While Employee Assistance Programmess (EAPs) have grown tremendously in organisations across the world, many EAP practitioners are not prepared for the changing challenges of the role.

With employees experiencing more stress than ever before, they increasingly need assistance in the following areas:

• Mental health,
• Financial wellbeing,
• Debt relief,
• Work life balance,
• Substance abuse,
• Alcoholism,
• Emotional well-being,
• Preparing for retirement,
• Bereavement,
• Grief counseling,
• And more.

To rise to the challenges of the changing needs of the employee, EAP practitioners need to grow their skills in essential areas such: Counseling, coaching, therapy, trauma briefings, crises management and life skills development. This is the first South African book to focus specifically on the development of EAP practitioners. It provides practical guidelines to develop and implement EAP programmes, including how to conduct a needs analyses, data collection and analyses, and impact assessments. It also offers EAP practitioners an ethical framework against which to practice their profession.

Prof Nico Martins is presently with the Department of Industrial Psychology at the University of South Africa (Unisa, since 1995) and specialises in the field of organisational psychology. His fields of expertise are organisational development and change. Prof Ophillia Ledimo is full professor and chair with the Department of IOP at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She holds a Doctorate in Industrial and Organisational Psychology.