What is an EAP, and how do you use it for free counselling?

Who this guide is for — and when an EAP isn't the right first call

This guide is for employees who've heard they have "an EAP" and want to know what employee assistance programme counselling involves, whether it's private, and how to use it. It also covers what to do if you're self-employed or your employer doesn't offer one.

An EAP isn't an emergency service. If you're thinking about suicide or feel unsafe, call or text 988 in the US or 9-8-8 in Canada, or call Samaritans free on 116 123 in the UK. If your life is at risk, call 911 or 999. See your GP, family doctor or primary-care clinician rather than relying on an EAP if you might need medication, have symptoms that have lasted weeks and are getting worse, or need a fit note. Our guide to telling burnout from depression helps you judge which help fits.

What is an EAP, and what does it cover?

An EAP is a work-based service your employer pays for, so you can use it free and privately. The US Office of Personnel Management describes it as voluntary and confidential, offering assessment, short-term counselling, referral and follow-up for problems such as stress, grief, family difficulties, alcohol or drug use and psychological disorders.

Most EAPs cover more than counselling. The UK industry body EAPA UK lists money and debt advice, legal information, childcare and eldercare information, and support for managers alongside counselling. Health Canada's programme for federal employees also covers relationship and parenting problems, work-life balance, conflict, discrimination, grief, and stress, anxiety and burnout.

EAPs are common. EAPA UK's 2025 market report says they were available to 18.675 million UK employees, more than half the workforce. In Canada, the Government of Canada requires federal departments in the core public administration to offer a confidential EAP with free short-term counselling, and many private employers offer one, often called an employee and family assistance programme (EFAP).

How many free EAP sessions do you get?

There's no standard number; your employer's contract sets it. The US federal programme run by Federal Occupational Health allocates counselling sessions per issue, per year, and the number varies by agency. In the UK, EAPA UK found providers delivered an average of five sessions per case in 2025. Health Canada's programme offers up to 12 hours of support for specific issues such as intimate partner violence.

Depending on the provider, sessions may be by phone, video or in person. Ask on your first call how many sessions you have, whether a new problem counts as a new issue, and what happens when they run out.

Is an EAP confidential? What your employer sees

Your employer sees numbers, not names. The EAPA UK standards require providers to give employers usage reports, such as numbers of cases, services used and referral types, that protect individual confidentiality and anonymity. Health Canada says its programme doesn't tell your employer that you or a family member got in touch, and Federal Occupational Health says counselling isn't reported to your employer or kept in a personnel file.

There are limits, and providers must explain them before you start. In the US, OPM says EAP discussions can't be disclosed without your permission, except that suspected child abuse or neglect must be reported, and law enforcement must be told about threats of a crime that would harm someone. UK standards list threats to life and child protection as reasons a provider may break confidentiality, and require your clear consent before anything is shared as part of a management referral.

How to find your EAP

• Look on your HR intranet or benefits portal for "EAP", "EFAP", "employee assistance" or "wellbeing".
• Check your benefits booklet, staff handbook or posters in staff areas, which should list the phone number.
• Ask HR. You don't need to say why. Acas notes that where UK organisations offer counselling, it is usually through an EAP.
• Federal employees in Canada can look up their organisation's provider through the Government of Canada page above; over 90 federal organisations use Health Canada's 24-hour programme.

What an EAP can't do

An EAP is built for short-term problems, not long-term or specialist treatment. EAPA UK's standards require providers to refer or signpost you to services outside the EAP when your problem isn't something the EAP covers, and to explain the limits of their session model up front. If you need ongoing therapy, a diagnosis or medication, the EAP should point you to your doctor or another service. Our guide to online therapy or your GP first helps with that next step.

EAPs and free alternatives in the US, Canada and UK

United States

Many employers offer an EAP, and federal employees and their household members can use theirs at no cost. If you need longer-term therapy, ask the EAP counsellor to refer you to therapists in your health plan's network so it's covered by your insurance. Without an EAP or insurance, federally funded health centers discount fees by income, with a full discount or nominal charge for people at or below the federal poverty guidelines.

Canada

Federal public servants and their families can use Health Canada's free, 24-hour EAP or their department's provider. Without an EAP, a family doctor or nurse practitioner is covered by your provincial plan, and in Ontario, Ontario Structured Psychotherapy offers free cognitive behavioural therapy to adults for depression and anxiety, with self-referral in some areas.

United Kingdom

An EAP isn't your only free option. In England you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies without seeing a GP if you're 18 or over (16 in some areas); the NHS also points to free counselling through employers, universities and local charities. Our step-by-step guide to NHS Talking Therapies self-referral covers waits and the services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Self-employed or no EAP? In England, Scotland and Wales, the government's Access to Work scheme offers mental health support, including one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional and a plan to help you stay in work. Self-employed people are eligible if their annual turnover is at least £6,500, you don't need a diagnosis, and you can only use the mental health support once.

Compare your options

What to do next

1. In crisis, call a crisis line now, not your EAP.
2. Find your EAP number on your intranet, benefits booklet or by asking HR.
3. On the first call, ask how many sessions you have, how confidentiality works and what happens when sessions run out.
4. If you need more than short-term help, ask for a referral and see your GP or family doctor.
5. No EAP? Use the free routes for your country above.

Common questions

Related guides

• BetterHelp vs Talkspace vs Online-Therapy.com: which fits your country and budget?
• What is CBT-I for insomnia, and where can you get it free?
• Free care routes in the US, Canada and UK

Sources

1. US Office of Personnel Management. What is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?
2. US Office of Personnel Management. If I go to the EAP, will my supervisor find out?
3. Federal Occupational Health EAP. Counseling — sessions, eligibility and confidentiality. Accessed 20 October 2026.
4. Health Canada. Employee Assistance Services: Employee Assistance Program.
5. Government of Canada. Resources for employees for mental health in the workplace.
6. EAPA UK (Employee Assistance Professionals Association). What is an EAP? Accessed 20 October 2026.
7. EAPA UK. Standards (December 2022): management information, confidentiality, referral.
8. EAPA UK. Focusing on the job: EAPs and keeping Britain working. September 2025.
9. Acas. Mental health support and training at work.
10. NHS. NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression — self-referral. Accessed 20 October 2026.
11. GOV.UK. Access to Work — mental health support.
12. GOV.UK. Access to Work — eligibility, including self-employed people.
13. Government of Ontario. Mental health services — Ontario Structured Psychotherapy.
14. Health Resources and Services Administration. Find a health center.
15. HRSA Health Center Program Compliance Manual. Chapter 9: Sliding fee discount program.
16. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).
17. 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline (Canada).
18. Samaritans. Contact a Samaritan.

General information, not medical advice — see our medical disclaimer. Written to the WhereToStart editorial policy. Next scheduled review: 20 April 2027.