The UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center is a benefit offered by your employer to help employees identify and resolve problems, which may or may not be impacting their job performance. The UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center offers individual counseling, couples and family counseling, supervisory training, and consultation to reach these goals. The UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center is a confidential employee assistance and counseling program designed to provide employees and their immediate household members with resources for resolving work related and personal problems. We help you clarify issues, explore options and find solutions for successful work/life integration. We help people work through many issues, including:

• Stress at work or home
• Couples, relationship or family problems
• Substance use disorder aftercare
• Grief and loss
• Loneliness
• Communication problems
• Depression or mood swings
• Self-esteem issues
• Anxiety
• Stress related to finances
• Divorce

Employees in the following organizations and members of their immediate household: UAB, UAB Medicine (including UAB Medical Center Hospitals (UAB Hospital, UAB Hospital Highlands, UAB Hospital Spain Rehabilitation, UAB Hospital Center for Psychiatric Medicine, UAB Hospital Women and Infants Center, UAB Callahan Eye Hospital), UAB Medicine Huntsville, UAB Medicine Montgomery, UAB Medicine Selma, Health Services Foundation (HSF), The Kirklin Clinic and Health System Administration) VIVA Health, Homewood City School System, i3 Academy Charter School and Tarrant City School System employees.

Those also eligible for EACC services include...

• Displaced employees — eligible for six (6) months of services from last date of employment, not to exceed EAP session limit within in the calendar year
• Terminated employees — eligible for three (3) months of services from date of termination, not to exceed EAP session limit
• Employees who voluntarily leave their job — eligible for three (3) months of services from last date of employment, not to exceed EAP session limit within in the calendar year
• Retired employees — eligible for six (6) months of services from last date of employment, not to exceed EAP session limit within in the calendar year
• Household members of displaced, terminated, leaving voluntarily, and retired employees — eligibility for services is the same as employee

The UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center provides services for all eligible persons, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or veteran status. If for any reason the counselors of the UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center determine that an individual’s needs exceed the services or expertise available at the UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center, the counselors will work with the individual to identify an appropriate referral to meet their needs.

If you would like to know if you are eligible for Employee Assistance & Counseling Center services, please call 205-934-2281.

The UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center provides confidential employee assistance and counseling to help you achieve successful work/life integration. Services offered at the UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center include:

• Counseling for individuals, couples and families
• Financial wellness counseling
• Supervisor training and consultation
• Stress management resources
• Campus-wide screenings
• Educational programs and events
• Referrals to resources in the community, when appropriate
• Case management services

For more details about our services, visit the Core Services section of the EACC website.

During the initial consultation, your counselor will call you to review your intake paperwork and begin gathering more in-depth information about your personal history, experiences and treatment goals. At the end of your consultation, if our EAP is the appropriate clinical setting to achieve your desired treatment goals, you will be assigned a counselor, and a first-time follow-up appointment will be scheduled. Appointments are available in-person and via Telehealth.

At your first follow-up appointment, you and your counselor will begin working together to identify and refine your treatment goals. Meeting your established treatment goals and objectives will likely require strong efforts. In addition, you may experience feelings of discomfort, which are inherent in change. Couples and family counseling may lead to outcomes viewed as undesirable by one of the participants, especially if only one partner is participating in counseling (i.e., a spouse's decision to divorce).

At times the counselor may recommend that your needs would be better served through a referral to another counselor within the Employee Assistance & Counseling Center or through an external provider or agency. See the EACC’s Statement of Understanding for situations which may require an external referral. In the event this situation occurs, options will be thoroughly explored with you with your counselor or EACC Case Manager. Children under the age of 15 may be referred externally for individual counseling unless seen within the context of family therapy. While services outside of your EAP are not covered, we are committed to helping you find providers within your health insurance when possible.

