Depression PLUS

Depression accounts for as much as 14% of all Canadian disability claims. Depression is North America's fastest growing emotional disorder - a condition characterized by recurring depressive episodes and a shocking 15% mortality rate. Depression PLUS from FSEAP/IWS allows your organization to do more than suffer the effects of depression.

Your Partner in Workplace Health™

Depression is a serious illness with physiological, emotional and environmental causes. It frequently requires both medication and counselling to resolve. But employees that seek help through the public health system alone rarely receive adequate care. Most patients do not receive ongoing monitoring, referrals to qualified counselling are often overlooked and employees face long waiting lists for services. These lapses and delays reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Without effective treatment, the result for your your organization is increased costs in terms of:

• Frequent and extended absenteeism
• Reduced productivity, inability to complete tasks, inattention to detail
• Negative impact on workgroup dynamics
• Rising disability costs resulting from depression and related illness

The Depression PLUS program is designed to fill the treatment gap and to reduce the impact of depression on your workplace as part of a comprehensive healthy workplace strategy.

The Depression PLUS Program:

An employee's participation in the Depression PLUS program is voluntary and services are provided on a confidential basis. The program's framework is structured to maintain and reinforce the connection with the workplace. The goal of the program is to return the employee to work as soon as possible. This program goal not only supports the employer's goals but also the employee's needs; ability to work is an essential component of self-image and recovery.

Program elements include:

• Phase One: A detailed assessment is conducted and treatment goals are established.
• Phase Two: Therapeutic counselling is provided using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a technique that has been proven to assist individuals in resolving depressive episodes. Referral to a qualified medical practitioner is made if medication is recommended, followed by ongoing monitoring.
• Phase Three: Our Re-integration Consultant facilitates a discussion between the employee and employer (with consent) to determine appropriate terms of engagement.

Measurement & Reporting:

Depression PLUS is a collaborative treatment process that involves both the employee and employer. Although protecting client privacy is critical to any counselling program, the organization, with client consent, will receive reports at specified intervals. Reports include general information on progress made against goals and the employee's readiness to begin the re-integration process. Formal measures of employee progress are taken using standardized measurement tools throughout treatment.

The Depression PLUS Methodology Delivers Results!

In a well-documented Quebec study using the same methodology, 85% of employees who received service returned to work within three months. Half of these returned to full-time employment with the balance re-entering the workforce on a part-time basis, with a planned, progressive increase in hours of work.

Support for Managers:

We recognize that managers and supervisors have important needs related to depressed employees and often lack the needed skills to intervene when a trouble employee presents in the workplace. We offer support and training for managers as part of a healthy workplace strategy including:

• Just in Time Consultations for Managers and Supervisors
• Training Workshops

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