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AF EAP provides free, licensed support to civilians

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cody Dowell
  • Altus Air Force Base Public Affairs

When looking for a recommendation for something like a restaurant, barber or mechanic it is easy to ask and get someone’s opinion. When it comes to issues about relationships, work and personal health, people are less likely to ask the question in the first place. However, there is a service available for all of these issues.

It is commonly known military members have several resources available to them for different times of need. For the civilian workforce, there is Air Force’s Employee Assistance Program (AF EAP).

AF EAP provides civilian employees and their families with free, confidential resources and support to help manage normal everyday life challenges that may affect job performance and personal well-being.

The head of the program, Danna Plewe, AF EAP Program Manager, came to the 97th Air Mobility Wing, May 29-31, 2019, as part of her campaign to bring attention to the relatively new program.

“This program hasn’t been a part of the Air Force culture for long so it’s important to raise awareness about it,” said Plewe. “Everyone has challenges they face in their everyday life and that is the reality of being alive. Those challenges make it hard to be present in the workplace or at home. This program is the civilian employee equivalent of Military OneSource, designed to match members with a plethora of resources available to them.”

No matter if the issue relates to work, relationship, family, health, finances or substance use, AF EAP can help.

“Before being briefed on AF EAP, I thought it just assisted with mental health,” said Osborn Richardson, a logistics manager for the 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron. “I am amazed by the full capacity of the program now that I fully understand it. This will be great since I am in a civilian supervisory position and will be able to educate my team and others about this program.”

Whether it is finding legal services, a daycare, elder care or home repair, AF EAP will do the research and provide reliable options which ultimately save the employee or family member from spending hours on the computer and phone searching for a solution.

“There is a lot of support and if someone calls, they can be provided with help they might not realize they need,” said Plewe. “AF EAP will assist in determining what the member’s current needs are and find them a local provider or resource they need.”

Employees having difficulty balancing their life issues can speak with a licensed AF EAP counselor who provides consultation, assessment, short-term, problem-solving counseling and referral services. No matter the time or severity of the issue, AF EAP will be there to assist.

“When people need immediate help, it is usually not when they’re surrounded by their peers or in the middle of the day,” said Plewe. “It is usually in the middle of the night or when someone is all by themselves with their thoughts going a million miles-per-hour. One of the best qualities about AF EAP is they are available 24/7. If you call their number or go online, one of their 22,000 providers can assist and provide services in up to 80 languages. This is at no cost for the civilian or their family and is totally confidential to the member.”

For assistance call 1-800-222-0364 (1-888-262-7848 TTY), or their websites www.FOH4You.com or www.worklife4you.com (use code USAF).
For more local information about the program, contact the Violence Prevention Integrator at 580-481-7951 or the Community Support Coordinator at 580-481-5824 to help guide members with the process.