Progress will be regularly evaluated in terms of whether counseling is effective in attaining the desired treatment goals and objectives, and by comparing your current situation with your situation when counseling began. Counseling efforts will terminate when the sought-after treatment goals are sufficiently achieved. This will be determined through mutual agreement among the participants and counselor. If at any time you decide to terminate the counseling relationship, it is recommended that you inform your counselor in order to tie up loose ends and to allow for feedback concerning the counseling process.

Counseling sessions are generally 50 minutes in length, and depending upon your current needs and will be scheduled at an interval decided upon by you and your counselor. The number of sessions that will be required to meet your goals is hard to determine.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your treatment goals or objectives, your counselor, or the counseling process, it is your right and responsibility to bring those concerns to your counselor in the counseling sessions.

Every consultation with the UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center is strictly confidential. Records related to your visits are stored off site and available only to Employee Assistance & Counseling Center staff. Information is not available for nor included in personnel records. Information about you is protected by law and not released to supervisors, coworkers, friends or family without specific permission approved by you in writing. Exceptions to this are dictated by law in cases such as risk of harm to self or others.

For more details see the EACC Confidentiality Statement.

The Online Mental Health Screenings are a fast, free and anonymous resource for individuals who might be experiencing symptoms of depression or other emotional issues. Your screening score indicates only whether your responses to the questionnaire are consistent with symptoms of any of the following disorders: depression, postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. Based on those results, you will receive recommendations of further steps for you to consider. These online screening tools are not a substitute for consultation with a health professional. Regardless of the results of a screen, if you have any concerns, see your doctor, counselor or other mental health professional.

During inclement weather, the UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center will make every effort to maintain regular business hours (8 a.m.-6 p.m.). However, when an announcement is made that the UAB campus is closed due to inclement weather, the EACC will also be closed. Such announcements are usually made on the UAB main webpage, the UAB Emergency Management page, B-Alert, your local news stations, or WBHM radio (90.3 FM). Also, there may be rare occasions when the EACC office building in Five Points (a non-UAB property) is closed due to weather-related or uncontrollable building-related circumstances to protect the safety of the public.

Tardiness to appointments can have an adverse effect on the therapeutic process if there is not enough time to discuss treatment concerns. If you are a current EACC client and you arrive 15 minutes late or more for your scheduled appointment, you will be asked to reschedule — unless your counselor can accommodate you, if their schedule allows. This may mean you will have to wait until your counselor’s next available appointment, which may be scheduled at least a week out or more.

Also, if you are a new EACC client and arrive at your scheduled appointment time 15 minutes late or more and have not completed your intake paperwork, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment. If you have not completed your intake paperwork as instructed, please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

As of July 1, 2019, we will no longer allow clients visiting the EACC to bring backpacks into their counseling sessions. Per UAB Physical Security, this policy was recommended to ensure the safety of our staff members, clients and family members visiting the EACC. Lockers will be available in our lobby/waiting area to accommodate clients who carry backpacks for business or student purposes.

Individual, couple and family therapy is available by appointment only.

To schedule your initial consultation, select the appropriate Intake Form link on the New Client Instructions & Forms page to submit intake paperwork online. Paperwork should be completed by the individual seeking counseling; parents/guardians should complete forms for children age 13 and under.

After completing your intake paperwork, please watch for an email with the subject line “myEAPconnect User Registration.” This email contains your personal link to register for the client portal. Please note, this link will expire within seven (7) days. Portal registration must be completed before we can schedule your initial consultation.

After you have set up your myEAPconnect portal account, an EACC team member will reach out to you within three (3) business days to schedule your appointment. If you do not hear from us in that time, feel to give us a call at 205-934-2281. Please click on the myEAPconnect Portal FAQs tab above for more information.

People age 14 and older who will be involved in counseling must complete and submit the Intake Form for Couples/Family for themselves. Parents/guardians must complete and submit an Intake Form for children under the age of 14.

