Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)

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Feeling overwhelmed? Struggling to balance work and life? Your EFAP can help!

What’s EFAP?

EFAP (or sometimes referred to as employee and family assistance program (EFAP)) is here to support you and your eligible family members well-being. This voluntary program offers 24/7/365 access to immediate support and confidential short-term counselling to help you manage life’s complexities – be it issues with work, health, or life – whenever you need it.

What’s included in EFAP?

Short-term counselling

Get immediate and confidential support with 24/7/365 access to short-term counselling with a mental health practitioner by phone, video, in person, or online.

Get help with issues such as anxiety, stress, divorce, family, mental health, weight management, smoking, general health concerns, and more.

Solutions for your health, life, and work

Beyond short-term counselling sessions, EFAP includes work-life services to support you in other areas of life. Start with an initial assessment of your needs and receive professional consultations and educational support in several areas:

legal – get support on issues such as real estate, writing a will, estate planning, divorce, handling a legal dispute (excludes workplace dispute), or finding a local lawyer in your area
financial – consult a financial counsellor for help with budgeting and overall money management, credit management options, housing issues including basic mortgage questions and buying versus renting, financial aspects and implications of bankruptcy, and tax consultation (excluding international tax)
career – guidance from trained career counsellors on career planning and exploration, job searching, resiliency, and planning for life after retirement
health and nutrition – speak with a nutritional counsellor for weight management support, general health concerns, and more
family support services (child and elder care) – receive parenting and family care support on topics like caregiver burnout, compassion fatigue, and helpful family support resources

Online resources

Easy, convenient access to online tools, resources, and support:

informative articles on a wide range of topics, including mental health, stress, addiction, relationships, lifestyle, and more
self-guided care plans to support learning and growth, and help implement behaviour change
on-demand webinars¹ on a variety of topics

Benefits to you

24/7/365 access to professional assistance and short-term counselling.
Confidential counselling by phone, video, chat, in person, or self-serve.
Easy, convenient access from the Manulife Mobile app.
Choose a provider that’s appropriate for you based on fit, experience, language, etc.
No additional cost to you – it’s covered under your group benefits plan.
Personalized live care support to guide you to available resources, find the appropriate counsellor, book an appointment, etc.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

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From Manulife Mobile app: Sign in and click on the Care tab to see available mental health support.
From the plan member site: Once logged in, head to the Healthcare Services tab and click on Mental health support to see if EFAP is included in your plan.

No. Your participation in EFAP is fully voluntary. There is no obligation to use the services offered through this program.

If your plan includes EFAP (click the link above to check your benefits), all EFAP services are covered by your group benefits plan at no additional cost to you and your eligible family members.

However, if support is needed beyond your EFAP sessions, you have the option to continue working with the same counsellor, or choose another one, through mental health & counselling services. You can use your available extended health care (EHC) benefit to cover part of the costs (coverage amounts, maximums, and practitioners vary by plan). You will be charged any remaining amount not covered by the plan.

From Manulife Mobile app: Sign in and click on the Coverage tab, then select the specific practitioner type to see your balance.
From the plan member site: Once logged in, head to the My benefits tab and click on Coverage & Balances. Then, under Paramedical, select the specific practitioner type to see your balance.

EFAP operates within a short-term counselling model, providing the clinically appropriate number of sessions to address the presenting issue. As each person’s needs are unique, the number of sessions needed and included may vary. On average, this is typically around 3 sessions per case, which aligns with today’s EFAP industry standard. Your mental health practitioner will discuss the recommended number of sessions to meet your specific needs.

If support is needed beyond your EFAP sessions, you have the option to continue working with the same counsellor, or choose another one, through mental health & counselling services and use your available EHC benefit to cover part of the costs (coverage amounts, maximums, and practitioners vary by plan).

From Manulife Mobile app: Sign in and click on the Coverage tab, then select the specific practitioner type to see your balance.
From the plan member site: Once logged in, head to the My benefits tab and click on Coverage & Balances. Then, under Paramedical, select the specific practitioner type to see your balance.

Yes. Everything is kept confidential between you and your counsellor. Your employer won’t have access to your information, including if you reached out to a counsellor.

Collecting and using personal information is necessary to our business as a financial services and group benefits provider. Manulife’s privacy policy and the Personal Information Statement set out the purposes for which we collect employee personal information from employees. Protecting employee personal information and respecting your privacy is important to us. You can learn more about our Canadian Privacy Policy and the Personal Information Statement for employers’ Group Benefits plans. You can also read our Online Privacy Statement which explains how we collect, use, and disclose personal information we collect on our websites and apps.

Your eligible family members can call the toll-free number 1-844-505-6240, or you can invite them to join through the online platform feature, Invite a family member.

¹ Availability and content are subject to change at any time with no advance notice. The recordings are exclusively provided for Manulife clients and must not be recorded, posted pn client’s website or shared externally.

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