A profile of Canadian Employee Assistance Programs

Abstract

Despite a history stretching back to the 1800s, little empirical information has been published on Canadian employee assistance programs (EAPs); in fact an extensive literature review yielded only 36 articles pertaining to Canadian EAPs. The data were categorized into three groups: 1) problem profiles, 2) utilization rates, and 3) program outcomes. The data were limited, not only by their relative scarcity, but also due to a lack of uniformity of terminology and data collection techniques. While the existing information highlights the need for systematic data collection, it does provide the beginnings of a database on Canadian EAPs.