially helpful. Roughly 79% of U.S. companies offer them, giving about 70 million workers access to short-term, confidential support. However, only 5-10% of employees actually use them.
So, what is an EAP program, and why are they so underused? We sat down with Allison Fossella, Director of Mental Health Services at Nice Healthcare, to find out–and to explore how Nice works alongside these programs to help employees get the care they need.
Key takeaways:
An Employee Assistance Program is a free, confidential benefit that offers short-term support for personal or work-related challenges.
EAPs can help with everything from financial or legal concerns to stress and mental health issues.
These programs are underused, often due to limited awareness, session caps, or confusion about how to get started.
Nice Healthcare complements EAPs by offering short-term, solution-focused therapy along with personalized resources based on where you are in your mental health journey.
Employee Assistance Program Definition
An Employee Assistance Program is a benefit paid for by your employer that provides short-term, confidential support for a wide range of personal and work-related concerns.
They’re typically free to use, don’t require health insurance, and are designed to help you access support quickly–whether you're dealing with stress, financial strain, or something else.
What Do Employee Assistance Programs Offer?
While they’re often associated with therapy, EAPs offer much more than just mental health support. Depending on the program, services might include:
Short-term counseling (often three to six sessions)
Financial or legal consultations
Help finding child care or elder care resources
Workplace conflict resolution or coaching
Referrals to specialized providers or long-term services
Some EAPs provide these services directly, while others act more like a navigation hub, helping employees connect to the right resources based on their needs, Fossella says.
How Do Employee Assistance Programs Work?
Using your company’s EAP is often easier than many people think. In fact, most programs have a dedicated phone number you can call directly. No need to go through HR or share personal details with a manager.
When you call, a representative will ask about your needs and explain what’s included in your company’s plan. They may connect you to a provider or refer you to someone in the EAP’s broader network.
Typically, you're allotted a set number of sessions or hours, depending on the service and your employer’s specific program.
You can usually find EAP contact info in your employee handbook, HR portal, or even payroll software. If not, your HR team can point you in the right direction.
Common limitations of EAPs
Studies show that EAPs contribute to better well-being for employees, but they also have some limitations, Fossella says. Some of these may include:
Lack of awareness or confusion: Many employees don’t realize they have an EAP, or aren’t sure how to access it.
Short session limits: Again, most programs offer just three to six counseling sessions, which may not be enough for more complex or ongoing needs.
Continuity of care concerns: If your EAP therapist isn’t in-network with your insurance, continuing care after your covered sessions may mean switching providers or paying out of pocket.
Variability in provider quality: Since EAPs often work with large external networks, the providers’ training or specialization can vary widely.
Limited personalization: While many EAPs aim to match employees with an aligned provider, for others, the process sometimes prioritizes speed over clinical fit.
“In general, EAPs are a really good starting point,” Fossella says. “But depending on the severity or the needs associated with what you're going through, it might not be enough to go from point A to point B with a resolution.”
How Nice Healthcare Complements EAPs
At a glance, EAPs and Nice Healthcare may look similar: both are free to employees and offer short-term mental health support (therapy at Nice typically includes around eight sessions). But they often serve different purposes–and actually work in tandem.
While EAPs are often built for quick access and care navigation (helping employees get started or connect to longer-term providers through insurance or self-pay), Nice fills a different gap.
Nice offers preventive, structured, short-term therapy designed to help people stabilize sooner and potentially even avoid the need for ongoing care. Fossella likens it to primary care, but for mental health.
Fossella offers an example: You notice stress or anxiety building in your everyday life. So you try to manage it with self-help books, podcasts, or journaling–and sometimes, that’s enough.
But other times, a few focused sessions with a therapist could make a real difference, helping you get to the root of the issues, and potentially even resolve them faster.
How Nice’s Mental Health Therapy Works
Nice’s process starts with a one-hour assessment with a licensed clinician–not a therapist assignment right away. This step helps determine if short-term therapy is a good fit, or if a referral for longer-term or more specialized care would be more helpful.
Nice’s team uses this assessment to match each patient with a therapist based on clinical fit and goals rather than just availability. The model is intentional, with therapists trained in brief psychotherapy aimed at helping patients:
Set goals
Learn and implement coping skills
Potentially return to baseline in just a few sessions
If your clinician determines during the assessment that you need longer-term or more specialized care than Nice can offer, they’ll give you a personalized list of outside resources.
They’ll also encourage you to contact your EAP, which could help cover initial sessions or facilitate finding the right long-term provider.
“They’re trying to have somebody come in, set goals, and put together a plan with the full intention that after these eight sessions, you’ll be at the point of feeling better and able to self-manage,” Fossella says.
And if you’re primarily talking about psychosocial stressors like needing legal advocacy or financial resources, your clinician will recommend that you leverage your EAP to get support directly on what’s causing your stress.
“We really are complementing services, not competing,” Fossella adds.
Real-World Example, Real Benefits
When you have access to both an EAP and Nice Healthcare, you never have to figure things out alone. Whether you're managing stress, adjusting to a life change, or just not feeling like yourself, having multiple support options can make it easier to get help that truly fits.
Fossella shared the story of a patient who first came to Nice for therapy. During their initial assessment, the clinician recognized they needed longer-term, specialized care and referred them to resources outside of Nice–encouraging them to use their EAP to help with costs and coordination.
A few months later, the patient returned–having completed therapy and found relief for the initial concern–with a new issue that fit the brief therapy model and received support from the Nice team.
When you can move between services based on what you need in the moment, mental health care gets more approachable and more effective.
Getting Started with Nice for Mental Health Support
There’s no one “right” way to begin your mental health journey. Whether you reach out to your EAP or start with Nice Healthcare, what matters most is that you start.
Think of Nice as your mental health primary care: a first stop for short-term therapy, guidance, and thoughtful referrals when you need specialized care.
If you're ready to get started, just open the Nice app, click on “Mental Health” under “New Appointment,” and schedule your one-hour assessment with a licensed clinician.
Whatever path you take, you don’t have to navigate it alone.