Counselling for Problem Drinking: Employee assistance programs versus employee counselling programs [A Commentary]

Abstract

Employee Assistance Programs have received more attention in combatting alcoholism than have Employee Counselling Programs. The needs from which these two types of programs arose differ, yet the similarities between the two are greater than their contrasts. The importance in realisation of their similarities is that in so far that the spread of Employee Assistance Programs is restricted in the U.K. relative to other countries. A Comparison of the two types of program suggests there to be a greater potential benefit with the Employee Counselling Program, since it does not only have a curative element, but by its very nature, also a preventative one.Since the major characteristic of Employee Counselling Programs is to advise on coping strategies, problems tend to be brought earlier for counselling, and, indeed, by counselling antecedent problems, drinking problems still to be incurred are being negated.