Work Adjustment and General Level of Functioning Pre- and Post-EAP Counseling

Abstract

One hundred employee assistance clients completed self assessments during intake and again at the end of counseling. They rated their overall level of psychosocial functioning and their level of functioning at work. Counselors rated the clients on the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale at the beginning and at the end of counseling. In the termination summary, counselors also rated the amount of perceived improvement by each client on the major goals established at the beginning of counseling. The majority of clients showed improvement in overall functioning. Clients who had presented for counseling because of work-related problems reported improvement in their work adjustment, and so did clients who had presented with problems that were not related to work. Clients with work-related problems reported a somewhat-lower level of overall functioning before and at the end of counseling.

KEYWORDS:

• counseling
• employee assistance
• outcome
• work adjustment

Acknowledgments

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors, and not of the U.S. Department of Defense. The authors wish to thank the entire staff of the Employee Assistance Service for their roles in collecting the data used in this study and for their many useful suggestions. Dr. David Servinsky reviewed an early draft of the manuscript and provided many helpful comments.

Notes

Note. TS = Total Score; SR = Social Role Scale; GAF = Global Assessment of Functioning; PIR = Problem Improvement Rating.

^a Difference between WR and NWR groups at intake is significant at the p < .01 level for TS, SR, and GAF.

^b Difference between WR and NWR groups at termination is significant at the p < .01 level for TS and SR.

^c Change from intake to termination is significant at the p < .01 level for both groups on TS, SR, and GAF.

Note. TS = Total Score; SR = Social Role Scale; GAF = Global Assessment of Functioning; PIR = Problem Improvement Rating.

^a Reliable change was measured as follows: for Outcome Questionnaire–45.2, ± ≥ 14; for SR, ± ≥ 7; for GAF, ± ≥ 5; for PIR, ± ≥ 1.

Note. WR = work-related; NWR = nonwork-related; S = start; E = end.

^a Decrease by the end of counseling is significant at the p < .01 level.

^b Decrease by the end of counseling is significant at the p < .05 level.

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