Homewood Health is the provider of the Library’s Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) – a confidential, professional service offered to employees and their families to help support them in resolving a wide range of problems that may impact their work performance, wellness and behavior. Homewood Health is there for those times when life events become challenging and affect your effectiveness and happiness at work and at home.
Homewood Health – Available 365 days, 24 hours/day, 7 days a week: 1-800-663-1142
*** For instructions on how to set up an account, please see the HUB page Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP). Note that the link will only work from inside VPL or via WFH login. ***
View an orientation video about Homewood Health Services.
What services does Homewood Health offer?
Together, you and your eligible dependents can receive counselling from a professional counsellor either in person, over the phone or through www.homeweb.ca. You are also able to receive a full suite of Homewood Health™ Life Smart – Lifestyle and Specialty Counselling Services.
Homewood health offers the following free, confidential services:
Short term counselling services for:
- Relationship concerns in areas such as communication, separation, divorce
- Family issues such as parenting difficulties, family conflict or aging parents
- Workplace concerns linked to conflict, stress, change, balance or career
- Financial and legal difficulties
- Alcohol and drug misuse or dependency
- Gambling and other addictions
- Depression and anxiety
- Bereavement and grief
- Anger management
- Sexual harassment and abuse
- Life transitions such as retirement, menopause or divorce
Long term counselling services (employees only) for:
- Depression
- Trauma / Post Traumatic Stress
Life Balance Solutions:
- New Parent Support
- Childcare and Parenting
- Elder and Family Care
- Relationship Solutions
- Legal Advisory Services
- Financial Coaching
- Grief and Loss Coaching
Health Smart Coaching Services:
- Nutritional Coaching
- Smoking Cessation Program
- Jumpstart your Wellness
Career Smart Counselling Services
- Career Coaching
- Pre-retirement Planning
- Shift Worker Support
What’s available online?
In addition to core EFAP services, you have access to a variety of online resources that provide self-help information, references, articles, and guidelines.
- Online Health Library
- an extensive collection of educational resources organized into a Health Library with rich content, relevant topics, and easy navigation
- The Health and Wellness Companion
- a comprehensive self-guided, self-development program that is designed to provide a personal plan of action. This also includes a Health Risk Assessment.
- Busy Family Child and Eldercare Resource Locators
- conduct your own customized searches by keying in specific requirements. You can search for daycares, homecare, respite care, schools, camps, long-term facilities, assistive care facilities, and facilities geared towards the elderly with health needs or cultural preferences. Responses are instantaneous and can be easily sorted for comparison purposes.
- i-Volve: Online cognitive behavioural therapy
- i-Volve is an innovative online program that’s open to all VPL staff and their dependents who want to take a proactive approach to overcoming anxiety, depression, stress or worry. Learn more about i-Volve and sign up.
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E-Courses
- instant access to online learning developed by psychologists specialized in e-learning and health promotion. These self-paced, interactive, confidential learning courses target personal and workplace concerns.
| Embracing Workplace Change | Resolving Conflict in Intimate Relationships | Taking Control of Job Loss and Transition |
| Foundation of Effective Parenting | Respect in the Workplace | Taking Control of Stress |
| Fundamentals of Effective Supervision | Responsible Optimism | Taking Control of Your Career |
| Leading the Human Side of Change | Stop Smoking – Get Your Life Back! | Taking Control of Your Money |
| Managing Sensitive Employee Issues | Supporting Respect in the Workplace | Taking Control of Your Mood |
| Preparing for your Retirement | Taking Control of Alcohol Use | Values-Based Leadership |
| Resilience | Taking Control of Anger |
Who is eligible to use the services?
Homewood Health provides the Services for:
- Regular full-time, regular part-time, active auxiliary and active temporary full-time employees and their dependents. “Dependent” means one spouse, and any unmarried child, stepchild, legally adopted child, or legal ward, (but not foster child) who is financially dependent on the employee or the employee’s spouse. A child is eligible to use the Services until reaching the age of 21, or reaching 25 if in full-time attendance at school or university.
- Dependents with a disability of any age where the person remains a legal dependent of the covered employee beyond the age of 21, (or 25 if a full-time student) and the requirement for the dependent status occurred while under age 21 or under age 25 if a full-time student. This broadening of eligibility applies to unmarried child, stepchild, legally adopted child, or legal ward, (but not foster child) who is financially dependent on the employee / elected official or the employee/elected official’s spouse and remains legally and financially dependent as a result of a disability.
How does the counselling program work?
When you need to speak with someone, simply call the Homewood Health toll-free number listed below. Homewood Health staff will ask you for some basic information (to establish your eligibility for this benefit) and will help set up an initial face-to-face counselling appointment at a time and office location that is convenient for you. Or, if preferred, telephonic or e-counselling can also be arranged. In all cases, an experienced counsellor will help assess your concerns and aid you in developing practical solutions. All Homewood Health counsellors have a minimum of a master’s level degree, and extensive experience in helping individuals with their personal challenges. If longer term counselling, hospital treatment or specialized services (such as medical, legal or financial help) are required, your counsellor will discuss referral options with you to get you connected with the most appropriate support.
What are Life Smart – Lifestyle and Specialty Counselling Services?
Whether one needs to find a nursing home for an aging parent on the other side of the country, obtain help getting finances under control, receive advice on how to nurture a child with special needs or gifts, plan for the transition back to work following parental leave, or receive legal advice on custody or visitation questions, Homewood Health can help.
Clients utilizing Life Smart are provided with an overview of the service at time of first call by the intake counsellor initiating support with the specialist. Clients have access to the specialist within 24-48 hours and specialists can often provide an assessment of the client’s needs upon first contact. Assessment outcomes, including additional support and resources, are customized for each client.
Life Smart services are delivered over the telephone and often include a personalized package of information and useful tools, such as tips sheets, articles and software programs that have been selected with the client’s specific interests in mind.
Is there a cost for the services?
All services are offered at no cost to you or your family members. Occasionally a counsellor will refer to resources in the community. Any costs incurred through community resources are considered outside of the EFAP program and are therefore not covered the program; however, they may be covered through your other health benefits.
Is it confidential?
Confidentiality is the cornerstone of the EFAP. The program allows all EFAP clients to discuss any life-issue in complete confidence, whether speaking with a masters’ level counsellor or another professional for one of the Life Smart specialty services (e.g., Lawyer or Registered Dietician).
Homewood Health™ standards of confidentiality are the same as those used by medical doctors in Canada. You and your family may rest assured that all conversations and dealings with the EFAP will remain strictly confidential within the limits of the law*.
Homewood Health is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an objective and recognized body for EFAP provider accreditation, who also ensures organizations meet the standards of confidentiality.
*Homewood Health is required by law to disclose what would otherwise be confidential information when there is a risk of serious injury to oneself or others, there is suspicion of child abuse as defined by provincial legislation, or when served with a properly executed court order (i.e. subpoena).
More Info
For a comprehensive multi-media web-based orientation and access to all of the e-services, you can visit Homewood Human Solutions’ website and then log into Member Services.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Human Resources at 604-331-4052.
For a program overview, click here.