During the initial consultation, your counselor will call you to review your intake paperwork and begin gathering more in-depth information about your personal history, experiences and treatment goals. At the end of your consultation, if our EAP is the appropriate clinical setting to achieve your desired treatment goals, you will be assigned a counselor, and a first-time follow-up appointment will be scheduled. Appointments are available in-person and via Telehealth.

If you haven’t attended an appointment with your EACC counselor within the past 12 months, you will be required to go through the intake consultation process. If you have been in counseling within the last 12 months, please call 205-934-2281 if you would like to schedule an appointment with your current counselor. If you would like to change counselors and have been attending counseling within the past 12 months, please call 205-934-2281 and ask to be reassigned to a new counselor.

Initial consultation hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you are not available within 10 minutes of the start of your scheduled initial consultation appointment, your appointment will need to be rescheduled to another date and time.

If you become ill or have a conflicting obligation and must miss an appointment, you should call the EACC at 205-934-2281 as far in advance as possible to reschedule. If you do not show up for two appointments in a row without calling, you will be placed on a waiting list for the next appointment, typically about six weeks.

If you have never been in counseling, you may feel nervous and not know what to expect. Most people, however, are surprised at how comfortable the counseling experience is when they are working with a counselor at the EACC. Counseling typically involves talking about concerns to build your insights and provide new perspectives, teaching coping and wellness skills, providing information about mental health and treatment options, and helping you set and work toward goals for change.

Clients experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis should call 911 or go to the UAB Emergency Department (ED), the UAB Highlands ED, or the nearest ED for immediate assistance. You may also access these emergency resources.

Clients experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis should call 911 or go to the UAB Emergency Room (ER), the UAB Highlands ER, or the nearest ER for immediate assistance. You may also access these emergency resources.

• Birmingham Crisis Center: 205-323-7777
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text or call 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org
• Crisis Text Line: Text “UAB” to 741741
• Alabama Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-650-6522

myEAPconnect is the secure portal for the UAB EACC. It allows secure communication between you and your therapist or other EACC staff members, including sending links for virtual appointments, and provides a convenient way to see your appointment schedule.

The portal is a web-based interface that allows you to conveniently send messages and check your appointment schedule from any web browser.

If you already have a myEAPconnect portal account, you can log in at uab.myeapconnect.com.

If you are a new client of the EACC, please visit our New Client Instructions & Forms page to complete your initial intake paperwork. Once your initial intake paperwork has been received, you will receive an email to set up your portal account. The subject line will say “myEAPconnect User Registration” and it will come from sender No-Reply@myeapconnect.com. If you do not see the email within a reasonable amount of time, be sure to check your spam or junk folder.

If you are an existing EACC client and would like to set up a myEAPconnect portal account, please call the EACC at 205-934-2281 or speak to your counselor about setting up an account. Please note, all existing clients will be transitioned to the portal.

The email address you provide in your intake paperwork will also be your login for the myEAPconnect portal.

If you already have a myEAPconnect portal account, you can log in at uab.myeapconnect.com.

After you have submitted your intake paperwork for an appointment at the EACC, you will receive an email from sender No-Reply@myeapconnect.com with the subject line “myEAPconnect User Registration.” This email will contain instructions for creating your myEAPconnect portal account and completing the EACC intake process:

• Click the registration link included in the set-up email.
• Create a password to access the secure myEAPconnect portal. Your password must be 15 characters or longer and must include at least one of each of the following:
• Uppercase letter
• Lowercase letter
• Numeric character: 0-9
• Special character: !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )
• You will be prompted to change password every six months and you may not reuse your last four passwords.
• Log in using your email address and password.
• Choose your preferred two-factor authentication method and enter your security code.
• Click Complete Profile, then Edit Profile.
• Fill out all questions in the profile section. Click Save to finish setting up your profile.
• Go to Forms and select "Notice of Health Information Practices." Review the DocuSign document and sign electronically.
• Click Finish to save this document.
• Opt in to receive notifications of new portal messages from the EACC.
• Log in to myEAPconnect.
• On the left-hand side of the page, click on Account.
• Scroll down to Account Settings: Notifications.
• Read the Notifications information.
• Next to the question “When the EAP sends me a message, I want to be notified by:” click the box next to Email or Text.
• Click Update Account Settings to save your choice. (You must make a selection and select Update Account Settings in order to receive notifications of new messages.)

