Donât let the âwinter bluesâ get you down
February 8, 2018
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For some people winter is a time to get outdoors, enjoy the snow-filled landscape, and get active. But for others the constant cold and short daylight hours can be a grind.
For Queenâs employees and family members who struggle with winter â including, for some people, serious conditions such as depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) â there is a wide range of supports on offer, including the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provided by Homewood Health.
Free, confidential and easy to access the EFAP provides services for Queenâs employees and their dependents, including counselling, coaching, information, and support for all types of issues relating to mental health, health management, and achieving greater personal and workplace well-being, explains Sydney Downey, Manager of Return to Work Services at Queenâs.
âWe have set up important supports for Queenâs employees that are easily accessible and preventative, that allow them to engage fully in whatever they do here at the university,â she says. âIt is important to us that they are present, engaged and healthy and therefore we have gone to lengths to establish different support structures, one of them being our EFAP provider. This service is available, accessible and free and we strongly encourage employees to be more preventative in their health care.â
Homewood Health has been providing confidential EFAP services to Canadian employees and their family members for over 33 years. Services provided include healthy eating plans, employment coaching, counselling, and much, much more. This support network is available 24/7.
Overseeing the program at Queenâs is the EFAP committee, which includes representatives from all the unions at the university as well as for non-unionized workers.
âThe members of the EFAP committee represent a wide range of departments and groups here at Queenâs and are a valuable resource as they can assist Queenâs employees in accessing the services and answer any questions regarding the program,â Ms. Downey says.
For more information on the Queenâs EFAP, visit the .
For 24-hour EFAP services call 1-800-663-1142 (English) or 1-866-398-9505 (French).