Where Do I Turn for Help?

When you can’t make lemonade out of the lemons life hands you, you may find yourself asking, “Where do I turn for help?” You AND your eligible family members have access to FREE, confidential counseling from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Your EAP is available 24/7 to help you with any mental health issue, relationship problems, stress, anxiety, sadness, and so much more. If you or your family members need to speak with a counselor, call 1-877-MyTHRLink (1877-698-4754) and select option 4, prompt 4 again. For additional resources, go to the THR EAP website. But if you need more than EAP offers, then Behavioral Health is the place to go for the care you and your loved ones need.

Knowing where to turn for help can be difficult. 

Do you go to the Employee Assistance Program? Or do you need Behavioral Health? Or is a trip to your primary care doctor in order?

If you are overwhelmed and need a place to turn, a call to the Behavioral Health Help Line, 682-236-6023, can help direct you to the best place.

Sandy Potter, vice president and chief operating officer, Behavioral Health, said there is no wrong door when you dial up the help line. Call center employees are trained to direct you to the resource best suited to your needs. For most people, the need for help usually occurs when life-changing events, happy or sad, bring change to individual or family lives.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is valuable because you can learn about resources and tools to more effectively cope with your circumstances. Change, whether expected or unexpected, can result in challenges in day-to-day life that may cause you to feel overwhelmed. Services are free for members of the Texas Health medical plan and includes a wide range of resources to make your life easier. For example, in addition to services referenced here, EAP can refer you for help with child care, elder care, financial, legal or identity theft services.

“If you are a caregiver for a family member, for example, you may be exhausted from the stress of caring for a loved one and working full-time in addition to your family responsibilities,” Sandy said. “Many times, it is a temporary situation, and you may need help learning how to manage the stresses and strains that go with being a caregiver.”

The key word is “short-term.” Dealing with work-related stress, a recent life event or relationship issues are other areas in which EAP can help employees because these scenarios offer temporary disruptions to life and to a person’s mental and emotional wellbeing. For many of these scenarios, people adjust to a “new normal.”

But if you have an issue that reaches below the surface, such as being constantly depressed or anxious, or if you constantly use drugs (prescription or otherwise) or alcohol to dull the pain, then you likely need Behavioral Health assistance to help you implement more fundamental changes.

“We all process things differently,” said Scott Domingue, chief nursing officer, Behavioral Health. “Sometimes the way we process events and information results in a need for medical or behavioral assistance – or a combination of both.”

Under those circumstances, a referral to the right Behavioral Health services will help you or your family member get the help need to get back on track and have the tools needed for any future derailments.

“Either way, ask for help,” Sandy said. “When you call the Help Line, you will be directed to the program that will help based on your specific circumstances.