Please note, once your myEAPconnect portal account is complete, new clients will receive a call from the EACC within three business days to schedule an initial consultation appointment.

The registration link to set up your myEAPconnect portal account is valid for seven (7) days from the date it was sent. We recommend setting up your account as soon as possible, so you can start accessing EAP services right away!

• Password must be 15 characters or longer
• Must include at least one of each of the following:
• Uppercase letter
• Lowercase letter
• Numeric character: 0-9
• Special character: !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )

Please note, you will be prompted to change your password every six months and you may not reuse your last four passwords.

When you set up your myEAPconnect portal account, you will be given the option to receive a security code sent to your login email or to create a DUO account for authentication of your sign-in to the portal.

The privacy statement and terms and conditions for the myEAPconnect portal can be accessed from a link at the bottom of each page of myEAPconnect. You can also view them at the link below.

myEAPconnect Terms & Conditions

No, myEAPconnect is a HIPAA-compliant portal that is not connected to UAB Medicine or any other UAB portals. No one at UAB except EACC staff has access to the data in myEAPconnect.

While completing your intake paperwork, you will be able to opt in to receive either text or email appointment reminders.

You can choose to have appointment reminders sent to a different email address than the one you provided for your myEAPconnect login email. For example, some people opt to use their work email address to create their account for myEAPconnect but prefer email reminders be sent to their personal email address (or vice versa).

Reminders will be sent approximately three days before your appointment.

• Email reminders will come from sender apptreminders@myeapconnect.com.
• Text reminders will come from 659-222-5005.

If you do not receive your appointment reminder approximately three days before your appointment, be sure to check your spam filter. If you still are not receiving reminders, or have issues with the reminders, call the EACC at 205-934-2281.

Existing clients can also elect to receive appointment reminders. Please call 205-934-2281 or speak to your counselor to sign up for appointment reminders.

No. The myEAPconnect portal is not for emergencies, as it is not monitored 24/7, and it may take up to two days for a response. You may call the EACC office during normal business hours to speak to a counselor.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis, go to the closest Emergency Department (ED) or call 911 for immediate assistance. Or reach out to one of the emergency resources below:

• Birmingham Crisis Center: 205-323-7777
• Crisis Text Line: Text “UAB” to 741741
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text or call 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org
• Contact the EACC on-call counselor through UAB Connect: 205-934-3411

Select a question below.

Q: How do I send a message in myEAPconnect?
Q: How long will it take to get a reply to my message?
Q: What kind of messages can I send in myEAPconnect?
Q: How will I know if there is a new message waiting for me in the myEAPconnect portal?
Q: How do I select which subject header to use for my message and which recipient to send it to?
Q: I’m in crisis. Can I message my counselor in the myEAPconnect portal in an emergency?
Q: How do I remove previously read messages?

Q: How do I send a message in myEAPconnect?

• Sign in to myEAPconnect.
• Navigate to Messages in the left side panel.
• Select “New Message” in the yellow box at the top right corner of the Messages page.

On the Messages page, you can also view any new or previous messages from the EACC, and you may archive old messages.

Q: How long will it take to get a reply to my message?

Message sent through myEAPconnect will be replied to within two business days.

Q: What kind of messages can I send in myEAPconnect?

Messages in myEAPConnect are for administrative purposes such as appointment reminders, scheduling/canceling/rescheduling appointments, asking questions about EACC services and programs, and other non-therapy related questions.

When sending a new message, you will have the option in the dropdown box under TO: to select your counselor or the EACC Office as the recipient. Please note, there are times when the EACC administrative staff may assist your counselor in returning messages, except for those with the subject “Message to My Counselor.” However, if your counselor is out of the office and cannot respond within two days, the EACC management team may respond to messages to your counselor.

Q: How will I know if there is a new message waiting for me in the myEAPconnect portal?

You must OPT IN to receive notifications of new portal messages from the EACC:

• Log in to myEAPconnect.
• On the left-hand side of the page, click on Account.
• Scroll down to Account Settings: Notifications.
• Read the Notifications information.
• Next to the question “When the EAP sends me a message, I want to be notified by:” click the box next to Email or Text.
• Click Update Account Settings to save your choice. (You must make a selection and select Update Account Settings in order to receive notifications of new messages.)

Q: How do I select which subject header to use for my message and which recipient to send it to?

The myEAPconnect messaging module has several different subject headers you may choose from. Here are suggestions on how to pick which subject to use for your message and how to know when to send the message directly to your counselor and when to send it to the EACC Office.

Please do not include sensitive information or therapeutic information in ANY messages in myEAPconnect. The portal is not intended for therapy.

Q: I’m in crisis. Can I message my counselor in the myEAPconnect portal in an emergency?

No. The myEAPconnect portal is not for emergencies, as it is not monitored 24/7, and it may take up to two days for a response. You may call the EACC office during normal business hours to speak to a counselor.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis, go to the closest Emergency Department (ED) or call 911 for immediate assistance. Or reach out to one of the emergency resources below:

• Birmingham Crisis Center: 205-323-7777
• Crisis Text Line: Text “UAB” to 741741
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text or call 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org
• Contact the EACC on-call counselor through UAB Connect: 205-934-3411

Q: How do I remove previously read messages?

We strongly recommend you archive messages after reading to reduce confusion in the messages module. To archive a previously read message, click the Archive button to the right of the message.

You can toggle between “Show Open Conversations” and “Show Archived Conversations” by clicking on the dropdown beneath the header on the Messages page.

Sign in to myEAPconnect and navigate to the Appointments section by clicking Appointments in the left sidebar of the portal. Here you will see your upcoming scheduled appointments.

To request an appointment, go to the portal's Messages section and send a message with the subject header “Info on an Appointment,” or call the EACC Office at 205-934-2281.

To cancel or reschedule an existing appointment, go to the portal's Messages section and send a message with the subject header “Cancel an Appointment,” or call the EACC Office at 205-934-2281.

Prior appointments can be accessed in the Prior Sessions section of the myEAPconnect portal, which can be accessed by clicking Prior Appointments in the left sidebar of the portal.

You can easily update your address and other demographic information directly in the Profile section of the myEAPconnect portal. If you need to change your name, please call the EACC Office at 205-934-2281.

To request the elevator code, go to the portal's Messages section and send a message to the EACC Office, or call 205-934-2281.

Directions can be found on the Directions & Parking Information page.

Zoom links will be sent via message from your counselor in the myEAPconnect portal. You will receive an email and/or text notification that you have a new message if you have opted in to receive these notifications in your myEAPconnect account.

Yes! You can access myEAPconnect from any web browser, including one on your cell phone.

• Children Aged 5-13: A minor’s parent or guardian will be responsible for creating the myEAPconnect portal account for their minor child aged 5 to 13. Therefore, a minor’s parent or guardian will have access to scheduling information and appointment reminders for their child within this age range.
• Adolescents Aged 14-18: A myEAPconnect account is offered and available to users 14 years of age or older. Alabama State law allows minors aged 14-18 the right to seek mental health care and other medical treatments independently. When a minor turns 14, they will be allowed to create a myEAPconnect portal account to comply with state law. If a minor’s parent or guardian would like to have access to a portal for communication about cancelling/rescheduling appointments or appointment reminders regarding their minor aged 14-18, the minor must give their written consent before the parent or guardian can be granted access.